In Luke chapter seven, Jesus is invited to dine at the home of a Pharisee named Simon. While there, a woman with a very sinful reputation enters and approaches the feet of Jesus while holding an alabaster jar of perfume in her hands. To the shock of everyone watching, she begins wiping the feet of Jesus with her hair and this perfume, crying as she does so.
Everyone is dismayed and appalled, especially Simon, the host, who verbally makes it known that Jesus cannot be from God if he allows such an activity to take place. This woman is a sinner and should be treated accordingly. If Jesus were in any way associated with the Jewish God they worshipped, he would know this.
Yet, Jesus’ response is to tell a parable, which he was known for doing, a riddle to the host of the evening, if you will. “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender,” he says. “One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both.”
To give us an understanding of what kind of money Jesus is talking about, it is helpful to know that a denarius equaled a day’s wages. Which means that the second man owes nearly two years of work to this moneylender. That’s a lot of debt. And yet, an extraordinary event takes place. The moneylender cancels both men’s debts. The two workers are suddenly “debt free.” They have not a financial care in the world. This is unexpected yet extremely good news, especially for the second man who owes so much. We can only imagine the freedom and relief he now feels. He has been given a new chance at living.
The riddle is then posed to the host of the evening, as Jesus asks, “which of them will love him more?” Simon has no choice but to answer, knowing he has been defeated by Jesus’ wit. “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled,” he responds. After which, Jesus uses the opportunity to issue words of indictment on Simon and the religion of the day he represents, words that are likely not welcomed, but cannot be refuted either. It seems that Simon recognizes that Jesus has placed him in a kind of religious checkmate.
Which is interesting because the telling of this parable reveals that Jesus immediately picks up on what is happening with this woman. He understands her actions as an act of gratitude on her part. As terrible as her past sinful lifestyle has been, she has received complete forgiveness and the natural result is for her to express thankfulness and love for God to Jesus. As the apostle John would later write, “We love him because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).”
Is your love for Jesus like this woman’s love for him today? Are you grateful for the pardon he has granted to you? Are you thankful that your many sins have been forgiven and that you are now spiritually “debt free?” Is your response to fall on your knees and worship him? Are you passionate about his gospel, eager to share it with another? How will others see the love of Jesus through you this week?