Forgiveness and Love

Luke 7:36-50

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.

And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

This passage of scripture is amazing! There is so much to meditate on in just these few verses.

First, let's consider the woman.

She was a sinner. Not only a sinner but a notorious sinner. The Pharisee noted, "If this man were a prophet, he would have know who and what sort of woman this is..." Who she was and what she did, was known.

Nevertheless, we see that her love for Jesus drove her to boldly enter this Pharisee's home and anoint Jesus' feet in front of all who were there. This woman came and offered what she had-her tears, her hair, and her ointment.

She laid all of who she was and what she was feeling at Jesus' feet. We catch a glimpse of the depth from which her weeping came by the way Jesus responded to her. She was seeking something only He could give her-forgiveness for her sins and salvation.

Did you know in Exodus 30:22-33, God told Moses to make a holy ointment that was to be used to anoint the Tabernacle, all the utensils in it, the ark of the covenant, the altar of burnt offering, and Aaron, the priest, and his sons. The Tabernacle was "a very ornate tent designed to be both a dwelling place for God and a “tent of meeting” where people could approach God" during the Israelite's time in the wilderness traveling from Egypt to the land God promised to give them.

(https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2017/12/altar-burnt-offering/)

Notice, in Exodus 30, the things that were anointed with holy oil point to Jesus.

• The Tabernacle: Jesus was the exact image of God on earth. The Bible says, "for in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell." (Colossians 1:19)

Jesus was fully human and He was fully God. He was the very presence of God on earth. Jesus was Emmanuel, God with us.

• The Ark of the Covenant: Hebrews 9:4 tells us that inside the ark of the covenant were the ten commandments, Aaron's budding rod (Numbers 17), and an urn filled with manna (Exodus 16). Aaron's budding rod was in the ark of the covenant as a reminder that God was the one who had the authority to choose a priest for His people (Numbers 17), and the manna was food that God provided for His people the entire time they were in the wilderness.

Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-5) and He came to fulfill the law and prophets (Matthew 5:17). Jesus is our High Priest and He was chosen by God to do what no other priest could ever do. He sits at the right hand of God continually interceding on our behalf. Jesus is the bread of life-our essential, daily, vitalizing manna.

• The Altar of burnt offering: The altar of burnt offering was an altar in the courtyard of the tabernacle. This is where people would bring their sacrifices. "These sacrifices were vital for ensuring that sinful, defiled people could approach God’s holy presence in safety."

Jesus was the final and perfect sacrifice. He died the death we deserved and the wrath of God was poured out on Him instead of us. Through faith in Jesus, we are forgiven, made right with God, and can come boldly before God's throne anytime.

I don't know if this woman understood the significance of anointing Jesus. She wasn't anointing Him with the holy oil spoken of in Exodus, that we know of, but what a beautiful connection between the Old and the New testament. Jesus is the one that all of these things point to. She was anointing Jesus, the Word of God, the great High Priest, the Bread of life, and the perfect Lamb who was slain.

Second, let's consider the Pharisee.

This man was a Jew, and most likely, he was a man who lived a pretty moral life following the laws outlined in the Old Testament in addition to hundreds of other laws created by Pharisees, but he didn't understand who Jesus was. The Savior of the world sat in his house, at his table, and at best, he thought Jesus might be a prophet. He did not think Jesus should have allowed this morally unclean woman to touch his feet. Maybe he even thought Jesus was unclean after letting this woman touch him, but after Jesus read his thoughts, Jesus told him a short parable and asked him a question.

Third, let's consider the parable.

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Both of the men needed money, received the money from the same moneylender, and could not repay their debt. In those days, when a person couldn't pay their debt they would go to jail or into servitude until the debt was paid. If jail, then the person's only hope would be a generous benefactor or family member who would pay the debt for him or her. Other than the amount of money, these men were in the same position, destined to years of servitude or life in jail, but for the moneylender's forgiveness.

Then Jesus asks a crucial question, "Which of them love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." Jesus said to Simon that he judged correctly. It was the man with the larger debt that loved more.

Jesus then contrasted the woman's display of love for him and Simon's. Simon did not greet Jesus with a kiss, give him any water to wash his feet, or ointment for his head. All of these were customary to welcoming a guest into one's home and showing them honor. Why would Simon honor Jesus? He barely thought he was a prophet. Simon was a religious, morally upright man. He was nothing like the wretched woman. Was he?

Studying this passage I think there is something much deeper to consider, something that Simon may have missed. Maybe Simon felt comforted by Jesus' confirmation that he judged the story correctly or maybe later that night, he thought about the woman and how much she loved Jesus.

I don't believe Jesus was telling Simon, or us, that if we live pretty good lives and only need to be forgiven for "puny" sins, that it's ok to love little. The first and greatest commandment says to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Notice in the parable that both men were unable to pay their debt. Both were destined for the same punishment. Both were forgiven.

I believe Jesus is getting at something very crucial. He is exposing a heart issue. It's human nature to measure ourselves up to other people. We feel really good about ourselves when we see someone who is "more sinful" than us. We think we are good, like Simon. But here's the truth: it is the person who recognizes their great need for Jesus, and recognizes that all sin, "slight" or "substantial" separates us from God. It is through faith in Jesus, alone, that frees us from our debt. Simon merely invited Jesus to dinner, dismissing the need for even the most common courtesies in welcoming a guest, but the woman laid all she had at Jesus' feet. Her actions spoke loudly-"I am a sinner through and through, my only hope for righteousness is not in me, but only you." (Not In Me- Sovereign Grace Music)

It wasn't that Simon's debt was any less substantial, it was that Simon didn't think it was. The Bible says, "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws." (James 2:10)

As the Spirit of God works in our hearts to recognize that our only hope is Jesus' payment on the cross for our sin, we will begin to love Him in a greater and deeper way. We won't just invite Jesus into our home, we will lay everything we have, everything we are, at His feet. We will worship Him in a way that says He is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise. We will live in awe of His goodness and the freedom He gave us. Both the religious and rebel need God's forgiveness. No matter the size of their debt, they are bound for the same punishment apart from Jesus.

I love this quote from Timothy Keller's book The Reason For God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism:

"Some years ago I met with a woman who began coming to church at Redeemer. She said that she had gone to church growing up and had never before heard a distinction drawn between the gospel and religion. She had always heard that God accepts us only if we are good enough. She said that the new message was scary. I asked her why it was scary, and she replied:

If I was saved by my good works then there would be a limit to what God could ask of me or put me through. I would be like a taxpayer with "rights"-I would have done my duty and now I would deserve a certain quality of life. But if I am a sinner saved by sheer grace-then there's nothing he cannot ask of me.

She understood the dynamic of grace and gratitude. This woman could see immediately that the wonderful-beyond-belief teaching of salvation by sheer grace had an edge to it. She knew that if she was a sinner saved by grace, she was (if anything) more subject to the sovereign Lordship of God. She knew that if Jesus really had done all this for her, she would not be her own. She would joyfully, gratefully belong to Jesus, who provided all this for her at infinite cost to himself."

This woman understood, just like the woman who anointed Jesus' feet. Jesus loved us so much that while we were still sinners, He died for us. He paid the debt we would never be able to pay, no matter how "big" or "small".

My prayer is that the Holy Spirit would continually remind my heart of the magnitude I've been forgiven of. It didn't matter that I lived a rule-following, people-pleasing, good-girl kind of life. When I came face to face with my depravity, and understood the price Jesus paid for me, EVERYTHING changed!

By God's grace, I am letting go of my self-righteousness and living out of love for my Savior.

Sincerely,

Amy