Tattoo!

“This woman did not look Christ in the face, but came behind him, and did the part of a maid-servant, whose office it was to wash the feet of the guests (1 Sa. 25:41) and to prepare the ointments. She has a deep humiliation for sin. She stood behind him weeping; her eyes had been the inlets and outlets of sin, and now she makes them fountains of tears. Her face is now foul with weeping, which perhaps used to be covered with paints. Her hair now made a towel of, which before had been plaited and adorned. We have reason to think that she had before sorrowed for sin; but, now that she had an opportunity of coming into the presence of Christ, the wound bled afresh and her sorrow was renewed.

She has a strong affection to the Lord Jesus. This was what our Lord Jesus took special notice of, that she loved much. She washed his feet, in token of her ready submission to the meanest office in which she might do him honor. She washed them with her tears, tears of joy; she ached to find herself so near her Savior, whom her soul loved. She kissed his feet, as one unworthy of the kisses of his mouth. It was a kiss of adoration as well as affection. She wiped them with her hair, as one entirely devoted to his honor. Her eyes shall yield water to wash them, and her hair was a towel to wipe them; and she anointed his feet with perfume, owning him hereby to be the Messiah, the Anointed. She anointed his feet in token of her consent to God’s design in anointing his head with the oil of gladness.

We can say that the woman acts the way she does because she is filled with adoration and gratitude for Jesus. At the same time, we can say that Simon reacts the way he does because he is not filled with adoration and gratitude for Jesus. Jesus explains their reactions by way of a little parable. A person who has been forgiven a debt of $500 will show more gratitude than a person who has been forgiven a debt of $50, won’t he? Even Simon the Pharisee has to agree to the truth of this saying. It only makes sense that the bigger the debt that is forgiven the bigger the gratitude that is shown.

Of course, Jesus is not really talking here about money, but about grace and salvation. Says Jesus, “This woman loves much because she has been forgiven much.” And the opposite is also true: Simon loves little because he has been forgiven little. Let’s make sure we understand this. Our English translation is not as clear as the Greek. Our Bibles say, “her many sins have been forgiven–for she loved much”. This makes it sound like the woman is saved because of her love. But this cannot be right for Jesus’ final words are “Your sins are forgiven … your faith has saved you.” He did not say “Your love has saved you.” Her love is not the reason why she is forgiven; her love is proof of her forgiveness, a fruit of forgiveness. Now we know the reason for the difference between the woman and Simon. The woman loves much because she has been forgiven much. Simon loves little because he has been forgiven little. When we think about it, we have to admit that Simon needs forgiveness as much as the woman.”

Here's the link to the sermon: http://www.trinitycrc.org/sermons/lk07v47.html