Background Information
This story in the Gospel of Luke is loaded with instruction on the Doctrine of Redemption with an emphasis on the glory of God’s grace and mercy through His forgiveness. A cursory reading of the text would fail to present the richness and full meaning of the story. This requires an intensive reading and in-depth study which will yield spirit enriching wisdom to the reader. The work of research has been done, and an expanded study of this text is presented for the readers edification.
We begin the study by introducing the three main characters in this passage who are defined by their actions.
- The Sinful Woman– She is not named and is referred to only as “the woman.” The only details revealed about her is that she is from the city and her sins were many. While many people believe that she was a prostitute, there is no evidence for this idea because none of her sins are mentioned. She was an uninvited guest to the house of the Pharisee which she entered, and then quickly made her way to Jesus. It is apparent she was aware that Jesus would be there, which brings speculation that she may have heard one of Jesus’ sermons and was convicted of her sins by His words.
- Simon the Pharisee– Simon is the owner of the house, and the host who has invited Jesus to join him for a meal. He is a member of the Pharisee religious order who were very legalistic and who Jesus refered to as hypocrites. Simon was critical of Jesus and considered Him to be a false prophet and a threat to the religious establishment.
- Jesus– Jesus is a teacher who has received much attention because of His wisdom, miracles, and ministry to the outcasts and those on the margins of society. This compassion for the oppressed is one reason for the conflict with the religious leaders, and it is the plotline for the story. Jesus draws criticism because He does not condemn or reject the sinful woman, but instead He accepts her and her acts of affection because He knew the intentions of her heart. This story emphasizes the roles of Jesus as prophet and redeemer by His ability to know people’s thoughts and hearts, and in His ability to forgive sins.
The principal issue on which the story is built is the conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders who rejected Him as their Messiah. The tension between Jesus and Simon arises out of this issue. The admiration and love of the woman for Jesus, and the hostility against Jesus by Simon also find their basis in this issue. The story hints at the conflict but a reader must refer to prior biblical passages to get a better understanding of the conflict and of the storyline. An example is a passage that reports the confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders when they conspired to accuse Him of violating the law by healing on the sabbath. When their plot failed, they became angry and conspired to create another plot against Him.
“The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him. But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?” After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored. But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.“ (Luke 6:7-11)
Another background issue that provides insight to the story is the compassion and outreach that Jesus displays to those who were outcasts and considered as undesirable by the religious establishment. These groups of people were mistreated and hated so they were in despair and without hope, but Jesus loved these people and they loved Jesus. The compassion of Jesus for these people is recorded in this verse, “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd,” (Matt. 9:36). The character of the sinful woman is representative of the oppressed people who had no hope in the religious system of that time. Fortunately, she was redeemed after finding hope in Jesus–who displayed the true nature of God’s saving grace which had been distorted over time by the traditions of men. Jesus explains the reason for His compassion and love for the oppressed and sinners in the following verse.
“Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matt. 9:10-13).
These are the background issues concerning this story and understanding them helps to bring it to the full richness and wisdom intended by the author of Scripture. They help give meaning to the great love felt by the sinful woman for Jesus, because they explain how she felt the full weight of God’s mercy when He cancelled her great sin debt by His forgiveness.
The Passage
The Bible passage, (Luke 7:36-50), has been divided into three sections in order to better narrate the story as it naturally flows in three parts as recorded by Luke. Each part will be followed with some notes from biblical commentaries which add insight into Jesus’ teaching. As you read the passage below there are two issues that are being stressed in each part, grace and mercy.
Dining with the Pharisees
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.” Luke 7:36-39)
Jesus is invited as a guest to eat at the house of Simon the Pharisee who is the host. The tradition of that time was that the host would greet the guest with certain honors such as a kiss of greeting and friendship, water for washing the dust off the feet, and the anointing of the head with oil as a blessing. These gestures were considered common courtesy for the guest of a household in the Ancient Near East and therefore neglecting them would be viewed as a dishonor. This is why Jesus later rebukes Simon for his lack of courtesy which demonstrated the Pharisee’s contempt for Jesus. In contrast to the discourtesy shown to Jesus, the sinful woman showers Jesus with affection as she washes and kisses His feet and anoints them with expensive ointment. The woman’s actions were viewed as shameful by the guests as she was a known sinful woman who dared enter the house of a religious leader and humiliate herself in such a fashion. Even more astonishing to those present was the response of Jesus who welcomed her actions and then later praised her. Simon showed no grace to the woman whose acts displayed her remorse for her sins and repentance. Jesus received the woman’s actions as true repentance and faith in Him as Messiah and He presented her with His mercy.
The Parable of the Moneylender
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.” (Luke 7:40-43)
Jesus, in response to Simon’s disrespect and the reaction to His gracious treatment of the sinful woman, presents a parable to bring understanding to these self-righteous people who had lost the meaning of grace and mercy. The parable also shows Jesus to be a true prophet because it is a response to Simon’s thoughts that Jesus was not a prophet because He should have perceived the sinful condition of the woman. He addressed Simon directly by telling him that He had something to tell him. The parable concerning the moneylender and the debtors represents the debt owed by sinners to God in which they have no ability to pay, but God by His mercy and grace cancels the debt. Simon is forced to respond to the parable which affirms Jesus’ prophetic knowledge of his thoughts and the extent of the woman’s sinful condition.
The Woman with Many Sins is Forgiven
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.” (Luke 7:44-50)
Having rebuked Simon’s thoughts with the parable, Jesus now humbles him further by shaming him in front of the other guests by calling out his lack of hospitality. Jesus then commends the woman, who He acknowledges has many sins, for going above and beyond in providing the hospitality which was refused to Him by the host. He then connects the woman’s actions to the parable by declaring that her sins are forgiven and that her affection toward Him was the evidence that she loved much because she was forgiven much. The declaration by Jesus that He forgave her sins was an act of blasphemy in the eyes of the other guests because only God could forgive sin. Their response, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” can be better understood as, “Who does this guy think he is? Only God can forgive sins.” This was the point of the declaration of Jesus, that He was God because He could forgive sins. The passage ends with the admonition that it was the woman’s faith that saved her, and now that she was redeemed, she was no longer in rebellion and was able to enjoy peace with God.
Application
What can people today learn from this story and how can they apply it to their lives? The first observation they can make is that people of that time are not much different from people today. The world is still filled with many people like the sinful woman who carry a heavy burden of many sins, and they feel that they are without hope of deliverance. And there are also numerous people today like Simon the Pharisee who can be classified as the religious self-righteous. These are those who elevate themselves by their own self-righteousness so that they can look down upon those that lack their level of righteousness. They have become legalistic, cold, and lacking in compassion for those who are lost and in despair. Because self-righteousness has replaced humility, they have diminished the seriousness of their sin debt, therefore they love little because they feel that they have been forgiven little.
Another lesson to be learned from this story is the depth of God’s grace and mercy which was displayed by Jesus in His acceptance and compassion for a woman who was a social outcast and a great sinner. She was considered unclean by the religious authorities, but she was the type of person that Jesus had come to call to redemption, “for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matt. 9:13). As for those who are legalistic and self-righteous, Jesus does not seek sacrifice because His sacrifice is sufficient, so He desires that the redeemed possess compassion, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,” (Matt 9:13). Salvation has been accomplished, therefore rejoice and express your gratitude by serving Christ by proclaiming the Gospel and bringing the lost to find the grace and mercy of the Lord.
The message being presented in this story is that no matter how great a sinner the person is, or how guilty they feel–God’s mercy and grace is abundant and available. Christ who was present in the story during His earthly ministry, is still present in the world today. In the story He existed in the flesh as He personally ministered to the sinful woman and bestowed His mercy and grace upon her. Her great honor was that she was able to physically touch and bless Jesus with her own tears as she anointed Him. Then she was able to hear Jesus declare that her sins were forgiven in His own voice. The grace and mercy that this woman received from Christ, sinners today can also receive from the gentle and humble Lord when they are redeemed.
The earthly ministry of Christ has been completed, but Jesus still reigns and His forgiveness is now presented spiritually. The same degree of grace and mercy is still granted today to the repentant sinner through their faith as their debt is cancelled by Christ, who is the debtholder. All who have been redeemed should rejoice and love as much as the sinful woman loved because it does not matter how many sins they carry–they all lack the ability to pay their debt. The “Good News” is that Jesus has paid their debt by His sacrifice, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;” (Rom. 3:23-24). This is the message of Christ that is proclaimed in this passage and has been recorded in the pages of Holy Scripture for sinful humanity to hear, understand, and place their hope in.
In closing, let me end with the final words of Christ to the woman, “Your faith has saved you: go in peace,” (Luke 7:50).
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