Verse 36 Simon, a Pharisee, heard of this controversial teacher named Jesus who had been getting a lot of attention and generating a lot of curiosity. So Simon invited Jesus over for dinner and while at dinner. Simon did not believe Jesus was a prophet (v.39) so we’re not sure what his intentions were with this dinner.

Verses 37-38 A woman, known to be a “sinner”, shows up. The NLT calls her “immoral”. We’re all sinners, but this was written to say she lived a lifestyle of sin, which is believed to be prostitution. It’s weird enough that she showed up at this house uninvited but then she takes out a jar of expensive perfume and pours it over Jesus’ feet, crying and kissing his feet. These are tears of sorrow and joy. She may have been transformed from His teaching earlier and wanted to thank Him.

Servants who were maids usually washed guests’ feet. But washing someone’s feet was also a way to show honor. Anointing feet with oil was even more honor, and this woman brought a very expensive oil to do so with. (Anointing means rubbing with oil – we can anoint our heads, a home, or anything we are praying over). This perfume is thought to be seven years of wages. She was so humiliated by her sin and so grateful for His teaching that she just had to come and wash Jesus’ feet. She weeps while washing and then wipes Jesus’ feet with her hair.

She wanted to show her love for Jesus and honor him with this expensive perfume to bring the Grace of God into her life.

Verse 39 Simon, the Pharisee, is more disgusted with Jesus than the woman. Simon’s pride told him that if Jesus was really a prophet then He would see this woman’s sin and not let her near his feet. Simon didn’t say a word to Jesus but Jesus knew what he was thinking. All of our deepest beliefs, feelings, and judgments are known by God. And even though Jesus was enjoying the meal, and Simon never said a peep, Jesus wasn’t going to let him get away with thinking down upon this woman. Jesus cares about the way we think.

Verse 40-43 Jesus tells this parable. Two workers owed money to a creditor. One owed 10 times more than the other. (The scripture says 500 denarius which is 500 days wages. A denarius is a day’s wage for an average worker. And the other owed 50 days wages.) Both workers couldn’t pay back their debt to the creditor. The creditor forgave them and canceled their debts. Which worker will love the creditor more? This is to say there is a direct correlation between the amount of debt canceled and the love that is shown. There’s a direct correlation between how much one has been forgiven of and the gratitude one has for that forgiveness.

Verses 44-46 It was customary to give guests water to wash their feet because they had been walking around in sandals on dusty roads all day. This is just common hospitality. Greeting them with a kiss and oil for their head were signs of a friend. Simon did none of these for Jesus. But the woman washed his feet with her tears and hair. And she kissed his feet and anointed them with expensive perfume. The uninvited sinful woman showed more hospitality to Jesus in this Pharisee’s home than anyone else.

Verse 47 Jesus said the reason she loved so much was that her sins were forgiven. This kind of love she had shown proves that she realized how much she sin she had and how much she had been forgiven. Those who think their sin is little and they don’t have much to be forgiven of will show very little love. Simon was self-righteous. He saw little in his life that needed to be forgiven. He thought he had it all together and had very little need for the grace of God that Jesus was proclaiming.

We all owe God obedience. And because we disobey, we live in sin or disobedience. We cannot do enough to pay back the sin we owe. There are some people who are living a lifestyle of sin (they sin openly, have had convictions and keep on sinning, aggravate their circumstances more and more, have no fear or remorse of the sin they are committing, etc.) and thus their sin may be greater than someone intentionally trying to obey God. But whether our sin is more or less, it is still more than we are able to pay. No amount of repentance, sacrifices, or right-living in the future can pay for it. God made a way for us and it happens in our hearts when we believe that Jesus paid the penalty of every sin.

Do we really love Jesus for what He has done for us, for the debt He has relieved us of? Here are a few questions to ask ourselves: Do we go to church for social connection or to serve God? Do we read our Bible out of a duty to read God’s Word or do we really enjoy Him and want to learn how to live better? Do we worship Jesus because it makes us feel good or because we truly want to honor Him with our words, affection, and the way we live? Do we serve others for what we can get out of it or because we truly love God and love others? We must not forget the sin we have been forgiven on the cross and our debts that have been canceled. When we breathe in Jesus and feast on His Truth, His Word, it will drive us to a deep love for Jesus that ignites our hearts to worship Him with passion, enthusiasm, and a desire to love and serve others like this woman. If we repent of our sin and believe in Christ, our sins will not be our ruin. God is ready to forgive sin and pardon us. His gospel promises it, and his Spirit seals it and gives us the comfort of it. The more is forgiven us, the more we should love him.

Verses 48-50 Our sins are forgiven if we believe Jesus loved us that much to die for them all. The only way Jesus can take our sins to the cross is if He is also God. Our sorrow for our sin and love for Christ are the products of our faith.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for your goodness, your kindness, your selflessness. Thank you for taking my place on the cross and carrying my sins to the grave so that I may get raised to new life in You. Thank you for this freedom from living a life of bondage to sin. Thank you for leading me with Your Word to make better choices, godly choices to live my best life. Thank you for loving me first before I ever repented of my sin, before I ever looked to You, before I ever loved You. While I was still deep in my sin, You loved me even then. I can feel it in my bones that I was made for the center of Your love. Thank You for your peace that fills me up and leads the way when I choose to accept your grace and walk in this extreme love for you, Jesus. Thank you for walking with me in this life, comforting me, carrying me in the valley, and leading me in the way to go. Just to know you, Jesus, is such a privilege. Walking with you is the only thing I don’t regret in my life. Forgive me for when I walked away and chose my own desires over your better plans. Thank you for never leaving me, Jesus. You are all I need. In Jesus’ name, Amen.