Luke 7:36-50 records what has to be one of the most dramatic . . . one of the most stirring . . . one of the most convicting episodes in the life of Jesus. Altogether . . . in one room . . . you have the righteous, upper-class Pharisee . . . you have a woman who is a known sinner (aka harlot) . . . and you have the young, traveling Rabbi from Nazareth who’s creating quite a stir with His open displays of healing, His radical teaching concerning the kingdom, and His blasphemous claims that He, like God, can forgive sins. Three people . . . all in one room . . . with a host seated at the table around them . . . and the drama plays out . . .

The Pharisee and the Rabbi are eating . . . enter the woman . . . and far from trying to avoid the limelight and hide in the shadows and look at the One she knew to be Messiah from afar . . . she, instead, walks up behind Jesus . . . starts crying — overcome with her sinful condition and her need of help . . . and she kneels and allows her tears to fall on Jesus’ feet . . . and then, using her long, beautiful hair — the hair which she had used to lure many a man into sin — she washes the dust from His feet. And, as if she hasn’t made enough of a scene yet, she then kisses the feet of Jesus . . . and then anoints them with fragrant oil. No one around that table is unaware of what’s going on . . . all their senses have been engaged in this spectacle . . . they have seen her . . . that have heard her cry . . . they have smelled the perfume, perhaps even tasting it as it wafts through the room . . . the only thing they haven’t done is touch her . . . that will be left to Jesus.

The Pharisee is indignant and says to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” And “this Man” is a prophet . . . and He knows what His “righteous host” is thinking and so He addresses it with a simple parable. “”A man loaned money to two people–500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Bam!!! That’s the million dollar question!!! There’s the whole point of this Divinely ordained coming together of these 3 people . . . an object lesson leading to a penetrating question . . . a question that rocks the complacent heart!

The Pharisee, though saying he was inviting Jesus as a guest into his home, did not offer the customary water to clean His feet. Though pretending to welcome Him to his table, the Pharisee offered Him no kiss or other sign of greeting. Though he appeared to exalt Jesus as the guest of honor at his table, the Pharisee did not offer any oil for the anointing of his honoree. The sinner woman, on the other hand, washed Jesus’ feet with her tears . . . and then humbled herself and exalted Him by kissing His feet . . . and then, at great personal expense, honored Him by anointing those feet with fragrant oil. The point of it all? “A person who is forgiven much, loves much . . . but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

And you can’t help but read this story and ask yourself . . . who am I in this drama? Am I the one that knows he has been forgiven much and therefore loves much? Or, am I the one who loves little because I have lost sight of the depths of the sin within me that, at one time, separated me from God? Do I give Jesus lip-service and desire only to encounter Him “across the table” . . . or am I pressed to reach out and worshipfully touch Him in the depths of humility?

Oh that I might know afresh the depths of the demonstrated love of God .  . . and not diminish the high cost paid that I might be forgiven of a debt I could not pay . . .

. . . oh, that I might love much.