Much Love Pete Kersker - Jun 20, 2025 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is--that she is a sinner" (Luke 7:36-39 NIV). Jesus told parables (stories) with a hidden meaning which Jesus explained to his disciples (students). Sometimes Jesus made the meaning of the parable (story) clear to the whole crowd who heard it. In this event, for example, Jesus is a guest a Pharisee's house when a sinful woman interrupted their dinner. The host was indignant, so Jesus used a parable to teach him about love. Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. "Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said (Luke 7:40-43 NIV). The dinner host was a Pharisee, so he knew what was right and wrong, good and bad. He had spent the better part of his life learning the Scriptures, applying them to his own life, and teaching others to do the same. It would have been easy for this teacher of the Law to compare his own life to the lives of others. There was no doubt that she was a "worse" sinner than him. That was obvious. What he seemed to forget, however, is that they both needed to be forgiven by the LORD. They were both in the same boat, so to speak. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little" (Luke 7:44-47 NIV). Jesus never taught people to keep living a life in rebellion against God. He always taught them to repent, stop doing those things, and walk with the LORD in holiness, righteousness, and peace. He also taught them that the LORD wants to welcome them back if they will simply "come back home." Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven" (Luke 7:48 NIV). Some people can picture God forgiving them, since they hadn't done "too much" wrong. Others, though, can't imagine God wanting them back at all, because of everything they have done. The woman was very sad because she knew how much wrong she had done. This is why she was so glad to be forgiven. More than the Pharisee and his guests, she understood the love of God. The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace" (Luke 7:49-50 NIV). Would you consider yourself someone who is "forgiven little" or "forgiven much"? How would you describe the love of God?