Luke 7:36-50 The alabaster vial of love

Luke 7:36-50 The woman with the alabaster vial washes Jesus' feet with her tears. Jesus explains to Simon the Pharisee via the parable of two debtors why she is accepted and her sins are forgiven. In the first part of this section, Jesus is dining at a Pharisee's house, when an immoral woman from the city brought an alabaster vial and anointed and kissed His feet and wiped them with her hair. Probably everyone in the room knew what kind of life she lived. The Pharisee passed judgment in his mind - that Jesus wasn't much of a prophet because He didn't know about this woman.

         Jesus turned the tables, beginning with the parable of the moneylender and two deadbeat debtors. Both were unable to repay. In the days before legal bankruptcy, failure to repay most likely meant debtors' prison. If the moneylender forgave the debts, they would avoid prison and would obviously be grateful. So using this analogy, Jesus points to Simon's self-righteousness. The immoral woman was grateful for forgiveness, release from the guilt and judgment of God which Jesus granted. We don't have the backstory here, but there must have been one because she was already grateful. Jesus confirmed that her sins were forgiven (7:48,50). Simon, on the other hand, although he had invited Jesus to dinner, had no passion in his thanksgiving to God. He thought he had been forgiven little, so he saw no need to thank God for forgiveness, or at least Jesus. We don't know exactly what he thought of Jesus. But Jesus' response to him was based on his lack of love. The woman loved much and was forgiven. Simon loved little (a little?) and Jesus said nothing to him about his sins being forgiven. And those who were with Him said to themselves, "Who is this who forgives sins?" His approach to forgiveness was completely contrary to the requirements of the Law of Moses.

         And so we have the conflict between justification by works and justification by faith. Jesus makes it clear in this context that love is a key element. Justification by works is essentially a juridical approach to salvation, and therefore logical and devoid of emotion. Simon the Pharisee wanted to discuss theology. Justification by faith is at its heart a relational approach to salvation. It's not faith in the abstract - believing a doctrine. It is trust in a person - that person being Christ Himself. And the result of being saved from the consequences and power of sin by trusting Jesus to deliver us is that we develop a love-relationship with Him. That is what the woman had, and Simon the Pharisee lacked. We love Him because He first loved us. (I John 4:19).