John the Immerser, the Messiah’s forerunner, had a profound impact on the nation of Israel. Many people came out to him in the wilderness, listened to his messages, and were immersed by him. Messiah Yeshua was having an even greater impact on the nation than John. He was extremely popular with many of the Jewish people. Large crowds followed Him, listening to His profound teaching, and witnessing His great miracles. He was healing people from all kinds of physical illnesses; He was removing evil, unclean, fallen angelic, demonic spirits from many of the Chosen People.

In contrast to many of the common people, most of Israel’s leaders had rejected Yeshua’s great prophetic forerunner, John. They thought he was too austere and too different. And, many of those same leaders rejected the Messiah because they thought He wasn’t different enough! He was friendly with many of the detested tax-collectors, and friendly with sinners. He was enjoying life, and eating and drinking wine with people.

Many of the ordinary people and most of the spiritual leaders had contrasting understanding of these two great men. Who were right? In this next section of Luke’s book, we will have a contrast between two very different people: one of the common people – a Jewish woman who was living a sinful life; and a Jewish man who was a Pharisee who was trying to live a holy life.

The word Pharisee means “separated one”. The Pharisees wanted to be separate from sin and lead holy, pure lives. The Pharisees were the spiritual forefathers of Rabbinic Judaism. Let’s see which of the two came closer to God and salvation, and what lessons we can learn from them.

Many of the Pharisees had already rejected Yeshua. They were angry with Him. He had been correcting some of their theological errors and they resented Him for that. Many had rejected His claims to be the Messiah and the Son of God.

Many of the Pharisees had already rejected Him – but not all. Some were still considering this unusual young Rabbi and His obviously profound Torah-teachings and His claims to be the Messiah. Some wanted to get closer to Yeshua and gain a better understanding. Simon was one of them. Yeshua was in his city and he extended an invitation to the Rabbi from Nazareth to come to his home and eat with him. Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him. And Yeshua accepted the invitation. And He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.

Now we are introduced to someone from this same city who is very different from Simon the Pharisee. And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner. She had not been living according to God’s ways. She had been engaging in wrong, God-dishonoring behaviors. But, she had some good things going for her. She had some humility and some faith. She believed in the God of Israel. And, she knew things about the young Rabbi from Nazareth.

She probably knew that many thought the young Rabbi was the Messiah, and the rightful King of Israel.

She probably knew that He, unlike most of Israel’s spiritual leaders, was willing to relate to ordinary people like her. In fact, He did not shun sinners, but was friendly toward sinners. He was friendly with women. Women were part of the Rabbi’s entourage.

She probably knew Yeshua was bringing a message of very welcome and Good News – Good News about the reality of God, the nearness of God, the love of God for ordinary people, the mercy of God, the forgiveness of God for sinners like her, the salvation of God – that there was hope to gain these things, even for a sinner like her; and something in her responded to that Good News. She probably wanted that Good News that Yeshua brought.

She probably knew that God was using Yeshua to heal many Israelis of physical diseases and remove evil spirits from them. She may have understood this foreshadows how God will use Yeshua to bring about the complete healing of mankind and the destruction of demonic dominion over mankind and the elimination of the evil god of this world.

She probably knew that God was using Yeshua to raise the dead, and she may have understood this foreshadows how God will use Yeshua to bring new life to humanity. She may have desperately needed and wanted this new life that Yeshua was bringing.

She knew things about Yeshua, and had some faith, some confidence, some trust in Him. She had some love and appreciation for this unique Rabbi, who was bringing Good News to people like her, and welcoming people like her to get closer to God, and giving people like her hope that they were not beyond redemption.

Rabbi Yeshua was very popular. He was a star, and word got around the city that He was in town, and that He was having dinner at the home of Simon the Pharisee. But that presented a problem for this woman who wanted to get closer to Yeshua, and express her love and appreciation for Him.

Almost certainly she had not been invited to this exclusive dinner party at the home of one of the separate ones. Almost certainly she would not be welcomed by the host into his home and almost certainly to the dinner table. For her to crash this dinner party to get closer to Yeshua would result in an awkward and uncomfortable situation. Yet, her desire to get closer to Yeshua, and express her love for this unique man of God, overcame the disapproval and the rejection she had to know she would experience.

And when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume (a beautiful container with a beautiful smell, a gift worthy of this beautiful man of God), and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping – weeping because of her knowledge about Yeshua, that He was good. He was kind. He was holy yet willing to befriend sinners like her, bringing hope to people like her; knowing that the young Rabbi was courageous, was willing to go against the majority of the leaders; was Himself experiencing rejection.

Out of her knowledge, love, appreciation for Yeshua, and having courage mixed with humility, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. These were extravagant acts of love and appreciation, and humility – not caring what others thought.

Note: Don’t confuse this with a similar incident which later occurred in the house of Mary and Martha and Lazarus shortly before Yeshua died.

Yeshua, the guest of honor, received these gestures of love and appreciation from this woman who had crashed this party. He did nothing to reject her or correct her. He did nothing to make her feel awkward, out of place or uncomfortable. He didn’t say: Woman, what are you doing here? You weren’t invited to this dinner in the home of this man! Woman, how dare you touch Me! How dare you kiss my feet! How dare you waste money on this perfume! Perhaps we can talk later, at a more appropriate time and in a more appropriate setting. I think it best that you leave immediately! Yeshua said nothing like that.

But not everyone at that dinner reacted the same way – particularly the host. Simon disapproved of what was going on, and he was disappointed by Yeshua’s response to this woman. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”

Simon believed that what the woman was doing was inappropriate. It was wrong for a sinful woman to touch and kiss a Rabbi. Maybe this confirms that the other Pharisees are right. Yeshua is not holy. He can’t be a prophet.

God gave Yeshua the ability to understand what Simon was thinking. He knew that Simon’s assessment of this situation was wrong, and that the theology of this Pharisee needed some correction. And Yeshua, who is friendly with sinners, and also friendly with confused theologians (who are also sinners, but sinners of another kind), wanted to help Simon have a better theology, a better understanding, a better perspective.

And Yeshua answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Rabbi.” And the Rabbi responded to Simon’s need for correction with a story about two debtors. “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii (that’s 500 days wages for an average worker, about a year and a half’s worth of work. In 2006, the median annual household income was $48,201.00 according to the US Census Bureau, so roughly, this would be about $70,000 dollars for us today, which is a lot of money for the average family). And the other owed fifty (one tenth as much, about $7,000. Still a lot of money). When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?”

Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And Yeshua said to him, “You have judged correctly.” The one who is forgiven more is more appreciative of the one who was owed such a large debt. It would have been much harder to pay all that money back. The one who realizes he has been forgiven much loves much.

What is Yeshua trying to teach Simon, and us? The debt that is owed is the wages, penalties and punishments that result from our sins. Sin creates a spiritual debt of penalties that must be paid – even the ultimate punishment of death.

Who are the debtors? Simon and the woman. But its more than just Simon and the woman. Simon represents people who are religious, who are trying to lead good, moral, pure lives. The woman with the greater debt represents human beings who don’t care much about religion, morality, holiness.

Who is the moneylender to whom the debt is owed? God. God the Father and also Messiah Yeshua His Son. Our sins, the bad things we do, the good things we don’t do, places us under a great spiritual debt which needs to be repaid if we are going to get right with God, be in a equitable and right relationship with God, and live forever with God.

Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.

This woman loved Yeshua much because she sensed her very great need for atonement. She loved Yeshua much because she knew about Yeshua, and believed Him and the Good News that He offered someone like her.

Simon, on the other hand, loved Yeshua only a little, because he thought that he was basically a good person, and doing a pretty good job keeping Torah. He probably thought he wasn’t a great sinner, and didn’t need much atonement. He didn’t have much faith in Yeshua and His Good News.

Here is the reality of the situation: Yeshua is who He claimed to be. He is the Messiah sent by God. The ultimate prophet, priest and king. He is the divine and unique Son of God! He is he Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the Yom Kippur Azazel Scapegoat. He is the Savior of the world! He is the Redeemer of the world. He is the great Sin-Bearer! And, there are profound, eternal and life-giving or life-withholding consequences for knowing who He is, and having faith in who He is and what He teachers, or not having faith in Him. It is knowledge about Yeshua, and faith in Yeshua, along with some humility, that makes the difference between genuine atonement or being destroyed by pride and false religion; a real relationship with the living and infinitely holy God, or a delusional relationship with Him; a genuinely meaningful and successful and lasting life, or a ultimately meaningless and unsuccessful life; between eternal life and eternal death, between eternity in Heaven or being sent to Hell.

The Son of God knew this. And He knew who He was, and how important it is for us to know Him and believe in Him; and He knew His essential part in gaining atonement, and He knew His authority to erase the spiritual debt of human beings.

For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Those who sin much, but come to know God and Yeshua, are forgiven much. And, they love God much, and serve God much, and are willing to experience much humiliation and rejection.

The reality is that we all have sinned much – those like the sinful woman and those on the opposite end of the spectrum of human holiness – Simon the Pharisee. We are all great sinners. We are all much in need of much forgiveness. O, some human beings are better, are more righteous, are holier than others. But, when we compare ourselves to God, we should realize that none of us are very holy, and that all of us are very great sinners.

I’d like to tell a parable: Let’s call it the Long Jump of Salvation. Salvation is like men and women who are competing in the long-jump. Some may be weak or out of shape and can only jump a few feet. Some may be in better shape, and can jump 15 feet. A few may be Olympic-caliber long-jumpers, and can jump 30 or more feet.

But, what if to succeed in the long jump the way God wants them to succeed, they need to be able to jump across the Grand Canyon? If that is the case, are any of them great jumpers? Or, are or of them inadequate in the extreme, even the ones who can jump much farther than the rest?

We should all adopt the attitude that we are sinners – great sinners. We should feel the way about ourselves that great Rabbi Paul felt about Himself – that he was the chief of sinners. We all sin against the infinitely holy and pure God in thought, word and deed. We often do the things that should not do. We often fail to do the things we should do.

We should all have this kind of understanding that results in genuine humility. We don’t want to come to the point where we think that we don’t need much in the way of atonement, that the Lord must be pretty pleased with us, that He is fortunate to have someone as good as we are.

Those who know the Lord, and know the atonement and salvation provided by God the Father and Messiah the Son, and the Holy Spirit who lives in the believers; who are trying to live better, and be holy – need to know that we fall short in many ways. And, that should cause us to be humble, and appreciative of God, and willing to serve Him and endure humiliation.

Think about what this woman did. It was not easy. She did humiliating things in a house she was not invited to enter, in front of a party she was not invited to, in front of some people who rejected her. She did these things, and overcame embarrassment and humiliation because she hoped that she could be forgiven much and because she loved Yeshua much.

What about you? Do you love much or little? Do you know that you have been forgiven much? Are you willing to experience embarrassment and humiliation to show your appreciation to God, or little? Are you serving God much or little?

Are you using your gifts and time and energy and resources for God much, or little? Do you witness to others much, or little? Are you serving much or little, by doing practical things like helping set up and clean up after an Oneg? Do you feel that any of these things are too embarrassing or too humiliating?

Yeshua was sent by God to make full atonement possible. And, He has the authority to forgive the sins of human beings who know Him and believe in Him, which is what He did for this woman. Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven”.

Do you know that your sins have been forgiven? You can. You should. You make an appointment to meet with me if you are not sure that Yeshua is saying to you: “Your sins have been forgiven”.

That is perhaps the most important thing for you to ever hear – Your sins have been forgiven”. Coming from the young Rabbi, it was a powerful, bold and audacious statement. And, the men around the table knew it.

Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”

According to the Torah and the provisions of the Sinai Covenant, when a Jewish person sinned, it wasn’t enough to say, “Lord, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.” Atonement involved much more than mere words. The person seeking forgiveness from his sins had to find a clean, fit animal, make a pilgrimage up to Jerusalem, which could be several days journey, go to the Temple, find a priest, confess his sins and lay his hands on the head of the animal. Then, the bull, goat, lamb, ram, or pigeon was killed. Then the priest took the blood and poured it on the base of the altar, cut up the animal, and burnt some of it on the altar. Then if the man’s heart was right, and he had faith in God and His Word, and didn’t do this as an empty religious ceremony, then and only then were his sins forgiven.

But, Rabbi Yeshua bypassed all this, and with His authority, granted this woman atonement because of the faith that she had in God and in Yeshua Himself! Wow! That is powerful! That is so important for each one of us to know, and so important for those of us who do know this atonement to communicate to a lost and dying world!

Faith in Messiah results in salvation, which results in peace. And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Who wound up closer to God? Who wound up with genuine atonement? Who ended up genuine peace and well-being with God? This respectable Pharisee, or this once-sinful woman? Who turned out to the real saint, and who turned out to be the real sinner?

What made the difference? Focusing on keeping individual mitzvot? Or understanding the larger picture about God’s love and mercy and Messianic salvation through Yeshua?

It is faith in God the Father and Yeshua the Messiah and the Holy Spirit that saves us, and enables us to go in peace – going now and forever with genuine peace with God. It is not the theological system invented by the Pharisees and carried on by the rabbinic Jews of today.

Do you have that peace? Are you bringing the good news about this peace to a chaotic and confused and a disturbed world?