Antioch Bible Church

Luke 7:36-50

Have you ever had a major debt that you felt like you could never pay? Perhaps you took out a loan for a college or graduate degree, or a new or used car, or a home, or some other large item. When you owe someone thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, it can feel overwhelming. Perhaps you get to the point where you don’t know how you can possibly pay your debt.

In our passage today, Jesus tells us a story of two debtors. One owed the moneylender about 10 times as much as the other, perhaps the equivalent of $20,000 for the lesser debt and $200,000 for the greater debt. Both of them were unable to pay their debts, and the moneylender graciously forgave both of them. Both of them were grateful for the forgiveness of their debt, and yet one of them had a much greater love and thankfulness toward the moneylender because he realized just how much he had been forgiven.

The point of Jesus’s story and the point of this passage is that your love for God is directly proportional to your experience of His forgiveness. If you have trusted in Christ, if you’re a child of God, you’ve experienced His amazing forgiveness of your sins. And as we realize the depth of our depravity and how terribly we have sinned against God, we will become all the more grateful and learn to love God more because of His amazing gift of forgiveness.

In this story, we see the awful debt we owe because of our sin, but we also see the amazing mercy and love of our forgiving God. And we love Him, because He first loved us.

Explanation of the passage

Verse 36 tells us that one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to his house for a meal. We later learn in verse 40 that his name is Simon. While they are eating their meal, a woman comes in, washes Jesus’s feet with her tears, dries them with hair, kisses his feet, and anoints him with perfume.

Jesus’s host, Simon the Pharisee, sees what the woman is doing, and he is shocked and upset. He knows who this woman is, and he knows that she’s a sinner—perhaps a prostitute. Simon thinks that Jesus should know who this woman is and be disgusted with her. He starts to doubt that Jesus is really a prophet since Jesus didn’t condemn the woman or send her away like Simon would have done.

But because Jesus is a prophet—and much more than a prophet—he knows what Simon is thinking and takes the opportunity to teach Simon about forgiveness. Simon attentively listens to the story Jesus tells him.

There was a private banker who lent money to two people. To one he lent two months’ wages, to the other two years’ wages. For some reason, both of these people were unable to pay their debts, and with great kindness the banker forgave both of the debts. He personally took the loss of all the money he had lent them.

Then Jesus asks Simon a question based on the story. Which of the debtors will be more grateful and love the banker more because of the forgiveness they experienced? Simon correctly answers that the person who was forgiven a greater debt will love the lender more, and Jesus confirms his answer.

Jesus then redirects Simon’s attention to the woman, and he gives Simon a new perspective. Simon had not shown customary hospitality by washing Jesus’s feet, giving him a proper greeting, or anointing him with oil, as was proper for a guest of honor like Jesus. But the woman did all of these things.

Simon’s lack of hospitality toward Jesus shows that there was little if any love in his heart for Jesus. In contrast, the woman who was known for her sin was overflowing with love for Jesus. Jesus explains that the loving devotion of this woman springs from faith, which was a result of the forgiveness that she had experienced. She had recognized her great sin debt and inability to repay God, and she had come to trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of her sins. And because she was forgiven so much, in return she loved Jesus with a great love.

Jesus reaffirms to the woman that her sins are forgiven, much to the shock of the other dinner guests. They all begin to ask, “Who is this man? How can he forgive sins?” And then he dismisses the woman, telling her that it is her faith that saved her, and she can now go in peace.

There are so many things that we can learn from this passage, but I think the main thing that Luke and the other Gospel writers want us to see is the identity of Jesus. In fact, in this passage the question is raised (referring to Jesus), “Who is this?” That same question is asked at least 3 other times in Luke’s Gospel, and I’d like us to look at two of those before we consider this passage.

In Luke 5, we have the story of the four men who brought their paralytic friend to Jesus and let him down through the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching. Starting in v. 20 we read this: “And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” ²¹ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ²² When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ²⁴ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” ²⁵ And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. ²⁶ And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

In Luke 8 we have the story of the disciples out on the sea of Galilee, where Jesus falls asleep in the boat and then a big storm hits and the disciples fear for their lives. Luke 8:24 says “And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. ²⁵ He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

And Luke wants us to consider this question: “Who is Jesus?” What does this passage tell us about his identity? And how should we respond to him?

In this passage we can learn many things about who Jesus is and what He does.

Who is Jesus?

1. Jesus is impartial (36-38)

While Jesus seemed to spend more time ministering to outcasts like the sinful woman in this story, he also took opportunities to minister to the self-righteous Pharisees. He did not discriminate, but he took the opportunity to teach both the Pharisees and this woman a valuable lesson on forgiveness.

2. Jesus is worthy of love and worship (38)

Jesus received the actions of this woman as acts of love and worship. She was responding in gratefulness for the forgiveness she had received. She gave her time and resources to show how thankful she was to be forgiven.

3. Jesus is a prophet (39)

A prophet is someone who speaks a message from God. Biblical prophets received a message from the Lord that they were supposed to proclaim on God’s behalf, sometimes a message predicting the future, and sometimes a message calling for repentance and obedience from God’s people. Jesus did both of these things, so even though he was much more than a mere prophet, he was indeed a prophet.

4. Jesus knows our hearts (39-40)

Jesus knew the heart of the sinful woman and he also knew Simon’s heart. Though he did not always exercise his divine prerogative of omniscience, Jesus does in fact know all things, including the hidden secrets of the heart. Jesus “answered” the thoughts of Simon because he knew what was in Simon’s heart and wanted to teach him a lesson about forgiveness.

5. Jesus is a good teacher (40-43)

While he is much more than just a good teacher, Jesus demonstrated his extraordinary teaching ability through the parables and other stories he told. Jesus was very gifted at explaining important spiritual truths through everyday life stories.

6. Jesus forgives sins (42, 47-49)

Perhaps the most important thing we see about Jesus’s identity in this passage is that Jesus is the one who forgives sins. This woman had apparently met Jesus earlier and experienced his forgiveness, because Jesus said to the Pharisee in v. 47 that “her many sins have been forgiven.”

When there is talk of forgiveness, we must always understand that someone has to absorb the debt or pay the price. Forgiveness is freely offered to us, but forgiveness is not free. Jesus had to give his life and suffer the infinite wrath of God against our sin so that we could be forgiven. Jesus is the one who grants forgiveness, and he also paid the price so that we could have it. This truly is amazing grace.

And as we consider all of these other things about Jesus, there is only one logical conclusion we can draw from all of this evidence of his identity. And that is number 7.

7. Jesus is God

The religious leaders rightly said in Luke chapter 5 that “Only God can forgive sins.” That’s true. Only the one sinned against has the right and the power to forgive that sin. So when Jesus offers forgiveness to this sinful woman, he is telling us in so many words that he is the one who has the right to forgive—namely, he is God. And because He is God, he is deserving of our love and worship.

Applications:

So how should we respond to the truths we see about Jesus in this passage? Let’s look at 3 specific applications.

1. See yourself and others the way God sees you—a sinner in need of forgiveness

Simon the Pharisee looked down on the woman because she was a sinner. He assumed that because he did not sin in the flagrant external ways that this woman sinned that he was good enough and didn’t need the same kind of forgiveness as she did.

It’s easy to look at others who sin in different ways than we do with a judgmental or condescending attitude, which often betrays itself in the way we speak about ourselves or others.

In reality, we are all on a level playing field before God. No matter how we might see ourselves, God sees us all the same—as sinners in need of forgiveness. Our sins may be of different kinds or degrees, but we all stand in need of forgiveness because we’ve all sinned against an infinitely holy God. We all deserve infinite punishment for our sin, because we’ve all sinned against the same, infinite God.

Before God, there is no one righteous, no person who can enter God’s presence with their own merit. So we must see ourselves for the sinners we are, and we must look at others as no worse and no better than we are, but all in need of grace and forgiveness.

2. Draw near to Jesus to receive his forgiveness

There is only one way to be made right with God, and his name is Jesus Christ. When Jesus’s disciples asked him to show them the way to God, he said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the only way to the Father.

Because we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, we need both forgiveness for our sins and positive righteousness on our account to be able to enter God’s presence. And Jesus accomplished this for us through his sinless life, his atoning death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead.

We owed a debt we could not pay, and Jesus paid that debt which he did not owe. By God’s grace, because of his great love and mercy, we have been forgiven and been made right with God.

So draw near today and receive forgiveness from Jesus. Perhaps you have never received his forgiveness and that’s why there’s no love in your heart for him. Or perhaps you need reassurance of his love and forgiveness, just as he offered the woman assurance again that she was forgiven. Come to Jesus today and be forgiven—no matter what you’ve done.

3. Respond to Jesus’s forgiveness with love and worship

The only right response to receiving forgiveness for your sins is gratitude that expresses itself in acts of love and worship. If you have been forgiven of your sins, you have every reason to give all of your life as an offering to God.

But love and worship for Jesus isn’t just about showing up to church on Sunday mornings. That’s a good starting point, but there are many other ways we can show him our love. Here are some ideas.

• Spend more time reading and studying the Bible.
• Rake leaves, shovel snow, or mow a lawn for a fellow believer or neighbor who needs help.
• Volunteer at a pregnancy care center for young moms in need of help.
• Take a missions trip to help out less fortunate people and share the gospel.
• Spend extra time praying for your brothers and sisters in Christ and for the lost.
• Give financial support to your local church, to missionaries, and to help the poor or needy.
• Get involved in the local church by using your gifts and abilities to bless others.

Questions to consider:

1. How do you see yourself and others?
2. Have you experienced the forgiveness of Jesus?
3. How does your life show that you love God?