Introduction
In chapter 7, Luke seems to include this story mainly to explain who Jesus is to Theophilus. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus is shown as a healer (7:1–10), someone who raises the dead (7:11–17), and the promised figure from the Scriptures who, like John the Baptist, would be rejected (7:18–35). This passage brings up the question of “Who is this?” again. So, this account serves as a conclusion to the chapter, emphasizing Jesus’ divine role as the forgiver of sins.
This incident is not the same as that of Mary’s anointing of Jesus by Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus (Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8). The story in Luke seven occurred in Galilee, not Bethany, involving an unnamed sinful woman and not Mary. This anointing occurred during Jesus’ Galilean ministry and not during Passion Week at the house of Simon the Pharisee and not Simon the leper. While both homeowners are named Simon, this fact alone shouldn’t be the undeniable proof that this account is the same as the other by Mary regarded by the other gospel writers. Simon was a widespread name in ancient Israel and occurs frequently of many men in the New Testament (Luke 6:14-15; Matthew 13:55; Mark 15:21; John 6:71; Acts 8:9-24; 9:43).
The Woman’s Affection (Luke 7:36-38)
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat.[a] 37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume.38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.
7:36
Luke opens the story by informing us that a Pharisee asked Jesus to have dinner with him. We are unable to pinpoint the exact location for this meal except that it was in Galilee during Jesus’ Galilean ministry which is described by Luke in 4:14-9:50. Just prior to Jesus being invited over to eat by Simon at his house, Jesus describes how the Pharisees and Scribes viewed Him (7:30, 34-35). Despite Simon’s motives or personal thoughts concerning Jesus’ identity, Jesus accepted his invitation to share a meal with him and any other guests he might have invited.
Upon arriving at Simon’s house, Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. The text tells us that Jesus entered the house and reclined at the table (See NIV, ESV). The fact that they reclined at the meal suggests it was either a banquet or a Sabbath meal. It was common practice to invite a visiting rabbi or teacher to join one for lunch after he had taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath (Mark 1:29–31). If it was a banquet, Jesus might have been invited due to his reputation as a prophet.
Not only does Jesus’ reclining help us understand the type of meal He could have been attending but also opens our eyes to ancient customs that we are not familiar with in the modern West. Since the roads Jesus and His disciples would have traveled would have been dusty or muddy, it was wise to keep everyone’s feet as far away from the table as possible. Lying on one’s side, proper up by their elbow was both a sanitary and comfortable position that allowed for lengthy conversation that accompanied such a meal.
It was also not uncommon when having a visiting rabbi over to discuss theological, cultural, and social issues with him. There is some evidence that suggests the house’s door was open so that those not invited to the meal could make their way in and listen to the conversation as they stood around the perimeter of the room. This setting also allowed the poor to come in as well and beg for food. Undoubtedly this was the case in this instance for it allows this unnamed woman to slip in, perhaps initially unnoticed.
7:37
The word when or phrase And behold, depending on what version you prefer, is a Greek word that emphasizes something shocking about to take place. The shock and awe factor is that an immoral woman or woman who was a sinner (ESV, NKJV) – most likely a professional prostitute (Proverbs 11:31; Matthew 9:10-13; Luke 19:7) – had heard that Jesus was eating at Simon’s house and upon receiving this news, made her way to and into the house. Her entry into Simon’s home would have made her the target of rage and ridicule by Simon and other religious leaders that were present because her simply being there would have made his house impure.
Despite the possibility of shaming and ridicule, this woman’s heart longed to worship Jesus, and it is a desire she would not deny her heart. Evidently, the banquet was held in the evening, and the dim lighting the candles provided allowed her to enter unnoticed, or the crowd was so great that she was unseen because she was lost in the crowd. Otherwise, she would never have been able to get close to Jesus, Simon, and the others. Whatever the details, unknown to us, she neared Jesus with a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume in hand.
Alabaster was a stone commonly found in Israel, known for resembling white marble. It was considered one of the precious stones used in the decoration of Solomon’s temple (1 Chronicles 29:2). In the Song of Songs, the beloved is described as having legs like “alabaster columns” (ESV) or “pillars of marble” (NIV, KJV). This description indicates that the containers used by women to carry their perfumed oil were crafted from this white, marble-like substance. Alabaster was favored for storing ointments, oils, and perfumes because it helped keep these substances pure and unspoiled. The containers were often sealed with wax to prevent the fragrance from escaping. Alabaster’s beauty and durability ensured that it effectively preserved the contents until they were needed.
In a similar instance reported in Mark 14:5 and John 12:5, a jar of perfume like this could have also been valued at around three hundred denarii, with a denarius representing a day’s wage. Alabaster is a soft stone often used for making perfume containers, and numerous such containers have been discovered. Whatever the perfume contained in this flask or jar would have been more expensive than the common olive oil used as an act of hospitality towards a host’s guests during this time.
7:38
Upon her entry into the house and her nearing of Jesus, what was this woman thinking? What was she feeling? Perhaps her heart was racing and palms sweating? If so, I’m guessing because of holy anticipation of worshiping the One who has forgiven her and not nervousness concerning what those in the room will think. With Jesus reclining at the table, she might have been trying to figure out how she was going to get close enough to His head to anoint it with her perfume. We can just speculate all these things till we can talk with her ourselves sometime during eternity, but whatever the case, she is overwhelmed with emotion and kneels or falls at His feet.
While on the ground the woman wept and her tears fell on His feet. The ESV says that she began to wet His feet with her tears. The Greek word translated as wet literally means, “to rain” (Matthew 5:45; Luke 17:29; James 5:17; Revelation 11:6). Overwhelmed with emotion, the woman’s tears streamed down her face onto the feet of Jesus in a gentle rain.
While hunched over close to His feet, the woman saw that His feet were still dusty from the trek to the house. The host had neglected his hospitable service of washing his guest’s feet upon arrival (7:44). With this knowledge, she washed his feet. The act of washing feet was performed by the lowliest of slaves (John 1:27) and avoided at all costs by the Jews. In addition to the lowly portion she assumed by washing His feet, the woman also let her hair down to be used as a rag for removing the dirt from Jesus’ feet. A woman letting her hair down in public in this culture was considered indecent and immoral. Regardless of the shame she might face, she like David was willing to become even more undignified than this and face shame and ridicule as she worshipped her Lord with all her being.
This unnamed woman challenges us to worship Jesus with all we are with no concern for what others may think or say about our display of affection for our Savior.
If the woman had stopped at washing Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair, her actions would have been shocking enough. Yet, Luke tells us that she began and kept kissing His feet. The word translated as kissing is an intense word. Luke will later use it to describe how the loving Father kisses his prodigal son upon his return (15:20) and to describe how the elders of the church of Ephesus kissed Paul when he was leaving them (Acts 20:37). Her affection for Jesus continued to build until it climaxed in her carrying out the task that she initially came to do, anoint Him with perfume.
Again, we are challenged by this woman’s example. In a world that is determined to dishonor Jesus, may we seek to honor Him in ways that clearly display His worth to the world. Simon and the rest of his peers did not invite Jesus over for a meal and discussion with pure motives, they hadn’t believed John the Baptist and his message nor Jesus as the One John spoke about (Luke 7:30-35). Their intentions with Jesus were to see if they could discredit Him and build their case against Him to rid themselves of Him not to learn from Him and honor Him.
Simon’s Accusation (7:39)
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”
Simon’s thought suggests that Simon didn’t believe Jesus was a prophet. It’s not clear if Simon was just repeating a common belief or if it was his personal opinion. Yet, Simon had two mistaken ideas: (1) a real prophet wouldn’t associate with a sinful woman let alone, touch him (7:34), and (2) if Jesus didn’t know the woman was sinful, he couldn’t be a prophet. Simon was both disgusted and delighted by what he was witnessing for he believed both were evidence that Jesus was a false teacher. But in 7:44–47, Luke shows that both of Simon’s ideas are wrong.
Jesus’ Answer (7:40-50)
40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”
“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.
41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver[b] to one and 50 pieces to the other.42 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?”
43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”
“That’s right,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.
47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?”
50 And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
7:40-43
Interrupting whatever verbal conversations that were taking place and the conversation that Simon was having with himself in his head, Jesus spoke, “Simon, I have something to say to you“. Simon respectfully but unaffectionately told Jesus to proceed with what He wanted to tell him.
Jesus proceeded with the telling of a parable. In the parable, a banker lent money to two men: one owed the equivalent of two years’ wages, and the other owed two months’ wages, with a denarius being the standard daily wage for laborers. Neither man was able to repay his debt. Kindly, the banker forgave both debts, giving each man a fresh start. Naturally, both men developed strong feelings of gratitude toward the banker. Jesus then asked an important question: Which man would love the banker more? Simon quickly answered that it would be the one with the larger debt. Jesus confirmed that Simon’s answer was correct.
Before we look at what Jesus says about this lady’s acts of adoration and affection towards Him, I want to take note of the word this is translated in the NLT as kindly forgave. The word is used in a business sense within this parable but elsewhere, it is also used in a theological sense to describe the forgiveness that God grants us as believers in Jesus (Romans 8:32; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 2:13, 3:13).
The banker forgiving the debt of each man was an act of kindness because he himself incurred these debts in full. He willingly absorbed the costs of each man’s debt resulting in a zero balance for them. Paul demonstrates this principle of forgiveness when he tells Onesimus that he would fully pay anything that Philemon owed him (Philemon 1:18-19). Likewise, when God forgives believer’s sins He incurs their debt – by choice – and Jesus died to pay for it in full.
After finishing the parable, Jesus asked Simon which man he thought loved the forgiving lender more? Hesitantly, Simon answered the man who was forgiven more. Jesus told Simon that he was correct.
7:44-46
Jesus, looking at the woman, then applied the parable to the situation at hand. The way the two debtors behaved towards the moneylender mirrors how Simon and the sinful woman interacted with Jesus.
Firstly, Jesus pointed out that Simon had not provided water for His feet. While it wasn’t required, it would have been a kind gesture for Simon, as the host, to offer this to His guest. Simon’s neglect wasn’t necessarily rude, but it certainly showed a lack of hospitality.
Next, Jesus noted that Simon had not greeted Him with a kiss. Although a kiss was a common greeting, it wasn’t strictly expected. There are worse omissions than not offering a kiss, as seen in other passages like Luke 22:47–48.
Lastly, Jesus mentioned that Simon did not anoint His head with oil. Anointing a guest’s head with olive oil was a kind gesture, though it’s unclear if these actions—washing feet, greeting with a kiss, or anointing—were strictly required it was without a doubt customary (Genesis 18:4, 19:2, 24:32, 29:13. 43:24, 45:15; Exodus 4:27, 18:7; Judges 19:21; John 13:4-5; Romans 16:16). What is clear is that Simon showed no affection towards Jesus during His visit. In contrast, the woman performed all three acts of kindness. It’s unlikely that her actions were intended to counteract Simon’s lack of hospitality but were a result of her heart’s expression towards Jesus and His work in her life.
7:47-50
Jesus affirms that the woman’s sins have been forgiven. The perfect tense verb describes an action completed in the past with continuing results in the present. The text implies that she had been forgiven of her sins before she came to the house that day. This gathering allowed her to show her love and gratitude to the One who had kindly, graciously forgiven her! Jesus reassures her of her being forgiven again in verse forty-eight. Her outpouring of love for Jesus was proof that she was a recipient of Him pouring His love out on her!
Jesus makes a powerful statement in 7:48. Instead of saying that God had forgiven her sins, Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven.” In both statements referring to the forgiveness of the woman’s sins, Jesus is declaring Himself as the One (He didn’t say God has forgiven but boldly declares her sins have been forgiven) who has authority to forgive sin (Luke 5:24). Jesus is once again making the claim to be God (Luke 5:21) as He pardons the woman’s debt. Jesus Himself would incur the woman’s sin debt and pay for it with His own life as He suffered through the physical acts of crucifixion and the pouring out of God’s wrath on Him as He bore the sins of the world.
This lady is not forgiven because of her acts of honor and affection towards Jesus but because of her faith in Him and His work on her behalf as her Messiah (7:50). Our good works are not a means of salvation but the result of our salvation by Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-10). The result of God’s redeeming work in this woman’s life is peace. She is to go in peace, resting in her new identity and destiny as God’s precious daughter.
Application
We fail to reach the depth of worship shown by this woman because we fail to realize the depths of the sin from which we have been rescued.
“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” – Luke 7:47
Experience God’s Love For Yourself Today!
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