Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” (Luke 7:47–49; NKJV)

Jesus began His earthly ministry by teaching with authority and performing miracles. And people had questions. Jesus did not rise through the ranks of one of the major Jewish sects. Who is He? Is he a prophet of God? A messenger from Satan? God’s promised Messiah?

At one point during Jesus’ earthly ministry, John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus about this very thing (Luke 7:17–20). There are many Old Testament passages that speak about God’s promise to send His Anointed One to restore Israel and bring salvation to the nations (e.g., Isa 49:6). John was asking Jesus, are you this Anointed One of God?

Jesus answered John’s question by demonstration and declaration. John’s disciples delivered John’s message to Jesus. And “that very hour,” Luke writes, Jesus “cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight” (Luke 7:21). Jesus then answered, highlighting the many healing miracles God promised His Anointed would perform (Isa 35:5–6). Jesus saw Himself as God’s Anointed. And His miracles confirmed that claim.

A short time later, Jesus accepted the invitation to dine at the house of a Pharisee named Simon (Luke7:40). Recall that the Pharisees were a large and influential sect in first century Judaism who were known for strictly following their understanding the Old Testament Law.¹ Recall also that this is not the first time Jesus has dined at a Pharisee’s house, nor is it the first time the Pharisees have criticized Jesus for overstepping their sense of propriety.

Luke’s narrative intentionally contrasts Simon with the woman.² Simon, a Pharisee revered for his external righteousness, sits at the table on the same level as Jesus. The woman, unnamed and described as a sinner, kneels to the place of a lowly servant before Jesus, washing His feet with a very costly jar of perfume and her own hair and tears.

When the Pharisee scoffs to himself about Jesus’ perceived knowledge of the woman, Jesus responds by telling a parable about forgiveness, then pointing out the kind of hospitality each of them has offered Him:

The Pharisee gave Jesus no water to wash his feet, no kiss of greeting, and no anointing. None of these were culturally required, but all were more or less typical for Jewish banquets in that day.³ In contrast, the woman has not only provided all of these optional services, but she has gone far above and beyond, in a house that was not hers, at a banquet she (presumably) was not even invited to (v. 37).

Simon the Pharisee physically sat in a position of equality with Jesus and spiritually passed judgment on the woman. The woman, in contrast, assumed a position of physical humility before Jesus, showing that she acknowledged herself as a servant and Jesus as Lord.

By way of a parable, Jesus rebuked Simon the Pharisee. Then, Jesus explicitly forgave and justified the woman.

There is a recent ad campaign that draws attention to the fact that Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and teaches us to love the least of these. These are important Christian truths that remind us that we are servants of Jesus our Lord and we are called to share the good news of Him in a loving manner consistent with the example He has given in life and the instruction He has given through His Apostles.

But there is an important distinction that the ad twists and turns upside down—Jesus didn’t wash the world’s feet, only the disciples’. And the love He shows for the world includes His extending forgiveness—which means acknowledging our sinfulness and need for Him to save us.

The world, like Simon the Pharisee, makes itself equal to Jesus, claiming He was but a mere man, sitting in judgment over His followers, and self-righteously demanding that He and we wash their feet. In contrast, a true follower of Jesus acknowledges their own sinfulness, publicly bows in humility and service to Jesus as Lord, and offers, through words and works, the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

Christian, have you been taking your cues about Jesus from the world? Read the example of this woman and remember all that our Lord Jesus Christ has done for you! Let your heart be filled with faith and reverence toward Him. Let your posture be one of humble service before Him. And let the words and works of Jesus in your life be the evidence of your eternal salvation and, this side of heaven, bring the fullness His joy to your soul (John 15:11).

Notes

1. Clayton Harrop and Charles W. Draper, “Jewish Parties in the New Testament,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ed. Chad Brand, Charles Draper, Archie England (Nashville, TN: Holman, 2003), 917. Logos Bible Software.
2. James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Luke, Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2015), 226–227. Logos Bible Software.
3. Ibid., 230.