The story in the second part of this passage is familiar to most of us. Jesus has been invited to dinner in the home of Simon, one of the Pharisees. While dining, a disreputable woman from the town visits Jesus and washes his feet with her tears, dries them with her hair, and anoints them with a bottle of perfume.
Simon is upset that Jesus is associating with a sinner and fails to acknowledge his own sins and need for God’s forgiveness. Rather, he views himself head and shoulders above the woman who is known throughout the community as a sinner.
To help Simon understand, Jesus tells the story of two men who owe different sums of money and their respective debts are forgiven. Who is more grateful, Jesus asks? Simon says it must be the person for whom the greater debt was forgiven. Jesus uses this answer to point to the fact that both the woman and the Pharisee are sinners and God’s forgiveness is available to both.
We are all sinners in need of forgiveness. Yes, the sins we commit matter, but the type of sin doesn’t matter as much as the recognition that we cannot save ourselves. What is more important is recognizing that we fall short and cannot possibly be rescued on our own. Regardless of the depth of our sin, we must seek God’s forgiveness, and the only obstacle to receiving that forgiveness is our willingness to accept Jesus.
Luke 7:35 states, “But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.” I interpret this verse to mean that Jesus is the ultimate source of wisdom and our actions in following him demonstrate this to be true. We cannot achieve salvation on our own, but by following in the footsteps of Jesus, we can demonstrate this salvation to others.
Reflection:
- Do you recognize that sin is sin regardless of the specific act?
- How do your daily actions demonstrate that you have submitted to the wisdom of Jesus?