Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Wednesday Easter III - Luke 7:36-50

Wednesday Easter III

Daily Lectionary Readings: Exodus 34:29-35:21; Luke 7:36-50; (Exodus 35:22-38:20)

Luke 7:36-50:

[36] One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. [37] And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, [38] and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. [39] Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” [40] And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

[41] “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. [42] When they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” [43] Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” [44] Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. [45] You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. [46] You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. [47] Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” [48] And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” [49] Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” [50] And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (ESV)

This parable is not about the degrees of forgiveness according to the type of sin. Sin is sin and carries only one penalty: death. Forgiveness is forgiveness and comes in only one degree: total. The cost of forgiveness is both free (no cost to you, by faith) and total: it required God to die for you.

To understand the parable, we have to understand the Pharisee and the woman. The Pharisee is easy to understand, especially given our past few meditations where Jesus encounters them. The Pharisees do not understand they are sinners and prefer to point out the sinfulness of others in order to judge them rather than engage in any self-examination that might lead toward repentance. Jesus continues to attempt to teach them, but His sermons continue to fail to penetrate the Pharisees' ears. The Pharisee has no fear of the Lord, though he should. Jesus will be the judge of all on the last day, and Simon’s self-righteous justification will be found lacking.

The woman in this encounter does not speak, but she does not need to, for her tears speak volumes. Simon the Pharisee was correct about one thing. The woman is a sinner. She knew it and felt it deeply. She knew the depths of the burden of her sins, and under the weight of her conscience, she knelt before her righteous judge. In her sorrow over them, she wept and used those tears to wash the feet of her Lord. Does she fear Jesus? We do not see fear, only sorrow over her sins. Her fate is in His hands.

The debtor to whom little debt was released has but a little love for the one who canceled the debt. Yet the one to whom a greater debt was forgiven loves the one who forgave the debt very much. The one who had the greater debt felt the greater burden and likewise felt greater relief when it was lifted. Both were grateful, but one's gratefulness was far greater. Does the Pharisee love God? Only God knows what is in his heart, but we can imagine that Simon's love for God may be misplaced. He may love God out of a sense of obligation – not for the forgiveness of His sins – but rather as a work toward his continued self-justification and self0righteousness. The woman loves much, not out of obligation or fear but because she understands her sin and its penalty. She comes to wash Jesus' feet not out of obligation or to grovel to receive something from Him but out of the complete relief of knowing He is the source of the forgiveness of her sins. That forgiveness belongs to her by faith alone. Faith in the debt Christ will pay for her on the cross. Believe it yourself, for His death on the cross forgave the debt of your sins as well. Love Him much, for He has forgiven you much: a free and undeserved reprieve from an insurmountable debt.