40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. 41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” ~ Luke 7:40-50
Simon concluded the Lord Jesus didn't know who the woman was, therefore He's not a prophet. But the Lord Jesus knew what Simon was thinking. So, in v.41 the Lord Jesus reaches out to this man who wants to do Him in and says, "Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty." A guy approaches a moneylender, and says I need a year and a half's pay. And he loaned him a year and a half’s wages. And another person came and they needed, two months wages. He loaned it to him.
In v.42 we learn, "Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both." Neither of these could repay their debt. So the moneylender graciously forgave them both. The moneylender incurred their debt so that neither of them would have to think twice about it.
Anytime somebody forgives a debt, they themselves incur that debt in full. If I lend you $75,000 and you can't repay it and I say, "I forgive that," then I've incurred that debt completely. That debt is now mine. The cost is transferred to me. I pay the bill. When God forgave our sins, He incurred the debt and the Lord Jesus Christ died to pay it. The debt just doesn't go away. It still has to be paid. Forgiveness transferred our debt to the forgiver.
At the end of v.42, the Lord Jesus asked a pertinent question: "Which of them will love him more?” In v.43 "Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said."
While Simon assumed that he was the one with the smaller debt, the Lord Jesus never says this. He does make it clear later that the woman has a large debt. And he knew Simon would assume that he had the smaller debt. But the Lord Jesus wants Simon to understand that he too has a debt. It is not a small, insignificant debt that can be worked off. It is a huge debt, every bit as large as this woman’s.
Then in v.44 it starts to make sense. "Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair." Great love comes from great forgiveness. The woman so loved because she was so aware of her unworthiness. Simon didn't even do the courteous things for the Lord Jesus when He arrived at his house. Simon did not even recognize his own sinfulness, but the woman did recognize hers. This is why she had a heart for the Lord and Simon did not.
In v.47 we read, "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” This is perfect tense which means something happened in the past with continuing effect now and into the future. She came there already forgiven to find the Lord Jesus to thank Him.
According to v.48, the Lord Jesus affirms it when He says to the woman, "Your sins have been forgiven." Again it's the perfect tense, have been in the past with continuing result. And, the evidence is there from her love. She loved much because she was forgiven much. Great love comes from great forgiveness.
According to v.49, "The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?" These always asked questions but they never got to the answer. Their self-righteousness caused blindness, making them unable to see the greatest to ever walk the earth.
Notice the woman didn't say anything. She didn't have to for her actions spoke volumes. And then in v.50, He said to her, "Your faith has saved you." It wasn't her love that saved her, it was her faith that saved her which produced her love. It is always our faith that saved us, always. In Ephesians 2:8-9 we read, "For by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast." And because our faith in the Lord Jesus saved us, our love is manifest because our sins are forgiven. "Go in peace." The Lord Jesus is literally saying, "Go into God's peace, and live there forever."
When the forgiveness of God defines us, we are put in a position to be used of the Lord in remarkable ways. It is His peace that has been unleashed in our souls and we throw caution to the wind. He is the audience of the forgiven. Being a leader is much like being a conductor of an orchestra, you have to turn your back on the crowd in order to lead the band.
