The greeting. Peace and mercy to all in Christ. (I Tim.1:2) May you grow in your love of Him today. And may you grow in your joy in His love of you today. (Eph.3:17-19, I Cor.13:13)
The subject. Today will be the first parable of Jesus Christ that we examine, this is the parable of the two debtors. The parable itself is very brief, it is found in verses forty-one and forty-two.
Turn in your Bible to Luke’s gospel account. I will read from verse 36 to verse 50, hear the holy word of God – read.
Luke 7:36. Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.”
Luke 7:41. A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 “When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?”
Luke 7:43. Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44 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. 45 “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. 46 “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47 “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” 49 Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” 50 And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
The prayer. Let’s pray to our Lord and ask Him to bless our study of His word – pray.
The location of the parable. Let’s identify the time and the location of Christ’s parable in our passage, first the location.
You remember in our first introductory study I mentioned that David Brown of Jamieson, Fausset, & Brown commentary on the whole Bible writes a list of Christ’s parables. He infers with parenthesis around the word Capernaum that Christ “potentially” taught this parable in Capernaum.
The notion is that we cannot be quite certain exactly where this parable occurs because we are not told precisely.
But chapter seven gives us two potential places in which our parable likely occurred. Both places are significant in the ministry of Christ. And I would say the lessons they teach us about Christ Jesus are applicable to this parable.
The city of Capernaum. Luke chapter seven opens with Christ speaking and then performing a miracle in the city of Capernaum.
Here is how Luke seven opens,
Luke 7:1. When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum. 2 And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. 3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.
Now let’s get an idea of where we are geographically.
Picture the land the Christ ministered in as a vertical rectangle with the smaller side on the bottom, with the eastern border as the Jordan River, the southern point of the river is the Dead Sea, then the river goes north to the Sea of Galilee. The western border is the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. Judea in the south, Samaria in the middle, and Galilee in the north.
Capernaum is on the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee.
Christ ministered in Galilee of the Gentiles for a number of reasons.
To fulfill the word of God. One, this fulfills prophecy and thus proves that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. The Bible promises that Savior Christ would come, and then the Bible records the fulfilled prophecy as proof that Jesus is the promised One.
Isaiah 9:1. But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. 3 You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. (Mt.4:12-17)
Christ’s ministry here proves the person of Christ.
To include Gentiles into the people of God. The next reason why Jesus preached in the Galilee of the Gentiles is because God, from the first book of the Bible, promised that the Messiah would save people from every tribe and nation.
In other words, God promised Gentile inclusion into the people of God, which also fulfills the word of God. (Eph.2:12-21, Rev.5:9, Jn.10:35, Isa.55:10-11, Isa.40:8-9, I Pt.1:24)
Genesis 28:13. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. 14 “Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
God through the apostle Paul tells us that Christ has come and fulfilled this divine promise.
Galatians 3:16. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. (Gal.3:26-29)
Christ’s ministry here proves the work of Christ.
The city of Nain. Then in chapter seven Christ goes from Capernaum roughly thirty miles to the south and a bit southwest to the City of Nain. And Nain itself is about five miles south-east of Nazareth. (Lk.7:10-19)
Christ performs another miracle of mercy in this place. After Christ raised this young man from the dead, this is what the crowds said,
Luke 7:16. Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!”
We note in our parable Simon the Pharisee does not think Christ is a prophet, great or otherwise.
This miracle shows us that Christ is God come in the flesh. Christ is life. Christ raises the dead to life, because Christ is life and mercy personified.
This also is further proof that Jesus is the long-awaited Savior Messiah. (Isa.61:1-3, Isa.35:4-6, Isa.26:19, Lk.7:20-23, Mt.11:2-6)
The time of this parable. Now as to the time of this parable, we also cannot be precise. However, we can offer a general time.
In Luke chapter seven Christ has already moved His base of ministry operations from His hometown of Nazareth to Capernaum.
Jesus left Judea sometime before the end of His first year in public ministry and then operated from Capernaum after John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod. (Jn.4:35, Matthew 4:12-17, Isaiah 9:1-7, Mark 1:14-15, Luke 4:14-15).
Here with our parable, we are likely in the second year of Christ’s three years of public ministry.
The Bible tells us that Jesus entered His ministry around the age of thirty. (Lk.3:23) So, Christ here is approximately 31 to 32 years old.
Many scholars believe that Christ was actually born a few years before 1 A.D., likely 3 to 4 B.C. This is because they believe Herod the Great died around 4 B.C. And Christ was born before He died. (Mt.2:1, 16)
So, the year here in our parable is somewhere from A.D. 28 to 30.
The occasion of the parable – a dinner. The particular occasion of this parable is a dinner setting.
Luke 7:36. Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. (esthio – to eat, Mt.26:17)
The intimacy of Christ. The first thing we recognize about Jesus is that He is accessible, and He is intimate or involved with the people, and with all sorts of people.
Christ Jesus was not a religious recluse or hermit.
The opposite is true, Jesus is intensely a public person. Jesus came as the Second Adam to succeed where the First Adam failed. This means in part that Jesus came to seek and to save lost sinners. (Rom.5:12-21, WCF 8.1-8)
I want you to think of something. The Bible says everyone has fallen short of the glory of God and thus we are all sinners before God. Read Romans 3.
If I could make a generalization. There are two kinds of inclinations for all sinners. We either tend to be libertine-sinners, or legalist-sinners. We all are either the lost younger brother in Luke 15 that lives in the pigpen or we are the lost older brother that stays at home and outwardly does what he is supposed to, but with no faith, and no love. (Mt.21:19-21)
Here’s my point, Jesus eats with tax-collector libertines. And Jesus eats with Pharisee-legalists. Jesus saves sinners of any stripe. (Lk.5:29, 11:37, 14:1)
Saul-Paul was a Pharisee, and after he met Christ savingly, he became the greatest minister evangelist of all time. (Phil.3:1-14, Acts 8, 9)
The solidarity of Christ. Jesus is the final prophet like Moses that God would raise up from among His brothers. (Dt.18:15-19, Mt.21:11)
This speaks to the solidarity of Christ, the oneness of Christ with the people. (Heb.2:6-18, 4:14-16)
The mercy of Christ. And so, wherever the lost sheep are there you will find the Good Shepherd busy about the business that was given to Him by the Father.
Beloved, this is unlike the religious leadership of Christ’s day. Both the Sadducees and the Pharisees held the common people in contempt. (Lk.18:1-8, Jn.7:49, Lk.16:14, Lk.10:25-37)
The religious leaders of Christ’s day, by and large, were not merciful or compassionate upon sinners. They were unlike God in Christ. (Lk.6:35-36)
The normalcy of Christ. Christ eating a meal at a dinner gathering also reflects what I would call the “normalcy” of Jesus.
Jesus is the king of kings and the holy Lord of Lords, the Lord of Glory, but in His flesh, He lived as an ordinary person (in a certain sense). Jesus was born, He ate, He drank, He slept, He wept, He went to weddings, He went to funerals, and so on.
And Jesus here goes to a dinner party, when He was invited. Christ loved people. All kinds of people. Even sinners. Which is everyone.
I have no doubt there would have been wine offered at this dinner. And Jesus went, and Jesus no doubt drank the wine. You remember His first publicly recorded miracle is turning water into wine at a wedding festival that He was attending. And there likely was music and even dancing at the wedding. And Jesus went. (Jn.2:1-11, Ps.149:1-9, Eccl.3:4, Lk.15:25)
When we receive this by faith, this is meant to encourage us to believe in Christ and to learn of Christ. Jesus was made like His brothers in every way except one, He had no sin. (Heb.2:17-18, 4:15)
But again, the same truth of Christ considered without faith, then the unbeliever says that Jesus is a drunkard and a glutton. You see unbelief is spiritually prejudiced against Immanuel Jesus. So unbelief looks at Christ’s good and it calls Jesus evil. (Mt.11:19, Lk.7:34)
But the positive point is that Jesus did not exhibit strange personal strictures or non-Biblical religious strictures that would have impeded His ministry to people. (Gal.2:12-14)
And example of this is when well-meaning Christian people affect their speech when they pray or even when they speak, with kind of a preachy-tone, or an affected 1600’s English verbiage, or when they wear strange clothing or strange haircuts, things in and or themselves religiously neutral, but which can impede their witness of Christ to others because of unnecessary and unwise and unloving things.
Of course, I am not implying to live like a sinner so you can better relate to a sinner.
Now if an unbeliever invites you to dinner and you would like to go then you are free to go. Perhaps you can be a good witness for Christ to them. Remember to be salt and light. But be normal salt and light, don’t try to pretend to speak or act like John Calvin or John Bunyan. These things are a stumbling block in the path of sinners that we want to come to Christ. (Rom.14:1-23, I Cor.8:1-13, Col.2:16)
The people. Now we come to the people that will prompt Christ’s use of this particular parable.
There are three people mentioned here. Jesus, the Pharisee Simon, and the unnamed woman.
Very likely Christ’s other apostles are with Him as they are His constant traveling companions. (Mt.6:30, Jn.2:1-2) Also, it is almost certain that the members of the Pharisee Simon’s household plus his servants were there. (Acts 10:24-27) Now did Simon invite other Pharisee friends? We don’t know. (Lk.19:1-10)
The Pharisee. Let’s say a few things about Pharisees in general, and then we will look at Simon personally.
The self-acclaimed holy ones. The word Pharisee means the separated-ones. These men were religious laymen, they were not ordained priests.
Likely this is the name or title these men gave to themselves. The idea is that they are separated from sin and sinners and logically then they are separated out unto God. The notion is these men called themselves essentially the holy ones.
This is similar to the Sadducees; their name means the righteous ones. Same idea, we are the righteous holy ones and the other people not of us are the non-holy ones! (Lk.18:9, Jn.7:49)
The self-conceited ones. Fallen natural unconverted man is such a proud creature. So sad. So silly really, especially when you think what unconverted man is before God. (Rom.3:1-18)
The man-instituted ones. Some theologians believe that the Pharisees as a religious sect within Judaism began during the Babylonian captivity when the people of God were taken away from the Land and thus the Temple, and this is when the synagogue system was instituted.
The secular Jewish historian Josephus writes about the Pharisees being instituted during the time of the Maccabees; this is known as the intertestamental time. (circa 400 B.C to 1 A.D.)
The idea here is that this sect is a man-made religious group. These men are not divinely instituted by God in His word. (Isa.8:20, Acts 17:13) This is the religious tradition of fallen man. That is instructive for us. (Mk.7:1-14, Col.2:20-23, WCF 20.2)
Those whose religion is based on the religious traditions of man and not on the word of God always oppose the true religion which is based on the word of God.
Of course, this is done with the cloak of religiosity, out of a feigned zeal for God, and truth, and holiness and so on. All while playing God and making up one’s own religion. (Gen.3:1-8, 2 Cor.11:12-15, Mt.5:20)
The self-deceived ones. Here is a brief summary of some of the unbiblical religious views of the Pharisees.
As we said, their religious tradition nullifies the word of God. In other words, they believed their religious commands had more authority than God’s religious commands.
They instituted all sorts of ceremonies to make themselves morally clean, such as various forms of non-Biblical baptisms or washings of themselves, and their pots, and even of their beds after they came in contact with unholy people. They valued the external over the internal.
Matthew Henry says this about the dangers of manmade religious traditions,
Superstition is an endless thing. If one human invention and institution be admitted, though seemingly ever so innocent, as this of washing hands (Mk.7:2), behold a troop comes, a door is open for MANY other such things. (Matthew Henry on Mark 7:2, p.400, Col.2:23, WCF 20.2)
Their main error was they rejected the free gift-grace of God in Christ in favor of self-merit for salvation. In brief, they did not believe that Christ alone merited heaven for them. They believed that in part they merited heaven by their own good works. (Mk.7:1-14, Jn.7:40-53, Phil.3:1-14, Acts 15:1-5, Gal.1:6-9)
Christ puts it this way,
Luke 18:9. And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ (Rom.10:1-3, Rom.9:30-33)
And often they did their good religious works so men could think that they were good and religious. Religious pride worships self. (Mt.5:16, Jn.12:43, Lk.6:26, Prov.29:25, Mt.23:7-12)
The man-elevated leading ones. And the Pharisees in the New Testament are the leaders of the synagogues, whereas the Sadducees are the priestly class, they are in charge of the temple.
Beloved, not every church leader or religious leader is converted. There are many blind guides that seek to lead the Lambs of Christ astray in religion. Be on guard. Be in the word. Test every spirit. Test every teacher – by the word. (Mt.15:14, Mt.7:15-23, I Tim.4-6, I Jn.4:1-6)
The parent-named one. The Pharisee in view is named Simon.
Simon in the Hebrew is Shimone, it means something like “who is heard”. It comes from a word meaning to hear or to listen. We think of the “Shema” prayer, Shema – hear O Israel. (Dt.6:4-6, Mk.12:29-31)
The idea is that the parents are naming their child, God has heard our prayers for a child, or a desire that their child would hear God. Something like this.
Of course, every true Believing parent desires this very thing for their children. We name, we pray, and God alone can make our religious desires for our children effectual. (I Cor.3:6, Rom.9:6-16)
The Spirit-less one. Sadly, there are many children raised in a Christ-loving home that do not possess the love of Christ. (2 Kg.21:1-26) No doubt Judas was raised in a home that professed faith in the God of the Bible. (Jn.17:12, Acts 1:25-26, Heb.3:12, 2 Thess.3:2-4, Jn.3:1-9)
No doubt Simon the Pharisee was also raised in a home that professed to believe in the God of the Bible. (WLC 61-63)
The outward-form one. And sadly, these Spirit-less Christ-less people are usually the very people that become like these Pharisees, they have an outward form of religion, but they are bereft of the inward spiritual reality. (2 Tim.3:1-5)
Beloved, religious lineage does not save. Church membership does not save. Church leadership does not save. You must be born again. You must believe in Christ. (Jn.3:1-9, Eph.2:1-9)
Listen to this quote by a very insightful minister, Maurice Roberts, it is on spiritual declension,
The history of most churches shows us the trend of religious declension: the first generation is godly; the second is learned; the third is worldly. The root problem is that, as time goes on, the attachment to Christ and His gospel becomes less and less. The first generation of a church loves Christ and truth with fervor and with passion. The next generation loves with a more intellectual but a less ardently devotional love. They know the truth more as a thing of the mind than of the heart. Hence, in the next generation, the gospel is received in a more or less formal way. This generation wants a foot in the church and a foot in the world. They do not live to be different from the world. They like the world’s ways and they aim to enjoy them as far as they can. The result is that being lukewarm, Christ says, I will spew thee out of My mouth. (Rev.3:16, Maurice Roberts. Union and Communion With Christ, pp.11,12.)
The woman. Now we come to the woman.
And here we remember that one of the keys to look for to rightly interpret a parable is to look for the contrasts in view.
The self-righteous person in view is a religious man. The broken contrite one is a sinful woman. (goo-nay, woman, wife)
The one with outward pomp and power looks down on this lowly sinful one. But not Christ.
The anonymous woman. God the Holy Spirit does not record this woman’s name. Perhaps this is a gentle kindness not publishing the identity of a person that now in Christ would be ashamed of their former sins. (Rom.6:20-23)
Beloved, we all would do well to also cover over the multitude of the sins of others, with a cloak of love for Christ and love for sinners who have found Christ. (I Cor.6:9-11, I Pt.4:8, I Cor.13:3-8)
Remember, for we who believe, Christ has forgiven all our sins. And Christ does not publish them for the world to hear.
The sinful woman. All we are told is that this woman is a sinner. (hamartolos)
And also, that Simon the Pharisee also considers her a sinner. And such a sinner that any self-respecting religious Rabbi would not even let such a person near them! (Lk.7:39)
Some come here and believe that because of this that this woman is likely a prostitute. Of course we cannot be dogmatic. The Bible simply does not say what her prevailing sin is.
However, I will say this, there are some Bible commentators that do say dogmatically that the sin of this woman was prostitution. (see John MacArthur study Bible – see notes on Luke 7:37, see Luke 15:30)
And often these commentators make much to do about the supposed way that prostitutes wore their hair, and they point to the supposed way this woman “let down” her hair as proof positive.
Also, as so-called proof is her perfume, as if only prostitutes wore perfume or had enough money for perfume.
Hmm. I am not convinced. Maybe. But maybe not. At any rate Luke does not call her a prostitute. He does in fact know the Greek word for prostitute, it is porne (por-nay). (Lk.15:30, I Cor.6:16)
But I will say this, Jesus Christ does forgive even prostitutes!
Only the gospel of Christ gives saving hope for sexually immoral people. (Jn.8:1-11) Remember Jesus says one sexually immoral thought breaks the Seventh Commandment. (Mt.5:28-29)
Rahab was a prostitute that found full forgiveness in the Lord. She is listed in the great hall of faith, Hebrews chapter eleven. (Heb.11:31) She is used as a great example of true saving faith next to Father Abraham in the book of James. (James 2:14-26)
Rahab the former prostitute is in the lineage of Jesus Christ! She is the great-great-grandmother of David! (Ruth 4:18-22, Mt.1:5)
Jesus speaking to the chief priests (the Sadducees) and the elders of the people (the Pharisees) said this,
Matthew 21:31, Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32 “For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him. (Mt.21:21-32)
The converted woman. Beloved, Jesus is the Savior of sinners. Any and all sinners that come to Jesus to forgive their sins, they will in fact be received by Jesus and forgiven by Jesus. Praise God!
Jesus does not turn any sinners that come to Him for forgiveness away. Jesus receives ALL who come to Him. And He gives all who come to Him in faith eternal life. (Jn.6:37-39)
What we are looking at in our passage is a converted woman. She is no longer whatever vile sins she lived in. She is a believer in Jesus as her Savior. She has passed from darkness and death into light and life in Christ. She is a new creature in Christ. (Col.1:13, I Cor.6:9-11, 2 Cor.5:14-21)
She is forgiven by God for Christ’s sake. She is loved and cleansed. She is holy in Jesus. And she in turn adores Jesus Christ!
Look at the expressions of faith in Christ and love for Christ.
Luke 7:36. Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. (see another and a different occasion of anointing by perfume, Mt.26:6-13, Jn.12:1-8)
She is broken-hearted for her sins. She is overwhelmed at the mercy of Christ to her. She then shows the heart of a truly born-again lover of Jesus, she expends herself for Christ, she worships Christ, her earthly treasure is a small gift to lavish upon Jesus who has given her life-from-death, holiness-from-sinfulness, and heaven-from-hell.
The holy angels of God in heaven rejoice at this sight. (Lk.15:7, Heb.1:14)
The sneering Pharisee. But not everyone rejoices. Sadly.
Beloved, the devil’s servants are never happy when their fallen master Satan has his kingdom plundered by King Christ. (Jn.8:44, Isa.61:1-2, Mt.12:29, Heb.2:5-9) People without saving faith in Christ are utterly blind to all the mercies bound up in Christ that is why they don’t rejoice.
And look at Simon’s response to all of this gracious mercy and grace-wrought worship. He sneers. He sneers at this forgiven woman. And he sneers at Jesus the forgiving Savior!
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 know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.”
The teaching Christ. Now let’s look at Christ’s reaction. It is informative and instructive.
Jesus is God-Man. First, Jesus knows the thoughts of man. Jesus is God come in the flesh.
Jesus is God-Man Savior of Sinners. Next, we see that Jesus does not return Simon’s evil with evil. Jesus instructs this lost sinner.
This is helpful for us. Sometimes we respond to the legalist-sinner just like a legalist-sinner! And what I mean is we view those that view others with contempt with our own contempt of them! We can judge those harshly that judge others harshly. (James 2:8-14)
But not Christ. Remember His work is to save sinners. Jesus is extending mercy to this Pharisee even as He did to this woman.
Simon is a lost sheep. Jesus instructs him. Jesus catechizes this fellow. (Rom.12:14-18, Phil.2:1-11)
And He does so with this very brief and very understandable parable.
Jesus gives the parabolic lesson on salvation. Luke 7:41. A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 “When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?”
Simon understands the basic truth. Luke 7:43.A. Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
Jesus explains the import of the parabolic lesson. Luke 7:43.B. And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44 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. 45 “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. 46 “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47 “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”
Jesus says He does know this woman. He is not ignorant of her sins. He is the only Savior of sinners.
Jesus says He does know even what Simon himself has been thinking. He is the final Immanuel Prophet. (WLC 42-43)
Jesus says He sees this woman’s great faith expressed in great love.
Jesus says He sees Simon’s lack of faith expressed by his lack of love. (Gen.18:4, Judges 19:21, Gen.29:13, 45:15, Exod.18:7, Ps.23:5, Ps.141:5)
Believers. Beloved, true and saving faith is Christ-ward, it is faith in Christ Jesus. True faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins is seen in the love of Christ, it is seen in the worship of Christ, it is seen in the service to Christ.
And those that have been truly forgiven by Jesus Christ for their sins that they in turn rejoice when other sinners find salvation in Christ. And those that have received the love of Christ that they in turn love other people. And those that have received mercy in Christ are merciful to others. (Eph.4:32, I Pt.4:8, Lk.6:20-32, Mt.5:1-16)
Unbelievers. And people without saving faith, they don’t know Christ, they are not forgiven by Christ, they do not forgive others for Christ’s sake and they are not merciful to fellow sinners, but rather are harsh and critical. (Mt.18:21-35, Mt.6:14-15, Lk.6:5-12, Lk.6:21-38)
Conclusion. Jesus says, what He alone can say, woman your sins are forgiven! (Lk.7:49-50, Rom.5:1-10, Eph.2:1-9, Jn.3:16)
Your faith in Me (Jesus) has saved you, and not the so-called good works of a Pharisee.
Go in Peace, Peace with God! What a Savior! (Mt.9:22, Mk.5:34, 10:52, Lk.17:19, Jn.3:16)
Amen
Study Questions.
- Where (likely) was this parable given? What are two reasons why Christ moved His ministry base of operations to Capernaum in Galilee? What does this teach us about the person of Christ and the work of Christ? (Isa.9:1-3, Mt.4:12-17, Eph.2:12-21, Rev.5:9, Jn.10:35, Isa.55:10-11, Isa.40:8-9, I Pt.1:24, Gen.28:13-14, Gal.3:16, 3:26-29)
- Where is the City of Nain? What miracle did Christ perform in the City of Nain? What does this teach us about the nature of Christ and His ministry? (Lk.7:10-19, Isa.61:1-3, Isa.35:4-6, Isa.26:19, Lk.7:20-23, Mt.11:2-6)
- When (likely) was this parable given? Approximately when in the earthly ministry of Jesus did Jesus give this parable of Two Debtors? Roughly what is the year in which this parable was given? (Lk.3:23, Jn.4:35, Matthew 4:12-1, Mt.2:1, 16)
- What is the occasion for Christ giving the parable of the Two Debtors? (Lk.7:36)
- What are four lessons we learn about Jesus in His attending upon this particular occasion or setting? What are some ways in which these lessons about Jesus should encourage us? What ways ought these lessons guide us in our thoughts, words, and actions as Christians? (Rom.5:12-21, WCF 8.1-8, Lk.5:29, 11:37, 14:1, Dt.18:15-19, Mt.21:11, Heb.2:6-18, 4:14-16, Jn.2:1-11)
- Who are the various people depicted in attendance before the giving of the parable of the Two Debtors? (Lk.7:35-50) Might there have been other people in attendance on this occasion? Support your answer. (Mt.6:30, Jn.2:1-2, Acts 10:24-27, Lk.19:1-10)
- What does the name Pharisee mean? Who were the Pharisees? What are four or five sins and or errors that the Pharisees committed? What should we learn from their failures? (Lk.18:9, Jn.7:49, Mk.7:1-14, Col.2:20-23, WCF 20.2, Mk.7:1-14, Jn.7:40-53, Phil.3:1-14, Acts 15:1-5, Gal.1:6-9, Lk.18:9-12, Rom.10:1-3, Rom.9:30-33, Mt.5:16, Jn.12:43, Lk.6:26, Prov.29:25, Mt.23:7-12)
- What does the name Simon mean in Hebrew? What are some potential religious lessons that we learn by unconverted Simon the Pharisee? (2 Kg.21:1-26, Jn.17:12, Acts 1:25-26, Heb.3:12, 2 Thess.3:2-4, Jn.3:1-9, Eph.2:1-9)
- What are some of the contrasts between the Pharisee and the woman?
- Is the woman a sinner? Why? Prove your answer with Scripture. Is this woman a prostitute? Does Luke call her a prostitute? Prove your answer with Scripture. Does Christ forgive sexually immoral people? Prove your answer from Scripture. What lessons do we learn from this? (Lk.7:39, Lk.15:30, I Cor.6:16, Jn.8:1-11, Mt.5:28-29, Heb.11:31, James 2:14-26, Ruth 4:18-22, Mt.1:5, Mt.21:31-32)
- Give some reasons why this woman is a converted person. What are some marks of a converted person? What does this mean for her before God? How should this inform and affect us? (Lk.7:49-50, Jn.6:37-39, Col.1:13, I Cor.6:9-11, 2 Cor.5:14-21, Eph.4:32, I Pt.4:8, Lk.6:20-32)
- What people are Simon the Pharisee critical of and why? What does this teach us about the nature of an unconverted person? How should this inform and affect us? (Lk.7:39, Mt.18:21-35, Mt.6:14-15, Lk.6:5-12, Rom.3:1-18, I Cor.2:12-16)
- Explain the parable of Two Debtors in your own words. Use Scripture to establish your answer. Hint: what are some of the lessons Christ is teaching by this parable?
- What does it mean to be forgiven by Christ? Forgiven of what? When Christ pronounces peace upon those He forgives, what does this mean? (Lk.7:49-50, Mt.9:22, Mk.5:34, 10:52, Lk.17:19, Jn.3:16, Rom.5:1-10, WCF 20.1)
Excursus – Here I would like to take a brief excursus based on the location of Capernaum.
To choose the lowly. As a brief aside, Capernaum was also the home of the first four chosen disciple-apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who were these men that Christ chose? (Jn.15:16) And I stress the idea that Christ chose them first, before they “chose” Christ. (Acts 13:48, WCF 3.1-8, WCF 10.1-4) More on this in future studies, I am sure.
What were these men? (Rom.3:1-18, I Tim.1:15) What did they become in Christ? How did Christ use them or employ them. Keep all of these things in mind. They are all applicable to us, at least in principle. (Mt.4:19, 2 Cor.5:17, I Cor.6:9-11)
Jesus chose blood-brothers. Capernaum was the hometown of the apostle Peter and his brother Simon and also of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.
Here we have two sets of blood-brothers chosen by Christ to believe in Him and then to serve Him as gospel servants. (Phil.1:29, I Tim.1:12, Mt.10:1-20)
I have no doubt that in the wisdom of Christ, after these men are converted to Jesus Christ their preexisting blood-relationship will then add solidifying strength to their gospel ministry.
The natural love we have for our family is almost an unbreakable bond. What sources of love and comfort our families are to us. In Christ, we help each other serve Christ. (Ps.127:3, Joshua 24:15, Eph.6:1-3, Prov.22:6, I Tim.5:8)
Jesus chose fishermen. We remember these men were fishermen by trade, it is only natural that they lived on this large lake. (Mt.4:18-22, Luke 5:1-11, Mk.1:16-20, Jn.1:40, Lk.5:1-11)
Lowly fishermen chosen by Christ to be fishers of men using the net of Christ-Crucified, the holy gospel. (I Cor.2:2, I Cor.1:18-24)
Jesus chose tax collectors – servants of Rome. The apostle Matthew also was working in Capernaum when Christ called him to Himself.
Jesus chose a reviled tax collector. (Mt.9:9, Mk.2:14) These men were servants of Rome against their own fellow Jews, they were collaborator-traitors with hated-Rome.
Jesus chose hated servants of Rome to save them and make them His gospel ministers. Remember Israel was under the jackboot of Rome.
Oh Beloved, Jesus is teaching that His gospel kingdom is radically unlike the political kingdoms of men, He said so to Pontius Pilate. (Jn.6:15, Jn.18:29-38, Jn.19:19-22, Zech.9:9)
Jesus chose political revolutionaries – despisers of Rome. And an interesting note here is that Jesus also chose another fellow on the exact opposite political spectrum to be His apostle, Jesus chose a political Zealot named Simon, a Jewish Nationalist that despised Rome and sought to drive Rome out of the Land by violent force. (Mt.10:4. Mk.3:18, Lk.6:15, Acts 1:13)
You see Matthew-Levi and Simon would have hated one another. But when the love of Christ shed abroad in their hearts and washed away their sins and reconciled them to God, they became by grace brothers joined to the same Christ.
Only the Cross can make former enemies into holy brothers. Oh, there is power in the Blood! Glory to God! (WCF 26.1-2)
The Bible says that God’s ways are not man’s ways. God’s ways and thoughts are infinitely higher and infinitely purer and holier and wiser than man’s. (Isa.55:8-9, I Sam.16:7)
The Bible says that God often chooses to save and to use the lowly of this world. (James 2:5)
Paul tells the Corinthian church that God chooses the weak and lowly of the world for salvation in Christ, to shame the worldly wiseman and to garner all glory unto God. (I Cor.1:26-31)
- Extra Credit from the Excursus. Who were the four apostles called from Capernaum? What are some lessons we learn from the person and the character of these men? What does this teach us about the ministry of Christ and also the kingdom of Christ? (Mt.4:19, 2 Cor.5:17, I Cor.6:9-11, Phil.1:29, I Tim.1:12, Mt.10:1-20, Jn.6:15, Jn.18:29-38, Jn.19:19-22, Zech.9:9)
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