“ One of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him, and He went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the 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 cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled 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.” – Luke 7:36-50.

THE ABOVE ACCOUNT is tremendously moving for it unveils the very nature of God’s unmerited grace so clearly. The very passage hardly needs exposition, but in how one reads it makes all the difference.

A misleading way of reading this is from the perspective drawn from verse forty-seven, “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much” – many will say that she was forgiven because she loved much and here we see a prime example of religion: man trying to obtain salvation by works; man trying to earn grace that will only result in bitter disappointment. Those who don’t know God are extremely bad and embarrassing ambassadors of Him. Some of the world’s rejection of God’s Son is because of a bad witness portrayed by so many professing Christians. May God find us to be worthy witnesses unto Him.

Reading this passage in its true context will provide the right interpretation in verse forty-three, when Jesus asked Simon which of the two loved the moneylender more to which the answer given in return was in reference to the one who had the larger debt cancelled.

Here we have the wonder of Grace contrasted to the tyranny of Law. How conscious we are of being forgiven of our insurmountable debt of sin will determine our love and devotion to God; how aware we are of our wretchedness and God’s grace overriding that will determine our level of worshipping Him; how sensible we are of deserving the just penalty of God’s wrath, yet have received mercy instead at His hands, will determine our level of discipleship. We love and obey much because we have been forgiven so much. We love God because He first unreservedly loved us. We are spiritually alive because God has raised us from spiritual death. The evidence of such life is that we love Him which is the root of our obedience to Him. We cannot help but love (and obey) Him because there is no one or anything else in all of creation that is quite like Him – indeed, there is nothing worthy to be even compared with Him.