Luke 7:36-50
36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Jesus is quite unique and we have no one we can compare Him to...He is that different...He told the greatest stories that have ever been told...He gives us the greatest lessons in life to be learned...Jesus shocks us with His stories and His words that amaze...His parables and teachings contradict, are a paradox, and stun us often in seeing how we actually think and live in our own defined world and in our own way of thinking...And when we put ourselves right into His stories, we learn much about ourselves...
If we can imagine that we are the Pharisee Simon and Jesus is in our house for the first time...A woman arrives whom we know...But she is uninvited, and we just happen to know all about her past...We know she has sinned...We think to ourselves as we see her for the first time in our house...She is uninvited, why is she here, I will allow her to be in my house, only because I do not want to make a scene in front of my other invited guests...Now she comes over and is immediately at Jesus' feet, weeping and wiping His feet with her tears...I am thinking, if this Man is really who others think He is, and if He is truly a Prophet, He would know all about her past and her sinning ways...I wonder if this Jesus fellow might ask her to leave, after all no one invited her to my house....And this is my house...
Jesus wants to tell me a story...I tell Him to proceed...“Two people owed money to a certain a banker...One owed him five hundred dollars, and the other fifty dollars...Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both...Now which of them will love him more?”...I reply, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”...Jesus tells me that I have given Him the correct answer...Then He turns toward the woman and asks me, “Do you see this woman?...I came into your house...You did not give Me any water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair...You did not give Me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing My feet...You did not put oil on My head, but she has poured perfume on My feet...Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown...But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”...Then Jesus said to this sinning woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”...My other invited guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this Man who even forgives sins?”...Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”...
I am now a little shocked, after this story and listening to Him speak, that He has accused me of only being able to forgive a little...I have learned much about forgiveness from Jesus...He is the Great Forgiver...