Amy C Walters

A Sinful Woman Forgiven | Luke 7:36-50

When Simon sees a woman pouring perfume on Jesus’ feet, he calls her a “sinner,” defining her by her worst behavior. But Jesus publicly tells her that her sins are forgiven, surprising the other guests and removing her shame in front of them all.

One of the things that can slip under the radar in this story is Jesus’ statement to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” It certainly surprises the other party guests! But why, if she’s already experienced that forgiveness, does he tell her that in front of everyone? 

Let’s start with the woman. She comes from the town where this meal takes place and she has a reputation of living a sinful life. Simon takes it a step further and, in his mind, calls her a “sinner.” She has just lived a sinful life, she is a sinner. He identifies her by her worst behavior. 

Simon also implies that she doesn’t belong among religious people because of who she is and what she’s done. 

Shame is a byproduct of sin. It’s also part of your reputation, part of your identity and how you’re viewed. It separates you from other people. It says there are places that you can and cannot go. 

Simon only saw this woman’s shame. She is a “sinner.” She doesn’t belong here. 

But then Jesus tells the parable of the two debtors and how the moneylender forgave both debts. And then he says to Simon, “Do you see this woman?” Don’t just look past her. Don’t just think of her as “the sinner.” Look at this woman right here.

Jesus compares Simon and the woman. He says, “I came into your house. You, Simon, did not give me water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but from the moment I entered, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not pour oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.” 

Jesus is saying, all of the things that you should have done to be a hospitable host and did not do, she has done. She has honored me by her response to me. 

Jesus, in creating this comparison, has honored the woman and shown that her response to him was the appropriate response. She did what was right.

Jesus goes on to say, “Therefore, her many sins are forgiven.” So Jesus does not gloss over the reality and extent of her sins. He knows full well who she is and what she has done. But it doesn’t matter because Jesus’ forgiveness is even more powerful than all of that. 

Then Jesus says to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” But he’s not just saying that for her to hear. The other guests also hear what Jesus says because they begin to say to one another, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 

It’s interesting how in this story, this woman is the only one who recognizes who Jesus really is. Simon might initially think Jesus is a prophet until he sees Jesus allow this sinful woman to touch him. The other guests also wrestle with Jesus’ identity based on his forgiveness of sins. 

But Jesus, in knowing Simon’s thoughts, shows himself to be greater than a prophet. And Jesus, forgiving the woman’s sins, shows himself to be God. 

And Jesus, in forgiving this woman’s sins publicly, removes her shame. Everyone in that place heard what he said. The sins that had characterized and identified her and hung on her like a weight for so long, Jesus has removed them. Jesus has restored her and given her honor in the presence of all of those people. 

You see, this was an honor shame culture, a kind of culture where your reputation is everything, where people have honor or shame based on who they’re associated with, what they’ve done in the past. And Jesus is saying, you are no longer defined by your past, but by your faith in me. It doesn’t matter what Simon or the other guests think of you. What matters is what your Savior thinks of you. So go in peace. 

Our key truth for today is that Jesus removes our shame. 

Unlike the culture of the Ancient Near East, American culture is not honor/shame based. We’re more guilt/innocence. We think about things in legal terms, while honor/shame is more relational terms. And yet, we’ve seen an uptick in public shamings, primarily on social media. When someone is “canceled,” that is a public shaming. That is saying you are defined by this mistake that you made, this sin that you did, this opinion that you have that we believe is wrong. And because of that, you should be excluded from certain places and groups. 

US culture is becoming more and more honor/shame driven. So we can relate to this woman who has been shamed for what she did. 

But in Jesus, you are not defined by the worst thing that you’ve done. If you have brought your shame to him, if you have asked him for forgiveness, then you are free of that shame. You are free to worship Jesus shamelessly because he’s taken that from you and he’s restored you to a place of honor. You are not canceled. You are God’s child. You are not irredeemable, lost forever. You are restored into a right relationship with the God who made you and loves you and sees you.