April 22, 2026
Today’s Reading: Luke 7:36-50
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 34:29-35:21; Exodus 35:22-38:20; Luke 7:36-50
“He who is forgiven little, loves little.” (Luke 7:47)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Pharisee Simon has invited Jesus to his house for a dinner party. Jesus is perhaps even the honored guest.
Usually, in the ancient East, as a guest arrived, he would be given water to wash his feet, a kiss as a warm welcome (an equivalent to our handshake), and, for VIPS, olive oil for personal sprucing up. Shockingly, Jesus receives none of these kind courtesies from Simon. Or to put it this way: Simon shows no love whatsoever to Jesus. Zilch. Zero. Nada.
All of a sudden, a “woman of the city, a sinner, [i.e., prostitute]” shows up. Crashes the affair. What is she doing? Plying her trade? Is she putting the moves on Jesus? It sure looks like it! Get the kids out of the room! It’s about to get R-rated at Simon’s house. Check it out! Tears flow from her eyes. Behind Jesus and at His feet, she washes His feet with her tears and dries them off with her hair. Then she dares to kiss Jesus’ feet and anoint them with ointment from her alabaster flask!
Simon, of course, is appalled. Horrified that Jesus lets this woman, a hardcore sinner, do this to Him or for Him. Simon snarls 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.”
Jesus picks up on Simon’s thinking and tells a quick parable about two men being forgiven debts that they could not repay. One man had an enormous debt cancelled, whereas the other had a small debt forgiven. Jesus asks Simon: “Now which of them will love him more?” To which Simon begrudgingly answered, “The one that had the bigger debt cancelled.” Get it? Simon has no use for Jesus as Savior for the forgiveness of sins. Simon would certainly say: “I’m not perfect, but I am certainly not like this woman!” So he showed no love for Jesus. That is precisely why Jesus tells him: “He who is forgiven little, loves little.”
The big-time notorious sinner, the woman, had enormous use of Jesus – FORGIVENESS, LIFE, AND SALVATION. That is why she showed and gave Jesus so much love. She wasn’t trying to seduce Him. She was there giving her Savior the highest worship any sinner could give: F-A-I-T-H! Her trust in Jesus as Savior begged for His total and complete forgiveness for her sins. She who is forgiven much loves much! Jesus says so: “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven – for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And as she believed she had. Jesus absolved her: “Your sins are forgiven…. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, I believe in You. Forgive me. And may my love for you and for others be abundant. Amen.
