There is one more event described in Luke 7:36-50 that took place while Jesus was still in Nain. It begins with Jesus accepting the invitation of “one of the Pharisees” (named Simon) to come to his house for the evening meal (remember what Jesus said about Himself in Luke 7:34).
The next two verses (37-38) tell us what happened then and will eventually lead to what I believe is an important understanding of the principle of faith and the dangers of false pride. “Then a woman who was a sinner, when she learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. And as she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair, and kissed His feet and anointed them with the ointment.”
At this point, let’s clear up a couple of issues. First of all, this woman was a “sinner”. The word is hamartolos, meaning “sinful”, an adjective sometimes used as a noun. Some mistakenly assume she was a prostitute. But this should not be assumed, as the word to describe her would have been porne (harlot).
Then some translations say Jesus “sat down to meat” in verse 36 and “sat at meat” in verse 37. Other translations correctly translate katakeimai, recline. It was customary for those in Eastern cultures to recline on couches with their feet outward behind them. If Jesus had been sitting in a chair with His feet on the floor, it would have been difficult for the woman to stand behind Him at His feet as the verse describes.
The “ointment” in verses 37 and 38 is from muron, a mixture of olive oil and costly fragrant spices – what would be commonly called “perfume” today. The woman’s use of perfume, rather than the customary oil, is significant and will be explained later.
Let’s continue with the narrative. “Now when the Pharisee saw this, he said to himself, If this Man were really a prophet, surely He would know what kind of woman this is who is touching Him, because she is known to be a sinner. Then Jesus, replying, said to him, Simon, I have something to tell you. And he answered, Teacher, tell me.” (Verses 39 and 40) First notice it says the Pharisee “said to himself”. He was not talking to Jesus, but reasoning in his own mind what was taking place and what he thought about it. But Jesus knew what he was thinking (compare Matthew 12:25 and Luke 6:8). I love this next part. In Jesus’ answer He tells the Pharisee that He not only knows all about the woman, but also fully understands what the Pharisee is questioning in his mind and gives proof that He is not only a prophet, but also the Messiah!
What follows is the parable of the two debtors. “A certain moneylender had two debtors; one owed him five hundred denarii, and the other owed him fifty. And when they had no way to repay their debt, he freely forgave them both. Now, which of them will love him more? Simon answered, I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the larger debt. And Jesus said to him, You’re right.” (Verses 41-43)
To put the plight of these two debtors into perspective, a denarii (denarion) is a coin that was probably one day’s pay for laborers in Jesus’ day (see Matthew 20:1-16). So, one owed the equivalent of five hundred days of work, the other just fifty.
Let’s keep going. “Then turning to the woman, He said to Simon, Do you see this woman? When 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. You gave Me no kiss, but from the moment I came in she has not stopped kissing My feet. You did not anoint My head with ordinary oil, but she has anointed My feet with costly perfume. So, I’m telling you, her sins, and they are many, are forgiven, because she has loved much. But he who is forgiven little (in his own estimation) loves little.” (Verses 44-47)
In other words, Jesus says to Simon, You need to understand that this woman, for whom you have a low opinion, has done everything you should have done out of common courtesy, only she has gone way beyond common courtesy and has acted out of true repentance, love and personal sacrifice – all things you seem to know nothing about due to your religious pride.
Providing water for foot washing goes all the way back to Genesis 18:4. Wearing sandals in a dry, dusty climate makes foot washing a necessity. It was customary for men to greet each other with a kiss as a sign of friendship, and also to indicate subjection, again back to Genesis 27:26-27. Anointing a guest’s head with ordinary oil was customary, but kings (II Kings 11:12) and high priests (Psalm 133:2) were anointed with expensive perfume.
So, in answer to what Simon was thinking (back to verse 39), Jesus tells him first by way of a parable and then by pointing out what the woman has done and what he failed to do that in fact the woman has recognized Who Jesus really is, but Simon did not! The woman knew she was in need of forgiveness and acted accordingly. Simon did not see his need, so he did nothing. We don’t know the end of this story, but Simon’s lofty opinion of himself could be deadly.
Let’s get back to the woman. Jesus says, “her sins, and they are many, are forgiven, because she has loved much”. What’s the bottom line here? Her sins were forgiven because of what she did! Forgiveness was based on what took place on a personal, individual basis between her and Jesus.
We can skip down to verse 50. “And He said to the woman, Your faith has saved you, go in peace.” What defined this woman’s faith? It was her actions towards Jesus that fully demonstrated her devotion, subjection and willingness to sacrifice. And what was the result? Jesus tells her to “go in peace”. “Peace” is eirene, a word used to describe harmonious relationship. Her deliverance (salvation) was based on that relationship!