The Two Debtors (A Sinful Woman Forgiven) [Luke 7:36-50]

 

MIHRAN KULHANJIAN'S

 

THE 5 MINUTE LESSON

        August 20, 2024

Vol. VIII

 
Published by Christian Revival Mission, Inc.
Copyright ©* 2024  by Mihran Kulhanjian
 
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The Two Debtors

(A Sinful Woman Forgiven)

[Luke 7:36-50]

 

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him [Jesus] to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
 
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

So he said, “Teacher, say it.”

41“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
 
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
 
48 Then He [Jesus] said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
 
49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
 
50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

 

 

 

Introduction and Commentary

 

Occasion:  Jesus is invited to dine with a Pharisee and his guests.

 

Lesson: The one with great sin, turns to Jesus and repents is loved and forgiven more. The humble are forgiven. The proud, the self-righteous are not forgiven. The Pharisee [Simon] was not forgiven. He was not a believer in Jesus. We see this in Luke 7:39.  This was an uncomfortable setting because the Pharisees were unfriendly and argumentative toward Jesus. The Pharisee did not greet Jesus in the customary way. Although, Simon was not likely rude to Jesus, he was suspicious and careful. He lacked humility. The forgiven woman greeted Jesus with honor and gratefulness, humility and love. Simon the Pharisee was proud, arrogant and by his lack of courtesy, showed disdain for Jesus in his heart.  Both the woman and the Pharisee were sinners, but the Pharisee accused the woman of being a great sinner. The Pharisee did not see himself as a sinner (or as sinful as the woman), therefore, did not need to serve Jesus and there was possibly no need to be forgiven, for he had no faith in Jesus as the Messiah.

 

The woman put her faith in Jesus and acted upon her faith and her love for Jesus by what she did for Him.  She wept and washed His feet with her tears. She kissed His feet and anointed His feet with expensive perfumed oil. It was likely the very best fragrant oil she owned. The woman acknowledged that she was a sinner, and she was brokenhearted and repented of her sins and Jesus forgave her. To take the actions this woman did in front of many, including the self-righteous Pharisee and other guests at the meal (putting condemnation on her because she was a well-known sinner) reveals her great love, faith and thankfulness to Jesus.  She was known as a sinner in the city. The Scripture does not say she was a prostitute.  Her sins were not revealed. Jesus did not reveal her sins but He revealed Simon's sin of hypocrisy, for when Simon said to himself:  “This Man [Jesus], if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” Jesus knew what Simon was thinking through a word of knowledge and answered Simon's sinful thoughts.  Jesus knew everything about the woman and her sins.

 

In verse 41, Jesus begins the parable (a parable is a story [fiction] which teaches a lesson). The lesson is this:  those who are forgiven much, love much. When a sinner realizes [comes to the revelation] the gravity and disgust of his or her sin, repenting from it with a contrite heart and asking God's forgiven, God forgives. God knows the hearts of all men. When a sinner truly repents, and humbles himself in gratitude, as the woman did, knowing that the Lord forgave her, her love for the Lord was overflowing, even to the point of emotional exaltation.  Whereas, Simon, the Pharisee's heart was not humbled. The woman knew she was a sinner, yet Simon did not believe he was a sinner, probably a light sinner, but not wicked like the woman.  In fact, both, as with every person of the human race is a sinner. "All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).  God's grace is equal to all.  But, only the woman received the revelation of the Lord's forgiveness and grace. Simon did not believe Jesus as God, therefore, did not receive the revelation.

 

In Luke 18:14 Jesus said:  "For everyone who exalts himself will be ]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  The woman humbles herself and Simon the Pharisee could not humble himself for he exalted himself.

 

Simon answered Jesus correctly (verse 43).  Then Jesus said to Simon:  you did not wash my feet or give me a kiss, or anoint my head with oil when I entered your home, yet this woman has kissed my feet, washed them and anointed my feet with fragrant oil. Simon and the others at the dinner did not love Jesus. But the woman's actions proved her love and her understanding of who Jesus was. She knew Jesus was the Lord.

 

It was the woman's faith that saved her.  She did not have to do anything. Albeit, her great faith moved her to action and her contrition to tears. Show me the measure of your works and I will show you your faith. Our outwardly conduct is evidenced by how strong our faith. Great faith, great humility, great works. Weak or no faith, little or no humility, and no works.  "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:20).

 

Much love [grace] is offered to the great sinner who humbles himself to the Lord.  The others at the dinner believed only God can forgive sin. They did not believe Jesus was God, nor did they believe He could forgive sin.  Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."  Jesus affirmed it was her faith that saved her. It was not her good works. For Jesus to have said this (verse 50), He had to know the woman had repented of her sins and believed. And this is proof by her physical actions of love on Jesus. While she was ridiculed and condemned by the Pharisees, Jesus forgave her and gave her new life, "Your faith has saved you."

 

Memory Verse:  Luke 7:50

Then He [Jesus] said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."

□ Check box when verse is memorized

 

Practical Steps:

There was a man with five hundred sins and another man with five sins. The man who had sinned five hundred times came to the revelation of the Lord, knowing he was a sinner and a wicked man, he repented (stopped willful sinning), turned to the Lord and asked for forgiveness.  He was forgiven. And he was grateful. The man with five sins said, "I am not so bad.  I am an honest person, not like most sinners. I don't see myself as a sinner, really.   Do you see yourself as the man with five sins?  You aren't so bad. No need for you to turn to God, you are all right.  Are you like Simon the Pharisee?  Are you?  God's grace is the same for the man with five hundred sins as it is for the man with five sins. But the man with five sins held on to his pride--"I'm not such a sinner like others," he says to himself.  All are sinners.  All have sinned.  Whether you have sinned once or a million times willfully or not, you are guilty. The great sinner was more grateful than the five sinner because the great sinner knew of his desperate state and he received the revelation of the Lord and how sin destroyed his relationship with God and salvation. God is holy; He cannot commune with somebody in sin.

 

Start now by examining yourself and your attitude toward God.

 

Step 1:  Repent of sin--turn in a different direction.  "If you love Me [Jesus] you will keep my commandments."  Repent!
 
Step 2:  Humble yourself and confess your sins and ask God for forgiveness
 
Step 3:  Sin no more. "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace" (Luke 7:50).
 
Step 4:  Fill yourself with the Word of God (the Holy Bible). Renew your mind.  
 
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."—Romans 12:2
 
Step 5:  Share with others what God has done for you. Become a disciple of Jesus Christ.
 
Step 6:  Do the good works you were created for. A true disciple is fruitful. Be a doer not only a    hearer.

 

Be grateful and seek the knowledge of the Lord each day.

 

We have to know the truth of salvation and knowing God. And the truth comes by revelation of Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the cross. We have to be aware of the serious consequences of our sin. The only people who are exempt from hell are forgiven people and perfect people. No one is perfect, so we must be forgiven.

 

Questions

 

  1. Who was forgiven more? ______________________________________________________

 

  1. Why did Jesus forgive the woman? ______________________________________________

 

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  1. What two things did Jesus tell the woman?

 

            1)  ____________________________________________________________________

 

            2)  ____________________________________________________________________

 

 

  1. Why did they say "Who is this who even forgives sins.?" _____________________________

 

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Answers for The Two Debtors

  1. The one whom he forgave more

 

  1. For she loved much.

 

  1. (1) "Your sins are forgiven."  (2)  "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."

 

  1. They believed only God can forgive sin and they did not believe Jesus was God.

 

Contrition shows we are sorry for the sins we have committed against a holy God. Do you have a contrite heart?  What are you willing to do for the Lord out of your gratefulness of what He had done for you?  Will you wash his feet with your tears? Will you speak His name boldly to others?  Will you live your life as God wants you to live your life—with obedience and love as a child of God?  You must make a choice:  The Lord Jesus Christ or this world and disobedience.

 

God says choose life. When we come of Jesus we choose life—life eternal with Him.

 

 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” —Acts 4:12

 

 

Notes:

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"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [provisions of God] shall be added to you."  ─Matthew 6:33

 

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