Now when the Phariss who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him – that she is a sinner. – Luke 7:39

 

Jesus had been invited to dinner at Simon’s, a Pharisee. A woman who had committed many sins serves and surrenders to Jesus by washing His feet. Jesus tells a parable about 2 people who have debts, one significantly larger than the other. We find out that the person with the larger forgiven debt will be more grateful. We see Simon and the woman mirrored in this parable. Because the woman’s faith is strong, she is forgiven and understands the magnitude of that forgiveness. Simon, however, does not understand. Just because someone is ‘good’ doesn’t mean that they understand the power and love of Jesus’s forgiveness. It’s not about living right or doing good, it’s about surrendering one’s self to Jesus, completely. Jesus recognizes devotion and love to Him, not good deeds. The law makes us conscious of our sin, it’s not a list of things we make sure we never do