There is a very compelling story about Jesus at Luke 7:36-50. It is a story about Jesus being invited by a Pharisee named Simon to eat with him. A Pharisee, during this time, was a very religious person who claimed to be living something for God. Pharisees were well respected in their communities because they appeared to be pious and holy.

Jesus accepted the invitation and went to the Simon’s house and sat down to eat. While they were eating, a woman from the city, came into the house with an alabaster box full of ointment. The bible says she stood behind Jesus while weeping and began to wash His feet with her tears. She then dried His feet with her hair. Afterwards, she kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment from the alabaster box.

This woman was known in the community as a sinner because she was a known prostitute. When the Pharisee saw this, he though in his mind that Jesus was not a prophet because Jesus should have been able to determine that this woman was a sinner.

Jesus knowing what the Simon was thinking, told him a parable about a creditor who had two debtors who owed him money. One debtor owed 500, while the other debtor owed 50. The creditor forgave both of them of their debts. Jesus then asked Simon, which of the two were the most grateful and loved the creditor the most. Simon replied, “I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most.” Jesus told him, you “have rightly judged”.

Jesus was revealing to us that oftentimes, sinners who have been forgiven the most, because of the sins, are the ones who truly love Jesus the most. They are the ones who are not ashamed to give all glory to Him and they are the ones who understand fully the grace and mercy of God.

Then Jesus did something very interesting. He began to scold Simon about how he treated Him when He came into his house to eat. Unlike the woman sinner, Jesus told Simon, you did not give me water for my feet but she washed my feet with her tears and dried them with the hairs of her head. Jesus told Simon, “you did not give me a kiss but this woman kissed my feet.” Jesus went on to tell Simon, you did not anoint my head with oil but this woman anointed my feet with her precious ointment.

Jesus told Simon and He is telling us today, that to whom much is forgiven, they love much and to whom little is forgiven, they love little. But the real truth here is that Simon the Pharisee, was just as much a sinner as the woman who was a prostitute.

You see, Simon the Pharisee, is much like many “church folk today.” Simon was blind to his own sins because he was too focused on the sins of others. The sins of the woman were well known, while the sins of Simon were hidden. Church folk who go to church all the time are sometimes those who go to hide their real sins from others. In fact, many only attend churches where they know they can hide. Like the Pharisee, they put on the appearance of being something they are not. Simon, like some church people, was just as spiritually bankrupt as the woman.

The woman was in fact guilty of sins of commission, while Simon was guilty of sins of omission. But at least the woman was aware of her sins, while Simon, because of pride, arrogance and his respect in the community was blind to his own inward sins. But make no mistake about it, sin is sin, whether it is of the flesh or of the heart.

For some church folk, like Simon, it is easy for them to call others sinners and impossible for them to see themselves as sinners. Simon was blind to the woman and blind to himself. He only saw her past while Jesus only saw her future. Real believers of Jesus Christ see others as Jesus does and are honest about themselves!

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By Gilbert Owen

Contributing columnist

Gilbert Owens is a resident of Roseboro and columnist for The Sampson Independent.