Introduction

Before we get into the text, we must remember that this account of Jesus being anointed isn’t the same account we read of John 12:1-8. John’s Gospel records that it was Mary who anointed Jesus’ feet in Bethany just before Jesus’ death.

‘When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.’ Luke 7:36

We know that from reading the Gospels, Jesus spent a lot of time with the downtrodden and the outcast of society. However, there are other Gospel stories where Jesus was with the well-heeled or the well to do of society. Just because Jesus was interested in the rejection of society, didn’t mean he was uninterested in the respect of society.

The Pharisees tried to keep away from anything non-Jewish, but they also separated themselves from the mass of the people, the vulgar crowd, which they called “The people of the land.” Yet, Simon invited Jesus to dinner. But why? Why did He invite Jesus to dinner? Luke 7:36.

Well, we don’t know why, possibly to find fault, as we know the Pharisees were continually trying to find fault with Jesus. Or maybe he was just curious and wanted to find out more about Him.

The thing is, we just don’t know but we know this much, the parable itself shows us that Jesus wasn’t invited out of a heart of friendship and love.

Let’s look at the woman in the story, she is unnamed and unknown. Some people like to think it was Mary Magdalene and others think it is Mary the sister of Lazarus. Now we can presume all we like but the text doesn’t tell us who she is except for one fact, she was a sinner and her sins were many, Luke 7:37 / Luke 7:47. So what I want to do is share with you three points that we can learn from this parable.

Jesus Anointed By A Sinful Woman

‘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. 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.’ Luke 7:37-38

1. Christ’s love for us has no conditions.

Notice that Jesus didn’t stop this woman from approaching Him, He didn’t stop her from doing what she was about to do. And that’s because Jesus was willing to receive affection from a corrupt woman. Make no mistake loved ones, this woman was a known sinner all over town.

She’s the one that people would point to in the street and say, ‘Hey there’s that woman, who is always involved in some sort of sin.’ She would be the one that people would talk about in the local cafe if they had one.

And as we know the Pharisees would have nothing to do with the common people, never mind having someone who is the worst of them all in their home. And when she walks into a Pharisee’s house, can you imagine the look on their faces?

And when she began to ‘cry over his feet and got His feet wet from her tears and then dried them with her hair’, Luke 7:37-38. Can you imagine what was going through the Pharisee’s mind? Oh but she doesn’t stop there, ‘she kissed His feet and then poured perfume all over them,’ Luke 7:38. And remember that this whole scene is enacted in public, before the very eyes of those who are so critical of the Law.

When it comes to women, Jesus was always upsetting people by talking to them, wasn’t He? He did it with the Samaritan woman at the well, John 4:27. And He’s doing again here in the Pharisee’s house. The culture of that time very much-suppressed women and it was unheard of for a Jewish Rabbi to speak to a woman in public.

‘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.’ Luke 7:39

Notice that those present said, ‘if He was a prophet He would know what kind of woman this was’, Luke 7:39. These are the word of judgement concerning Jesus, not just the woman. He was right in judging that a true prophet would know the character of the past life of the woman. However, he was wrong in assuming that Jesus didn’t know, Luke 7:39 / Luke 15:2.

The Pharisees were fuming, in fact, they started to whisper among themselves. But Jesus did know what kind of woman this was but even so, He didn’t stop her and He wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed by her conduct. And what this woman did took courage, nothing was going to stop her from approaching her Lord, nothing.

What about you? We are all sinners because nobody comes to the cross sinless, Romans 3:23. But what’s stopping you from being cross-examined? You’re past sin! Your present sin! If I can just stop drinking heavily then I will come to Christ! If I can just give up that one sin in my life then I will become a Christian! Some people don’t come to Jesus because of their sin and so what they tend to do is wait. And what they’re doing is trying to cleanse themselves in order to be worthy of Christ’s love.

But what you need to realise is that we cannot cleanse ourselves. Because when you do cross-examine yourself you will see that you are a sinner, through and through, because that’s what the cross was about. It was a symbol of death, Romans 6:23, and there’s only one thing that can cleanse us and the blood of Christ, Ephesians 1:7 / 1 Peter 1:18-19. So give up trying to cleanse yourself before you come to Christ because you won’t succeed.

The only thing that can cleanse us is the precious blood of Christ and your sin doesn’t have any conditions in it that can’t be cleansed. Many people that I know and people that you know won’t come to Christ because they have sin in their lives that they just don’t want to give up. They can say it is because of this and that but the truth of the matter is that they don’t want to give up their present lifestyle.

They love having sex with lots of people before they are married, they love taking drugs, and they love talking gossip about people. And let me tell you there’s not a person I know who didn’t love doing these things. The difference is the Christians I know recognised that they couldn’t clean themselves from their sins. They recognised they needed a Saviour to do that for them.

God’s grace is poured out on all who will receive such. Only God can forgive sins because it is against God that sin is committed. Therefore, in forgiving sins, Jesus was claiming to be God. God’s forgiveness through grace motivates a loving response, 2 Corinthians 4:15.

Christians love because God first loved them, 1 John 4:19. The disciples of Jesus are motivated into action because of the loving action by which God moved toward them, 1 Corinthians 15:10 / 1 John 4:19. Love is the primary motivation that moves one toward obedience to the commandments of God, John 14:15 / 1 John 5:1-3.

The Parable Of The Two Debtors

‘Jesus answered him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’ ‘Tell me, teacher,’ he said. ‘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? ‘Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.’ ‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said.’ Luke 7:40-43

2. Our love for Christ is in proportion to our consciousness of sin.

Christ now addresses Simon and tell him He has something tot ell him and Simon gladly wants to hear what Jesus has to say, Luke 7:40. There’s a radical difference between Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman. Simon wasn’t aware of his sins, but the woman could never forget that she was a sinner. Simon was a man who thought he didn’t need much forgiveness but the woman knew she needed much forgiveness. And so the difference between the two was basically a consciousness of sin and a need for a Saviour.

And this parable doesn’t teach that a person must be forgiven for great sins in order to have a great love for Christ. A person may spend thirty years in prison and appreciate their freedom more than a person who has just spent one night in a police station cell.

If someone is truly seeking forgiveness, they cannot at the same time be loving sin, Romans 6:1-4. It’s not the amount of sin but the awareness of sin that makes people appreciate Jesus. That’s why Jesus is about to tell Simon a parable. In other words, until we learn what Christ has done for us, we will never be able to see the people around us, who are in so much need of the grace that you and I received when we became Christians.

3. Love can do things that other things cannot do.

The parable teaches us about the greatness of love. Jesus asked Simon, ‘which of the two men would love his creditor more?’ Luke 7:41-42. Simon judged correctly, Luke 7:43. Now, why did Jesus ask him this question? It wasn’t a trick question, Jesus was simply trying to show Simon how important love was.

‘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. You did not kiss me, 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 her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Luke 7:44-48

Jesus asks Simon in Luke 7:44, ‘do you see this woman?’ I mean how could he not see her, she’s standing there right, in front of him? Jesus was asking Simon to look within himself and see that he needs as much forgiveness as she does. Simon saw a wretch of a woman, a woman he wouldn’t normally go to within five-hundred yards of. This sinful, evil woman who everybody talks about. Simon saw a woman who didn’t deserve the grace of God. We all need His grace, don’t we? And so, Jesus goes on to appeal to Simon’s heart.

Simon had failed to perform the customary duties of a host that showed respect to a guest. The humble actions of the woman went far beyond what even a host would perform toward his guest, Luke 7:44-46. She did more for Jesus than those who considered themselves righteous in the eyes of God. She manifested her great love, and thus, she received forgiveness, Luke 7:47-48.

Jesus wanted to make public His patience and mercy for sinners, but Simon didn’t think that this was a display of patience and mercy. Simon thought it was a spectacle, of shame and compromise. Simon’s view of righteousness demanded that you keep yourself away from sinners like her. And to Simon, the whole scene was an amazing disgrace. In fact, Simon concluded that Jesus’ offer of grace was disgraceful. He thought it was disgraceful that he would be in the company of that kind of woman.

He annoyed Jesus, over how grace should be extended, and Simon isn’t alone. Not only does he have a lot of company in the Bible, but he also has a lot more company today. People are constantly confused over how grace should be extended to others.

Remember in Matthew 20, the story of the vineyard workers? Some worked all day, some only worked a few hours and they were all paid the same amount. But those who worked all day complained that it was unfair. The owner had been too gracious, and he says to them in Matthew 20:15, ‘Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Or do you resent my generosity towards others?’ The owner tells them he can do what he wants with his own money and asks, are you envious because I’m so generous? Is that the problem?

Some people today are annoyed because Christ is just too generous with the wrong kind of people. That’s exactly how the older brother felt in the parable of the Prodigal Son. He thought it was disgraceful that his dad was giving grace to his sinful brother who had squandered money on women and booze. The older brother was absolutely fizzing with anger and he was bitter about the grace his father had given to his younger brother.

It was exactly the same with Jonah. In the Old Testament, Jonah disobeyed God’s command to go to Nineveh, to get the people to repent, because Jonah was afraid that God would forgive those people. Jonah accused God of being irresponsible to people who didn’t deserve it, Jonah 4:1-2.

He’s telling God that grace is too good for some people and he’s telling God that he and his friends are down here to make sure that God doesn’t get irresponsible with grace. Just like Jonah, Simon believed that grace was just too good for some people. He thought to himself, ‘Jesus didn’t know what kind of a woman she was’.

Well, guess what? Not only did Jesus know what kind of woman she was, but He also knew what kind of man, Simon was. And for every person that disagrees with God about how He dispenses grace, He has one question, ‘What right do you have to be angry?’ Jonah 4:4.

Those of us who had a lot of sin in our lives before we came to Christ are usually the ones who appreciate their salvation more than others. We understood our great need for forgiveness and we are forever thankful to God for forgiving us. When we feel truly forgiven, we live truly thankful lives, 2 Corinthians 4:15.

Who are we to say that it’s disgraceful the way God dispenses grace when we need it so much ourselves? That’s what Jesus was trying to say, when he said, ‘Simon, do you see this woman?’ That’s a weird question, how could Simon not see the woman, she was right there!

But there was another way Simon saw the woman. Simon saw a Tramp, Simon saw a sinner, Simon saw a woman that wasn’t good enough for the love of God. Jesus was saying, ‘Simon, you think you see this woman, but you don’t see the woman. And the reason you don’t see the woman is because you still don’t clearly see yourself.’

Remember this, nothing so blinds a person as a vision of their own sufficiency. Jesus said earlier in the parable that, ‘neither man had the ability to pay’. It doesn’t matter what size of debt we have individually accrued before the Lord, we don’t have anything to pay it off. Nothing. When anyone responds to the grace of God that was revealed on the cross, Titus 2:11, and then obeys the Gospel by immersion in water, God forgives that person’s sins, Acts 2:38 / Acts 22:16.

‘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

There were evidently other Pharisees who were guests at this particular meal. They thought it presumptuous of Jesus to forgive sins, Luke 7:49 / Luke 5:21 / Matthew 9:6. The woman’s faith in who Jesus was, moved her to submit to Jesus. She didn’t have a simple belief in Jesus. Her actions were the manifestation of her great faith, Matthew 9:2 / Matthew 9:22.

Jesus said, ‘Your faith has saved you’, Luke 7:50. Somewhere in the past, she has heard Jesus teach. She has heard the Good News, that God loves sinners, that God wants people to be with Him, that people matter to God and she believed it. She came to find Jesus because when you really believe in God and receive His gift, the response is always praise and worship and love. Always. That’s what she was doing, she was pouring out on Jesus.

Look at something else here, the things that she used to seduce men with, she used her hair, she used her lips and she used her perfume and now the things she used to sin, she’s given to honour God, Luke 7:47. She lavished love on Jesus because of what she had received from Jesus.

Simon’s been counting the wrong things, just like you and I. He’d been counting on how many times he’d been going to worship, how much money he’d given to the temple, how many verses of the Bible he knew, and all of these things are good and noble, but Paul says that we need faith which expresses itself through love, Galatians 5:6.

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Simon didn’t love much because Simon didn’t think he needed much. That woman knew she needed a lot and she received it and her love was overflowing.

The irony is, if Simon and that woman walked into any one of many churches today, he would be made an Elder and she wouldn’t even be allowed to teach Sunday School. In the eyes of Jesus, which one was the amazing disgrace? Our misunderstanding of how God sees us determines how we see others. How we think God sees us, affects how we see other people. Anyone, who sees themselves as a good person paying off a small debt, will look down on others.

On the other hand, those who see themselves as debtors in need of grace to be saved will be a friend to sinners, Ephesians 4:32 / 1 John 10-11. It is disgraceful for a Christian not to look at others, as we want God to look at us. ‘Be merciful as your Father is merciful,’ Luke 6:36. When we see an unsaved person, just remember this, ‘there but for the grace of God go I’. Any other view is a disgrace.