"Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed
him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 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?” (Luke 7:41-42)
Our Lord Jesus was invited to dinner by a Pharisee named
Simon and went to his home. While the meal was served a woman who lived a
sinful life of prostitution in the town came in to the dinner table and stood
behind the Lord at His feet weeping. She was bringing an alabaster jar of
perfume. She wept and wept until her tears made Jesus’ feet wet. Then she wiped
them with her hairs, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
Simon the Pharisee was offended by it, saying 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.” (Luke 7:39)
Knowing what he was thinking, Jesus told him a parable. In
the parable, both people couldn’t pay the owed money back to the moneylender
but were forgiven the debts. Jesus asked Simon, “Which of them will love him
more?” He replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” Our
Lord consented to him, saying “You judged correctly.” (Luke 7:41-43)
Now Jesus explained what was really going on in this
incident. Simon didn’t give water to wash His feet nor kissed Him when Jesus
entered the house as guest. But the woman wet His feet with her tear and wiped
out with her hair and didn’t stop kissing His feet. Simon didn’t put oil on
Jesus’ head but the woman poured out perfume on His feet. (Luke 7:44-46) And
Jesus said to Simon these words.
“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” (Luke 7:47)
Here we can see full of grace and truth in our Lord Jesus
Christ. What Simon did to Jesus was not polite nor courteous at all. He didn’t
pay any respect and honor to the invited guest who was the Son of God. Though Jesus
deserved to be honored and glorified as the Son of God, He was ill-treated and
abused by the people of His own. Yet our Lord Jesus was so gracious to this man
that he joined the dinner together in order to reach out to the fallen race.
Paul says so aptly about our Lord’s humility and obedience to the Father in
heaven in the Epistle of Philippians.
“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality
with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself
nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And
being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to
death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8)
At the same time was full of truth manifested in Him. He shone
the light of truth to Simon by telling what was really going on in his heart and
mind toward the invited guest. Jesus also explained how much the Father in
heaven honored the sinful woman. It’s indeed and truly a sober searching light,
breaking in the hearts of men. Nothing is hidden to the eyes of the Lord God
Almighty.
“For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and
nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” (Luke 8:17)
What God sees is not religious activities nor pious
languages and sacrifices. Our God searches a broken and contrite heart, a
broken spirit, says King David (Psalm 51:17). That’s the interpretation of our
Lord Jesus for the woman and her unorthodox acts.
Our Lord Jesus is always fully of glory as the Father in
heaven is. As the Son glorified the Father, so the Father did the Son. When Simon
did not glorify Jesus, the Father in heaven sent the woman to glorify the Son. “Father,
glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified
it, and will glorify it again." (John 12:28)
As Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem as King, riding on a
donkey, the people praised and shouted, “Blessed is the king who comes in the
name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Then some of the
Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” Jesus replied,
“If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:38-40)
The Son Jesus Christ was glorified this way by the Father. Although
the woman lived a sinful life, by the abundant grace of the Father she highly
honored and respected Jesus as the Son of God who truly understood her. So, she
poured out herself (everything) unto the Lord Jesus because she thought it was
a reasonable thing to do for Him. God honored her as a true worshiper, proclaiming
the eternal forgiveness of her sins and giving her continually overflowing peace.
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other
guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus
said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:49-50)
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