The Necessity of Faith
Faith is an indispensable ingredient in the mysterious dance of knowing, and pleasing, God. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). After an earthquake that set all the prisoners free, the Philippian jailer was about to kill himself before Paul and Silas stopped him. Trembling in fear, the jailer asked them, “What must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31). Paul later told the Roman church, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).
Faith is a necessary condition for salvation. The wrath of God is coming on the whole world one day and the only ones who’ll be saved are those who “by grace” have been saved “through faith” (Eph. 2:8). When “the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do noy obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus,” they “will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed” (2 Thess. 1:7-10).
Those who believe in the Lord Jesus will be saved; those who don’t will perish forever. In a fundamental sense, whether or not you have saving faith is the only thing that ultimately matters in your life. Notice I said, “saving faith.” Everyone believes something, but not all faith is saving. It’s not a matter of whether you’re a believer, but what you’re a believer in. The object of your faith is what matters on the last day and will be what determines whether you sing or weep when Jesus comes riding on the clouds with his sword in hand.
Faith Looks Like Love
This means that we need to think carefully about our faith. What does saving faith look like? How can we know if we have it? What does it produce?
In kindness, God gives us his Word to help us sort these things out in our hearts and lives. In our text today, Luke 7:36-50, we’re going to consider the nature of saving faith. The portrait of faith put before us in this text isn’t the one we’d expect. Jesus yet again shows us that true believers aren’t those you’d expect.
The main point of this text is that saving faith looks like love for Jesus. In this text, we’ll see a sinful woman (vv. 36-40), a skeptical man (vv. 41-50), and then we’ll close by considering a serious choice we all must make. Let’s look now at Jesus’ interactions with a Pharisee and a sinner and see which one has saving faith.
A Sinful Woman
First, in verses 36-40, we meet a sinful woman. As we’ve seen in chapters 5-6, the Pharisees are studying Jesus, and now one of them invites him to dinner. Because Jesus came to make himself available to all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds, he accepts the invitation.
We don’t learn the name of Jesus’ host until verse 40, but in verses 36-39, he’s called a “Pharisee” four times (two times in v. 36, once in v. 37, and once in v. 39). This repetition by Luke is meant to signal to us what kind of guy Jesus is about to interact with. Simon, like any good Pharisee, is concerned about ritual purity, separation of outsiders from insiders, and adhering to legal minutia. He’s heard about Jesus and wants to evaluate him for himself.
But then, all of a sudden, in verse 37, an unexpected person shows up at the dinner party, “a woman of the city, who was a sinner.” Some think “woman of the city” means she was a prostitute, others aren’t so sure. Either way, she’s a sinner who people recognized as such. She’s unnamed, but not unknown.
This woman has obviously heard about Jesus and likely experienced his ministry at some prior time, which is why she goes to see him when she learns that he’s at Simon’s house. She’s heard of Jesus, and Simon and his Pharisee friends have heard of her. And they’re surely not happy that she shows up at dinner. The doors at a dinner party like this would’ve been left open so that any passers by could enter and listen in on the conversation. So it wasn’t that someone showed up, it was who, and mostly what she did that was scandalizing to Simon.
Wiping, Kissing, Anointing
In verse 38, the camera zooms in and Luke describes what she does in great detail. People at dinners like this would’ve been lying on their left side around a u-shaped table, with their feet stretched out behind them. This is why she has access to Jesus’ feet.
She wets his feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, kisses them, and anoints them. But notice the emotion that accompanies her actions, she’s “weeping.” Her tears are either an expression of joy that she has a chance to honor Jesus, or over the realization of her forgiveness. Either way, they are significant tears because the word used to describe them was also used to describe rain showers. This wasn’t mere whimpering, she’s undone in the presence of Jesus.
So she undoes her hair and wipes his feet with her hair and tears, an action that some would’ve thought immodest or even sexually suggestive. But later we learn that she was motivated by love, not lust.
This scene likely took time to unfold. The language suggests that each step took some time, signaling a progression from one act to the next: “She was wiping, was kissing, and was anointing.”[1] Can you imagine what Simon and all his religious leader friends were thinking?
Simon’s Soliloquy
We don’t have to imagine because Luke gives us Simon’s soliloquy in verse 39. Simon is disturbed by what’s happening and questions Jesus’ credentials, “If this man were a prophet…” He wonders why Jesus isn’t stopping this nonsense, reprimanding her, and sending her away. To him, Jesus seems ignorant about how morally despicable this woman is.
In Simon’s mind, all this disqualifies Jesus from being a prophet. He’s a doubter and a skeptic, but he’s a good Pharisee. As such, he cares deeply about ritual cleanness and the division between outsider and insider. He thus responds as a true Pharisee, not a hypocritical one. What Jesus receives from sinners, namely love, the Pharisee rejects.
In verse 40, Jesus says he’d like to say something to Simon. While Simon is judging Jesus’ actions, Jesus is reading Simon’s mind. The irony is thick here, given that Jesus is reading Simon’s mind while Simon is concluding that Jesus’ isn’t a prophet. And the parable Jesus is about to give shows that he does know what kind of woman this is. It’s always dangerous to assume we know the mind of God.
A Skeptical Man
Jesus’ message for Simon is in verses 41-50. Jesus begins with a short parable about a moneylender and two debtors. Fifty denarii would’ve been about two months wages, while five hundred denarii would’ve been about twenty months wages. In modern terms, Jesus is asking, which is greater, if someone pays off your mortgage or your car?
The point of the parable and the answer to Jesus’ question at the end of verse 42 is obvious. The one with the larger debt will love the moneylender more because it would’ve been much harder to pay off the larger debt.
Jesus says that Simon’s reluctant answer is correct (v. 43). His response is a bit of a grudging admission on Simon’s part. But why? Because the parable implicates Simon as one who owes God.
Jesus is saying that, since the creditor (i.e. God) has cancelled both debts regardless of size, Simon needs to reconsider his judgment that this woman is unworthy of forgiveness, and also that he too is a debtor to God. Jesus wants Simon to see his judgmental and self-righteous heart. He’s trying to help Simon see Simon.
“Do You See This Woman?”
To help Simon see himself, Jesus then compares his behaviors to that of the woman (vv. 44-46). With yet more irony, Jesus teaches the religious leader a lesson by telling him to look at the sinner.
The contrast between Simon’s lack of courtesy and the woman’s courtesy couldn’t be greater. Jesus lists three ways that Simon fell short as host. Simon didn’t provide water to wash his dusty feet, but she washed his feet with her tears and hair (v. 44). Simon didn’t greet him with a kiss, but she kissed his feet (v. 45). And Simon didn’t anoint his head with oil, while she anointed his feet with special ointment. One commentator captures the significance of this scene well:
“(Simon and the woman) are polar opposites in their treatment of Jesus. The woman’s act of love is extraordinary, but so is Simon’s negligence. Jesus has effectively handed Simon’s role of host to the woman, whose genuine and extravagant hospitality far exceeds his token expression of minimal politeness. This is a hard pill to swallow, given the social distance between a highly respected, law-abiding leader of the community and a sinful woman whom everyone despises.”[2]
Jesus, again ironically, is contrasting Simon’s lack of attention with the woman’s devotion. This is ironic because the Pharisees were the devoted ones and women like this were the one’s who needed to show more attention to things that mattered. But Jesus is saying that the roles have been reversed at this dinner party.
Love a Fruit of Forgiveness
Then in verse 47, Jesus gets to the crux of the matter and explains how he sees the woman’s actions. The way the Greek conjunction “for” is translated can give the impression that her love was the prerequisite to her forgiveness. But the conjunction can also be translated “hence,” “Her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love” (NRSV). Or as the CSB puts it, “Her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much.”
Jesus isn’t saying that the woman was forgiven after she demonstrated enough love but rather that she loved as a result of being forgiven. This means there was probably a backstory to this event. The woman had a prior interaction with Jesus where she repented of her sin and was forgiven. Then when she learns that Jesus is dining at Simon’s house, she goes to show him her love and gratitude. When Jesus tells Simon in verse 47 that she’s forgiven, and then when he tells her in verse 48, in both cases the tense of the verb denotes a past action with effects in the present. She has been forgiven and continues to be forgiven. And, as a result of being forgiven, she responds with beautiful actions of love and devotion.
Jesus’ is also pointing out, however, that Simon stands in contrast to this woman. Simon is the one who is forgiven little and thus loves little. Jesus isn’t necessarily saying that Simon is forgiven. He’s making a rhetorical point, saying that Simon thinks he has little need for forgiveness. Jesus’ point is that the woman is much closer to the grace of God than Simon. He wants Simon to see that it takes humility to see one’s need for forgiveness, and that God honors the humble. Jesus is telling Simon that he hadn’t yet sufficiently responded to God, that his “little sin” still needed treatment.
Authority to Save
The incident raises further questions about Jesus’ identity (v. 49). This is similar to what other Pharisees say when Jesus heals the paralytic (5:21). Their question is a complaint, not a question. Jesus saying clearly and emphatically that this woman’s sins are forgiven is a clear statement of his authority. And the Pharisees know it. Yes, he can read minds, but he’s not a mere prophet. He’s the judge of the world.
In verse 50, Jesus ignores the Pharisee’s question and yet his response is a challenge to them. The woman is saved and at peace with God because of her faith. Faith was what motivated her actions toward Jesus. She can “go in peace,” with a sense of God’s blessing, sure that her relationship with God has changed.
A Serious Choice
Has yours? I said earlier that everyone believes in something, and that only those with saving faith will escape God’s judgment. It’s therefore crucially important for us to know what kind of faith we have.
Using this text as our guide, I want us to consider what saving faith secures, what it produces, and what its object must be.
What Does Saving Faith Secure?
First, what does saving faith secure? In this text, saving faith secured forgiveness, salvation, and peace for this woman. Verse 50, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” And this after Jesus has twice declared that her sins are forgiven (vv. 47-8). Only those with saving faith will be forgiven of their sins, saved from God’s judgment, and given peace with him.
What Does Saving Faith Produce?
Second, what does saving faith produce? In this text, the woman’s faith produced courage, sacrifice, humility, and love.
Her faith gave her courage to go into a scary situation, into a place she knew she wouldn’t be welcome. Her faith created a courage that allowed her to buck the social and cultural expectations of the day. Her faith in Jesus led her to do surprising things.
Her faith also produced sacrifice. Rather than bringing the standard olive oil used to anoint people’s heads, she brought “an alabaster flask of ointment” (v. 37) to anoint Jesus’ feet. Her willingness to use valuable ointment on Jesus’ feet reveals how much she valued Jesus.
Her faith also produced humility. She never disagreed with Simon or Jesus’ designation of her as a “sinner,” or one who had “many sins” (v. 47). She knew what she was. And she went to Jesus anyways.
That’s the amazing thing about Jesus. Sinners are drawn to him. This incident illustrates that the indictment from verse 34 that Jesus is a “friend of sinners” is one hundred percent true! Sinners are Jesus’ people. Sinners are who Jesus connects himself to. Sinners are who Jesus loves.
Only those who believe that they’re sinners are accepted by Jesus. The problem we have is that we tend to think that we’re sinners in theory but can’t seem to find any in our lives. This is one reason why many don’t confess sin regularly, or why when we’re confronted with our sin, we’re quick to minimize and dismiss it and explain it away. Sin is what other people do. We say we’re sinners, but we don’t believe it.
But this woman is a beautiful picture of the humility of faith. She’s not trying to pridefully hide behind her righteousness or her accomplishments. She knows what she is. And it’s not just that she knows she’s a sinner, it’s that she’s broken over her sin. It’s not just her awareness of her sin that reveals her faith. It’s her contrition and remorse and sorrow. She’s living out what David said in Psalm 51, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (v. 17).
Like the centurion at the beginning of the chapter, her faith was born out of desperation (Lk. 7:9). Because she knew what she was, she knew that Jesus was the only place to go. This sort of desperation isn’t present in Simon because self-righteousness is the most impenetrable barrier between a person and God. But when we let the walls of self-righteousness that we’ve built up around our hearts fall down, then, and only then, will Jesus’ healing and light come. The Christian band Tenth Avenue North captures this well with their song “Healing Begins”:
So you thought you had to keep this up
All the work that you do
So we think that you’re good
And you can’t believe it’s not enough
All the walls you built up
Are just glass on the outside
So let ’em fall down
There’s freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We’re here now
This is where the healing begins
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you’re broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark
Afraid to let your secrets out
Everything that you hide
Can come crashing through the door now
But too scared to face all your fear
So you hide but you find
That the shame won’t disappear
So let it fall down
There’s freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We’re here now
This is where the healing begins
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you’re broken within
The light meets the dark
Sparks will fly as grace collides
With the dark inside of us
So please don’t fight
This coming light
Let this blood come cover us
His blood can cover us
This is where the healing begins
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you’re broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark
And her faith produced love. As Jesus said, “She loved much” (v. 47). After she encountered Jesus’ forgiveness, her heart was full of love for Jesus. After meeting him, love emerged from forgiveness. Where forgiveness is granted, love grows. And where there’s no love, there’ no forgiveness. This woman’s faith was “working through love” (Gal. 5:6).
What is the Object of Saving Faith?
This text shows us that the woman’s faith produced courage, sacrifice, humility, and love. But we need to ask one final question: what is the object of saving faith? Faith itself doesn’t save anyone. Faith always has an object. It’s what, or who, you believe that matters.
The end of this text shows us that Jesus is the only object of faith who can save. In verse 48, he says he forgives the woman and the people there rightly question this because only God can forgive.
Only God can forgive sins, so by saying this Jesus is saying that he has God’s authority. Jesus is making it clear that we can’t be neutral about him. We either question his authority like the Pharisees or we humbly approach him like the sinful woman, knowing we need what only he has.
When he says he forgives her, he’s saying that he has the right to declare who belongs to God and who doesn’t. In other words, he’s saying that he’s the Judge. This means that, if Jesus is the one who can resolve the problem of our sin, then we must respond to him if we want to be saved. Or, as one writer says, “It is a wise thing to be responsive to the one who wields the gavel.”[3]
So you see the serious choice we all have to make. We either keep the walls up like Simon and refuse to see our need, or we let the walls fall down like this woman, embracing our need because we’ve been embraced by Jesus. Her faith saved her and gave her love for Jesus. Do you have that kind of faith?
[1]Darrell L. Bock, Luke, Volume 1: 1:1-9:50, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1994), 697.
[2]Diane G. Chen, Luke, New Covenant Commentary Series (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017), 106.
[3]Bock, 708.