Lk 7:36-39   Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is--that she is a sinner."

We move on to a new group of people now, people who struggled with Jesus, people who showed resistance to him. Now two meditations ago we considered weeping Mary who appears in this story and we also noted that in Matthew's Gospel this appears in the home of ‘Simon the Leper' (Mt 26:6). Because of the similarities of the stories we concluded that this must be one and the same person. Now if he had been a leper at that moment they would not have been dining in his home for he would have been an outcast, which leads us to suppose that he had been a leper but had been healed – by Jesus? That may have been so but we can't know for sure. What we do know is that he is a Pharisee, a member of that conservative group who saw themselves as guardians of the Law. They were also (or because of this) legalists and were more concerned with people's sin that with their restoration. We thus find that Simon is a classic Pharisee!

He has invited Jesus into his home to have dinner with him. Mary enters the house with her perfume to anoint Jesus with it. Luke tells us in his account that Lazarus and Martha are at this meal and that adds credibility to the woman being their sister, Mary. Because they were there, she would feel easy about coming as well. As we considered previously she weeps with a mixture of gratefulness over having been forgiven and restored from her old life, and also, perhaps, from a sense of foreboding about the weeks ahead of Jesus.

Simon, the host, looks at this woman – who he knows – and wonders what sort of prophet Jesus is, if he can't discern the sort of woman Mary is. The problem Simon has, though, is that he is locked into the past. Yes, that's what she had been like but that's not what she's like now! Simon, catch up! She is clearly a repentant sinner and God loves repentant sinners!!!! I know we have covered this previously but it is so important for us in the Church today that it bears repeating. Previously our focus had been on Mary; now it is on Simon.

Jesus has a story to tell him: “Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he cancelled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt cancelled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.” (v.40-44) Now what is interesting is that above we read of Simon, “he said to himself.” In other words he didn't speak out loud what he was thinking but Jesus reads minds and Jesus knew exactly what he was thinking, which is why we now read, “Jesus answered him.” He is directly addressing what Simon is thinking. If you think it is virtuous not to speak out what you are thinking, beware, Jesus reads minds. It's better not to think it in the first place!

The lesson is very obvious. The more you are forgiven, the more grateful you will be. But it doesn't end there. Jesus now applies it to Simon: “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. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.” (v.44-46) Look Simon, he says, when I came into your home, as an apparent honoured guest, you did not have my feet washed or give me anything to put on my head to freshen up, as is customary, yet this women that you write off has done both things.

And then, to push home the point even further: “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” (v.47) i.e. her love for me is a clear sign of her repentance and so anything she may have done in the past is now forgiven.

Being judgmental is a dangerous hobby. We mostly don't know the state of heart of the people we condemn. Simon went on what he knew of her past and didn't realise that her heart had changed. How terrible it might have been if he, the moment he saw her entering his home, had sent her out again. And yet that is what we do sometimes with people whose hearts are changing as God draws them. Those of us who have been religiously righteous all our lives, because that is how we were brought up, have an even bigger difficulty in accepting that all-out sinners can repent and are loved by God. This is especially so when they are still struggling to bring changes to their lives – which often takes time. We want instant perfection, and yet don't have it ourselves. If we do that, get ready for a rebuke from Jesus!