“A Sinful Woman Forgiven

Luke 7:36 ¶ One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.

Luke 7:37 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,

Luke 7:38 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.

Luke 7:39 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.”

Luke 7:40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

Luke 7:41 ¶ “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

Luke 7:42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Luke 7:43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Luke 7:44 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.

Luke 7:45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.

Luke 7:46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.

Luke 7:47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Luke 7:48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Luke 7:49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”

Luke 7:50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”” (English Standard Version)

I was so familiar with this story that I overlooked something obvious. In the parable that Jesus told within the story, he seems to imply that he is the one that this sinful woman owed a great deal to. Look at verse 41, and I think you’ll begin to see what I’m saying. This becomes crystal clear when Jesus tells the woman that she is forgiven. The other dinner guests realize that this is the claim of “this” man. (See verse 49. The word “man” is not actually in the Greek manuscripts, which may suggest dismissiveness.)

Now I do realize that not all the aspects of a parable necessarily point to some deep spiritual truth. However, in this case, I suspect that this detail of the parable is important. In the story and in Jesus’ words of forgiveness to the woman, it is strongly implied that all the moral and relational debts we incur are ultimately held by Jesus. Yes, we are in debt for our wrong-doing to our parents, our children, our friends, our coworkers, and the convenience story clerk that we treated unkindly. But, in the final analysis, we are in debt to God.

Why? To paraphrase a Tina Turner song, “What’s God got to do with it?” Doesn’t our wrong-doing just affect the ones we wrong?

No! That is just a lie we tell ourselves in order to keep ourselves from complete despair. This lie also helps us to keep doing the same stupid wrong stuff that is just racking up more debt.

Here is the truth that I ignored for many decades: Wrong-doing hurts everybody. It hurts the ones that I hurt and everybody they interact with. It goes on to affect—or should I say that it goes on to infect—all the people that the second generation of victims interact with. And so on, and so on, and so on.

Of course, it also affects and infects the wrong-doer, doesn’t it?

I remember watching a bit of true tv crime show that was featuring a man who was convicted of some very serious felonies. Before he was arrested, he was living in a homeless shelter, talking to no one but himself. It is, of course, impossible to say which came first, the mental health issues or the crimes. However, I think it is safe to say that doing wrong to others is not good for your mental health. When you harm another person, you harm yourself.

But back to the question of what God has to do with human wrong-doing. Why would our moral debts be ultimately held by God? Well, for one thing, if we take the Bible with any seriousness at all, God is the Creator of all things. That includes you and me and all the people that we harm. If Jesus was God with skin on and with skin the game, then, by the very fact of creation, God is the ultimate owner of our debts.

But there is something else besides creation. The Bible teaches that God actually loves us ornery cusses. In fact, there is one verse (1 John 4:8 and 4:16) that says that God is love. In fact, I believe that God is the Ultimate Lover. And because God is the Ultimate Lover, the best way to hurt God is to fail to love people.

So to quote the actual title of that Tina Turner song, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”, the answer is:

EVERYTHING!