Luke 7:41-43

The parable and its application : V. 41. There was a certain creditor •which had two debtors; the one owed five hundred pence and the other fifty. V. 42. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell Me therefore, which of them will love him most? V. 43. Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And He said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

Two debtors were to one creditor; a fine bit of emphasis for the sake of the application of the parable: Simon and the woman, both debtors to the Lord.

In the one case the debt was very large, five hundred denarii, almost eighty-five dollars; in the other very small, only one-tenth of that sum. Both were unable to pay, both were excused from paying the debt. Now the question was: Which of the two debtors was under the greater obligation to the Lord, and whose love would therefore be the greater?

The answer was obvious, although the Pharisee answered somewhat cautiously that such was his opinion. Jesus accepted the answer gravely.