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

She Who is Forgiven Much, Loves Much – Luke 7:47 …

Imagine walking into a room and feeling every eye on you, not in admiration but in judgment. This was the woman in this story. She was known in her community, not for her good works but for her sin alone. When people looked at her, they didn’t see her, they saw her label. Her reputation followed her around like a dark shadow.

She wasn’t a stranger to the whispers.
She wasn’t unfamiliar with the shame.
But then she heard all about Jesus.

This man who welcomed sinners, touched the lepers and healed the sick.

He didn’t run from the marginalized.
He didn’t hide from the hurting.
He didn’t push away the broken.

He saw people, you know – the least of these, the ones no one else wanted to see.

Desperation consumed her and she did the unthinkable. She entered the home of a Pharisee, a respected religious leader, during his dinner with Jesus.

Can you picture the scene, filled with tension?
A crowded room filled with religious leaders.
Men who studied the Law. Men who wielded much power.

The moment she stepped through Simon’s door, silence fell.
Then every eye narrowed as whispers filled the room.

“What is she doing here?”
“She doesn’t belong here!”
“The nerve!!! How dare she???”

She knew she was uninvited but she kept walking.
She didn’t make her way to Simon to explain herself.
She just bee-lined it straight for Jesus.

Her heart pounded in her ear as she clutched her alabaster jar. She didn’t come with polished words. She came broken with nothing to offer but her worship. Ignoring the deafening whispers, she fell to her knees at Jesus’ feet. And then she broke. Tears poured down her beautiful face, softly falling onto His skin.

She let down her hair and began kissing his feet, wiping them with her tresses. She broke her alabaster jar and poured the expensive perfume all over Jesus’ feet. This jar was very costly, perhaps her only possession of value. To her, it was everything she had left to give. Every drop, every ounce of dignity left and possibly her entire life savings. She poured it all out on the feet of the One she knew could forgive her and redeem her life.

The religious leaders were utterly appalled and disgusted.
But Jesus? He saw her heart and He warmly welcomed her.

The room gasped. Jesus could hear Simon’s thoughts: “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 7:39 ESV).

But Jesus knew exactly who she was.
He knew her past.
He knew her shame.
He knew her sins.
But, instead of shrinking back, He warmly welcomed her.

Jesus challenged Simon: “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” (Luke 7:41-42 ESV).

Simon responded: “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt” 

Then Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly” (Luke 7:43 ESV).

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. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment” (Luke 7:44-46 ESV).

Then Jesus spoke these life giving words that silenced the room and turned the entire moment right side up:

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

Jesus didn’t deny her sins. He acknowledged them. But then He declared His forgiveness that covered all her failures. Her past wasn’t ignored, it was redeemed. Her desperation for Jesus paved the way for Him to display His mercy …

That day, two people sat in the same room with Jesus. Simon … smug, self righteous, blinded to his own need, completely untouched and unchanged in Christ’s presence. Then there’s that unnamed sinful lady … broken, desperate, forgiven and completely transformed. She left Simon’s home a free woman …

The difference wasn’t who sinned more.
The difference was who recognized their need more.

Friend, do you believe the lie that your past disqualifies you from God’s love? Perhaps you’ve even felt like her? That your mistakes are inescapable, too heavy, too ugly, too much?

Please hear my heart: the depth of your failures only intensifies the depth of God’s forgiveness. Her story reminds us of this beautiful truth: your past might be filled with sin, but Jesus’ forgiveness is fuller still. The more we know we’ve been forgiven, the more our love for Him will overflow.

So today, what alabaster box do you need to break and pour out in His presence? Are you still holding back for fear of judgment from misguided people who should be focused on getting right with God themselves?

May we lay it all at His feet … our fears, our past, our mistakes, our shame and all of our self-perceived ‘too muchness’. Jesus is not waiting to condemn us. He’s waiting to forgive us and fill our lives with His love that overflows. 

Live loved in Christ, 

She Who is Forgiven Much, Loves Much – Luke 7:47 @ freshgracefortoday.com

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