Luke 7:37
And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
The verse shows a woman known throughout the city as a sinner coming with an alabaster box of ointment to Jesus while He dined in Simon the Pharisee's house. She was Mary, also called Mary Magdalene, delivered from demons and transformed from sin to become a close follower who sat at His feet, stood by His cross, visited His tomb, and first proclaimed His resurrection. In deep penitence and grateful love for pardoning mercy, she poured the costly ointment on His feet and washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair, and He accepted her gift without condemnation. The measure of love for God grows with the sense of sin and need of deliverance, so though neither debtor could repay, the one forgiven most loves most, exposing Simon's neglect and low regard for her as proof he did not know his own great debt. Jesus used friendly contact at the feast to reach both the religious and the nonreligious, teaching Simon with tactful, pitying kindness rather than public rebuke until he acknowledged his need and became humble and self-sacrificing.
Woman, House, and Ointment
The scene is set at a meal in the house of Simon the Pharisee, where Jesus is seated at table when a woman known throughout the city as a sinner enters with an alabaster box of ointment. Her coming exposes Simon's neglect and unbelief, yet the error is met not with public rebuke but with patient, pitying kindness meant to convince the heart. The teaching proceeds with tact until Simon himself acknowledges that the one forgiven more will love more, and coming to see the magnitude of his own debt to his Lord he becomes humble and self-sacrificing.
The woman is Mary, also identified as Mary Magdalene, poor and sorrowful and repentant. Her anointing belongs to a life transformed by help from Jesus, who delivered her from the demons that controlled her, so that by grace she overcame sin and became His close follower. She learned at His feet and served Him, stood by His cross, visited His tomb, and first proclaimed His resurrection. Her pardon displays compassion and friendship toward a woman who had sinned. The measure of love for God turns on how clearly a person sees sin and the danger requiring deliverance, so that growing awareness of sinfulness deepens the valuing of Christ and His forgiveness, a perception Simon lacked when his low regard for the woman showed he understood neither her repentance nor his own need despite thinking he loved Jesus.
She comes deeply penitent and humbled by sin, with untroubled trust in divine power, and gratitude for pardoning mercy makes her ready to sacrifice all. She brings costly ointment in the alabaster box and pours it on Jesus' feet as grateful appreciation for His forgiveness and His work for her, prizing the mercy given her and responding with gratitude and love. He accepts her gift and does not condemn her anointing. The two debtors do not signify different amounts of gratitude owed, since neither could repay the debt; the comparison takes up Simon's belief that he was more righteous than Mary in order to show that although his own great sins were forgiven, he rendered too little respect and love to his Benefactor.
In washing His feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair she leaves an example of foot washing that humbles the one who performs it and glorifies God. That example upholds the practice of sisters washing the feet of brethren as being in gospel order.
Forgiveness, Love, and Teaching
She came deeply penitent and humbled by her sins, with untroubled trust in His divine power, and her gratitude for His pardoning mercy made her ready to sacrifice all for Him and to respond with love. She prized the mercy given her, and that prizing issued in gratitude and love.
The degree of love for God depends on how clearly a person sees sin and the danger from which deliverance is needed. As people become more aware of their sinfulness, they value Christ and His forgiveness more. The woman is poor, sorrowful, and repentant when she comes to Jesus at Simon's house.
The two debtors do not represent different degrees of gratitude owed, since neither could repay the debt. Jesus used Simon's belief that he was more righteous than Mary to show that, though Simon's own great sins were forgiven, he showed too little respect and love to his Benefactor.
Simon thought he loved Jesus, but his neglect and unbelief were exposed, and his low regard for the woman showed that he did not understand her repentance or his own need. He came to see the magnitude of his debt to his Lord and became humble and self-sacrificing.
Jesus taught Simon with tact and with patient, pitying kindness rather than public rebuke, touching hearts through the story of the woman and Simon. Simon acknowledged that the one forgiven more would love more, indeed that the one forgiven most would love most. In this way the error was convicted without shaming rebuke.
Jesus accepted the invitation to the meal at the Pharisee's house and used friendly contact with religious and nonreligious people as an occasion to share lessons suited to their needs. His presence at the feast illustrates that He sought access to the hearts of the wealthy and cultured so He could reveal to them imperishable riches. His willingness to be present in such company and to show mercy to a woman known as a sinner stands in contrast to judging and condemning conduct that did not fit narrow ideas of salvation.