Commentary - Luke 7:36-50

Bird's-eye view

In this potent account, Luke places two radically different responses to Jesus in stark contrast. On the one hand, we have Simon the Pharisee, a man of religious standing and scrupulous observance of the law. He extends a formal invitation to Jesus, yet his hospitality is hollow, a mere social obligation devoid of genuine honor. On the other hand, we have a woman of the city, a known sinner, whose reputation precedes her. She crashes the party, but her intrusion is not one of disrespect but of profound, unrestrained worship. The scene becomes a tableau of the gospel itself: the self-righteous are blind to their own need, while the broken and contrite find lavish forgiveness at the feet of Jesus.

Jesus, with divine insight, uses the situation to teach a crucial lesson about sin, forgiveness, and love. Through the parable of the two debtors, He exposes the spiritual calculus of the kingdom. The one who is forgiven much, loves much. The one who thinks he needs little forgiveness, loves little. The woman's extravagant love is not the cause of her forgiveness, but rather the beautiful and undeniable evidence of it. The story climaxes with Jesus exercising His divine authority, first by interpreting the woman's heart correctly, and second, by explicitly forgiving her sins, a declaration that scandalizes the other guests but brings peace to the penitent woman.

Outline

Context In Luke

This episode is strategically placed by Luke. It follows John the Baptist's disciples questioning Jesus and Jesus's subsequent commendation of John. Jesus had just lamented that the "generation" of His day rejected both John's asceticism and His own feasting, calling Him a "friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Luke 7:34). This story provides a vivid, living illustration of that very point. Jesus is indeed the friend of sinners, and it is in the house of a fastidious Pharisee that this friendship is most scandalously and beautifully displayed. The event serves as a powerful demonstration of the new covenant reality breaking into the old order. The religious establishment, represented by Simon, cannot see the grace of God standing in their midst, while the outcasts, represented by the woman, rush in to embrace it.

Key Issues

Verse by Verse Commentary

v. 36 Now one of the Pharisees was asking Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.

The scene is set with a simple invitation. A Pharisee, a member of the strict religious party, invites Jesus for a meal. This was not necessarily an act of friendship. It could have been motivated by curiosity, a desire to trap Him, or simply the social obligation to host a traveling teacher of some renown. Jesus, who came to seek and save the lost, accepts the invitation. He goes into the lion's den, so to speak. He reclines at the table, the customary posture for a formal meal, placing Himself in a position of vulnerability and openness in the home of a potential adversary.

v. 37 And behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner. And when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume.

The narrative pivots sharply with the introduction of this woman. Luke describes her simply as "a sinner," which in that context was a heavy designation, likely indicating sexual immorality, a prostitute. She is a notorious figure. Her action is deliberate. She learns where Jesus is and comes with a specific purpose, bringing an alabaster flask of perfume. This was not a cheap trinket; it was a costly possession, likely her most valuable. This was an act of premeditated worship.

v. 38 And standing behind Him at His feet, crying, she began to wet His feet with her tears. And she kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.

Her entrance is dramatic and, by the standards of the day, utterly scandalous. She positions herself behind Jesus at His feet. Her grief is profound; she weeps so much that her tears wash His feet. In an act of deep humility and abandon, she lets down her hair, a shocking gesture for a woman in public, and uses it to dry His feet. She repeatedly kisses His feet, an act of profound reverence, and then anoints them with the expensive perfume. Every action is dripping with repentance, love, and adoration. This is not calculated performance; this is a heart breaking and pouring itself out before the only one who can make it whole.

v. 39 Now when the Pharisee, who had invited Him, saw this, he said to himself, saying, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”

Simon the Pharisee sees the same scene but interprets it through a grid of self-righteousness. He doesn't speak his judgment aloud, but says it "to himself." His internal monologue is dripping with contempt. He questions Jesus's prophetic credentials. A true prophet, in his mind, would have the discernment to recognize this woman's sinful character and would certainly not allow Himself to be touched by someone so unclean. For Simon, holiness means separation from sinners. He cannot comprehend a holiness that engages with and cleanses sinners. He is blind to the fact that Jesus knows exactly who she is, and more than that, He knows who Simon is.

v. 40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.”

Jesus breaks the silence, demonstrating that He is indeed a prophet who knows the thoughts of men. He addresses Simon directly, preparing him for a lesson. Simon's reply, "Say it, Teacher," is polite on the surface, but he is about to be schooled in a way he did not anticipate.

v. 41-42 “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?”

Jesus tells a simple story, a parable. The amounts are significant. A denarius was a day's wage for a common laborer. Five hundred denarii was a massive, unpayable debt for most people, while fifty was still a significant sum. The crucial point is that both were completely unable to repay. Their only hope was grace. And grace is what they received; the moneylender "graciously forgave them both." The question Jesus poses is not about economics but about the human heart. It's a question of love, the natural response to grace.

v. 43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he graciously forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”

Simon gives the obvious answer. It's simple logic. The greater the debt forgiven, the greater the resulting love and gratitude. He has no idea he has just passed judgment on himself. Jesus affirms his answer, "You have judged correctly," setting the stage for the direct application.

v. 44-46 And 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. You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.”

Jesus now forces Simon to truly "see" the woman, not as a category ("sinner") but as a person whose actions have profound meaning. He then draws a devastating series of contrasts between Simon's lack of basic hospitality and the woman's extravagant worship. Simon failed to provide water for Jesus's feet, a common courtesy for a dusty traveler. The woman provided a wash of tears. Simon offered no kiss of greeting, a standard sign of welcome. The woman has not stopped kissing His feet. Simon neglected the customary anointing of the head with basic oil. The woman anointed His feet with costly perfume. Simon's hospitality was deficient; the woman's love was overwhelming.

v. 47 For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

This is the central point of the passage. It is crucial to read this correctly. Her great love is not the reason she was forgiven. The grammar indicates that her great love is the evidence that she has been forgiven of much. The forgiveness came first, and the love flows from it. She understood the magnitude of her sin, her five-hundred-denarii debt. Simon, in his self-righteousness, saw himself as having, at most, a fifty-denarii debt. Consequently, his love was tepid, his hospitality minimal. He who thinks he is forgiven little, loves little. The measure of our love for Christ is directly proportional to our understanding of the magnitude of the sin from which we have been forgiven.

v. 48 Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”

Jesus now turns from the host to the woman and speaks a word of direct, personal assurance. He confirms what her actions already demonstrated she believed. This is not the moment of her forgiveness, but the public declaration and confirmation of it. He speaks with the authority of God, because He is God.

v. 49 And those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”

Just as Simon had judged Jesus internally, now the other guests do the same. They are scandalized. They understood the theological implication of what Jesus just did. Only God can forgive sins. Their question, "Who is this man?" is the central question of the Gospels. They see a man, but He is acting with the prerogative of God. Their offense is a testimony to the deity of Christ.

v. 50 And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Jesus concludes by clarifying the instrument of her salvation. It was not her tears, her hair, or her perfume. It was her faith. Her faith apprehended the grace of God, and that faith resulted in the lavish display of love we have witnessed. Faith is the hand that receives the gift of forgiveness. And the result of that forgiven state is peace. Not just an absence of conflict, but the wholeness and well-being that comes from being rightly related to God. She came in turmoil and leaves in peace.

Application

This passage forces us to ask ourselves which character we most resemble. Are we Simon, confident in our own righteousness, measuring out our hospitality, keeping a safe distance from the messiness of real sin? Or are we the woman, acutely aware of our great debt, and consequently overwhelmed with gratitude and love for the one who has forgiven us? True Christianity is not found in the sterile environment of Simon's house, but in the messy, tear-stained worship at the feet of Jesus.

Our love for Christ is a thermometer that measures our grasp of the gospel. A cool, distant, formal religion is the result of a small view of sin and a small view of grace. A passionate, humble, and extravagant love for Jesus is the fruit of understanding that we were the debtor with no ability to repay, and that He has graciously forgiven us all. We are not saved by the intensity of our love, but a genuine saving faith will always produce a grateful love.

Finally, we see that Jesus is not afraid of our mess. He did not shrink from the touch of a sinful woman. He welcomes those who come to Him in faith and repentance, no matter their past. And to them, He speaks the same words: "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." This is the heart of the gospel, offered to every sinner who will abandon their self-righteousness and fall at His feet.