When Grace Confronts Us All (Lk. 7:36-50)
Hear
Paige Lohman is a digital content creator and founder of Girl Redeemed. She shares her amazing story of God’s redeeming love for her during a dark and disparate time in her life.
Paige grew up going to church and she even attended a Christian high school. As she watched her mom battle cancer for many years, she began to question God. After several failed attempts of bargaining with Him to heal her mother she decided that God wasn’t for her. Through various other friendships, Paige found herself on hard drugs, working in strip clubs, and eventually prostitution.
One night while she was high in the bathtub of a cheap motel, the thought hit her, this is how you’re going to die, alone, high, and drowning in a bathtub. Paige says,
That night, I had a spiritual awakening. My soul woke up before my body.
About a week after that night, because God hadn’t given up on Paige, she made a discovery that would change the rest of her life.
A week later, I dragged myself back to the strip club. I went into the locker room, lit up my foil, and took a few puffs. Suddenly, laughter filled the room—not fake, empty laughter but sounds of real joy. It sliced through the darkness like a beam of light in a cave. I peeked around the corner and saw a few older women walking in with bright smiles and plates of warm food.
They sat with the dancers, talking with them like friends. I realized they’d been there before, but I’d never noticed them. They were talking about Jesus. And it wasn’t the judgmental “turn or burn” Christianity I’d heard shouted through megaphones on the Vegas strip. These women came to tell us that we were loved—that God had a plan, even for girls like me. Something shifted. For the first time in years, I felt seen. I felt valued. I felt hope. Those women didn’t wait for me to find my way into a church. They brought church to me. That night, I wrote on one of their prayer cards, “God, help me.”[1]
Today we are going to hear a similar story. A Pharisee invites Jesus to a dinner party. A woman with a sorted past makes her way in and steals the show. The whole mood changes. Laughter and cheer quickly turns to disgust.
Something that we will discover in this story from Luke is the same thing that the apostle Paul and King Solomon confessed to,
Romans 3:10 NKJV
10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
Ecclesiastes 7:20 NKJV
20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.
But, as Jesus Himself admits in the Gospel of John,
John 3:17–18 NKJV
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Host, Guest, and Intruder (Luke 7:36-39)
Luke 7:36–39 NKJV
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat.
37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,
38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
Now, all of this happens on the heels of Luke’s earlier confession about how the tax collectors justified God, but the Pharisees and lawyers rejected God by how they each responded to John’s call for repentance and baptism (Matt. 3:7-12; Lk. 3:7-20; 7:29-30).
Not only that, but Jesus has just referred to these men as a bunch of spoiled little brats who are never satisfied (Lk. 7:31-35).
Well now, we find in Luke 7:36 that a Pharisee has invited Jesus to dinner.Maybe this Pharisee, who once rejected the will of God for himself, has had a change of heart.
Another person was also present at the party: a woman, and not just any woman, but a sinful one who was familiar to the crowd. She has a reputation that precedes her. She doesn’t make a scene, but she is certainly going to steal the show. Quietly, she places herself behind Jesus at His feet.
In scripture, the feet of God is a place of humility, submission, and teachability.
This woman is overcome with emotions. Maybe she’s grateful for the grace Jesus showed her once before. Maybe she’s sorrowful because of her sin. Maybe she’s broken because of the circumstances of her life. Whatever the reason, she is moved to tears. She doesn’t speak. She just sobs. All of a sudden she notices that her tears are falling onto the feet of the Messiah. Who knows why, but instead of using a corner of her dress, she lets down her hair and wipes away the tears from the feet of Jesus.
What a picture of God’s redeeming love for us this is (Is. 25:8; Rev. 7:17).
What this poor, sinful woman doesn’t understand yet is that a day is coming when this same Jesus,
Revelation 21:4 NKJV
4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
This poor sinful woman isn’t aware of anyone else in the room. She couldn’t care less about the crowd. In her heart and mind there are only two people present, her a sinner and Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
The prophet Hosea says,
Hosea 14:2 NKJV
2 Take words with you, And return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.
The Author of Hebrews says that we are to
Hebrews 13:15 NKJV
15 ...continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
And so, that’s exactly what this woman does. On bended knee she begins to kiss the feet of Jesus. Everyone is staring at her, especially the Pharisee who is hosting the dinner. Jesus though, seems to be unphased by her actions. He doesn’t tell her to stop. He receives all that she is offering as she pours out her gift in the only way she knows how. Her tears don’t seem to suffice, so in a moment of spontaneity, she breaks open the alabaster flask of perfume that she has with her and pours it all over the feet of Jesus. This is probably the most expensive thing that she owns (Mt 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9; Jn 12:1–8) and could’ve cost upwards of 300 denarii; almost a full year’s wage (Mark 14:5).
This woman has stolen the spotlight. All eyes are on her. What an embarrassment! She is making a fool out of herself, but no one dares to say anything.
Dr. Diane Chen, NT scholar and native of Hong Kong, China gives us a cultural context for what we find here.
If this entire scene were played out at a Chinese dinner gathering, nobody would openly criticize the guest of honor so as to save face for the host, but the looks of condemnation would speak volumes.[2]
The Pharisee knows who this woman is, she’s a sinner! And he also knows who Jesus is, at least he thinks he does. The Pharisee thinks to himself, “I thought he was a prophet.”
What would’ve given the Pharisee the impression that Jesus is a prophet?
Has Simon believed the word of the crowd in Nain?
Luke 7:16 NKJV
16 Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.”
David Garland suggests that Simon’s invitation for Jesus to dine with him, hinges upon the presumption that Simon may be interested in judging Jesus’ prophetic office for himself.[3] This misunderstanding of Jesus as a mere prophet is repeated throughout the New Testament. But He can’t be a prophet because He doesn’t even know who the woman is. I mean, if He really knew then He would keep His distance. A prophet wouldn’t dare come in contact with such filth.
And isn’t that the issue?
Jesus is not just another prophet and because of that, He has compassion for those who are far off. This woman’s sin, whatever it was, did not define her and it did not hinder God from entering into her pain.
What sinner moves you to compassion?
Whose sin touches you today?
Our response to the sin around us should be modeled after the Good Shepherd, who has such affection for His sheep that He gives His life for them. The Bible tells us that love covers a multitude of sin (1 Pt. 4:8). If we really want to wage an assault against the sin in our world, we must confront it with the genuine love of Christ not with judgment and smug self-righteousness.
This was certainly the case with Simon the Pharisee, the sinful woman, and Jesus.
Now, let’s look at how Jesus responds to this situation.
Two Debtors (Luke 7:40-47)
Luke 7:40–43 NKJV
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.”
41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.”
Notice here, the story that Jesus tells, doesn’t clear the woman of any wrongdoing, nor does it validate Simon’s assessment of her. Instead, it does two powerful things simultaneously.
First, to the Pharisee who has exalted himself over the woman, Jesus brings him down to where she is. Second, to the woman who has humbled herself, Jesus exalts her to a place she never imagined she’d ever be.
Proverbs 29:23 NKJV
23 A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.
Jesus tells Simon that there were two debtors and neither one of them could pay what was owed. Jesus’ point is that the sinful woman is a debtor and so is the self-righteous Pharisee.
The same is true for you and me. Our sins might not be the same, but we each have a debt that we are incapable of paying.
Romans 6:23 NKJV
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Don’t fool yourself into believing that you’re a good person.
Not one of us is righteous apart from Jesus Christ.
Not one of us seeks after God without the grace of God at work in us to draw us to Jesus.
All of your good deeds, all of your righteous acts are filthy rags in the presence of a holy and perfect God. Simon must’ve forgotten that part of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isa. 64:6).
Jesus continues by telling the Pharisee that the creditor, the one to whom the money was owed, did a remarkable thing, he completely forgave the debtors. Both of them. Neither one of them could pay what they owed and instead of demanding payment from them, the creditor forgives them. He doesn’t give them more time to get what they owe. He doesn’t put them on a payment plan either. Why not? For the same reason that you and I do not have to make up for the sins of our own lives.
Grace does not require it. It is God’s gift to us.
Listen to what the apostle Paul says,
Ephesians 2:8–9 NKJV
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Galatians 2:16 NKJV
16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
It is God’s work at work in us to release us from the debt we owed and even to release us from the guilt of having owed Him.
The creditor totally forgives both debtors.
Jesus follows this up by asking Simon a very interesting question. “Who will love the creditor more?”
David Garland says,
It is love that acknowledges indebtedness and forgiveness and that publicly showers the one loved with devotion.[4]
Who will love him more?
Simon replies, “Well, I guess the one who was forgiven the most.” Then Jesus says, “You got it!”
Do you realize how great a gift you have been given by God? To have your sins nailed to the cross of Christ and thrown into the sea of forgetfulness? And then to be adopted into the family of God as his child. How can you show your love for a God Who would do that?
Still speaking to the Pharisee, Jesus faces the woman and asks Simon if he can see the woman. Well, yes and no. Of course he could see her standing there, but all he really saw was her sin. Her sin was visible. The entire city knew what her sin was.
Luke 7:44–47 NKJV
44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.
45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.
46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.
47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
Warren Wiersbe points out that
“Simon’s real problem was blindness: he could not see himself, the woman or the Lord Jesus. It was easy for him to say, ‘She is a sinner!’ but impossible for him to say, ‘I am a sinner!’”[5]
I wish I could’ve been in the room when Jesus spoke those words to Simon. The Pharisee is the one who invited Jesus into his home and as host he was responsible for showing basic hospitality. The Pharisee wouldn’t do the bare minimum for Jesus as an honored guest, but the sinful woman did more than was required. They actually traded places at that moment. Simon became the intrusive visitor and the woman became the host. Simon became the sinner, and the woman, because of the grace of God, became the righteous one.
“Everything that Simon neglected to do, the woman did - and she did it better!”[6]
2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
This woman knew what everybody else seemed to know, that she was a sinner. But she also knew what Yahweh promised in Isaiah’s prophecy.
Isaiah 1:18 NKJV
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
She knew that her sin was public, but she also knew what David confessed when his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah was discovered,
Psalm 51:7 NKJV
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
As she remembered her sin, she also remembered what the prophet Micah said,
Micah 7:18–19 NKJV
18 Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.
19 He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.
The more she was reminded of how sinful she had been, the more she remembered the grace and love of the Lamb Who takes away the sins of the world.
What about you this morning?
Can you recall the compassion of God? Do you have a file of God’s faithful love that you can go to and find comfort when Satan attacks you with your past? Where do you draw out memories of God’s grace when your own thoughts betray you?
Romans 8:1 NKJV
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Listen to me. If you’re here today and you are not saved, you need to understand something. How much you have sinned, is of no consequence. How aware you are of your sin and the love and grace that covers it is what matters.
The amount of your sin is not nearly as important as your awareness that you are a sinner and Jesus is a Savior.
Forgiven (Luke 7:48-50)
Luke 7:48–50 NKJV
48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Let’s set the record straight before moving on, Jesus doesn’t forgive her because she loved Him. She loves Him because she has been forgiven. Please understand that. There was nothing that she could’ve done to gain the forgiveness she received. There is nothing that you or I can do for God to love us either. We are saved by grace, through faith (Eph. 2:8).
It’s encouraging that Luke’s gospel doesn’t mention the woman’s name or what her occupation was that branded her a sinner. Several people have referred to this woman as a prostitute, but you will not find that label for her anywhere in Scripture. I think this is left out to make the point that it doesn’t matter what you have done there is grace for you too.
Ephesians 2:4–5 NKJV
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Respond
Let me say this as we wrap up.
This story is about two debtors. One owed 10x what the other one owed, but neither could pay off the debt. It was easy to call the woman out for her sin because it was so obvious. The Pharisee thought his sin was well hidden.
Some of you here are the Pharisee in this story. For all appearances, you look righteous and holy on the outside, but in the deep crevices of your spirit, in dark places where no one can see but God, lies and evil that has enslaved you.
You might be the self-righteous Pharisee. The one who identifies people by their sins. You might be the one who is so overly concerned with being contaminated by worldly people that you refuse to be touched by their need for grace and mercy. You too are a sinner, my friend. Do not reject God’s will for your life today. Repent. Turn back now and let the Lord make you new.
Or, you might be the one who has been held captive by choices that have left you on the outskirts of God’s redeeming love. You need to know, just like Paige learned in the strip club one night, the Father has not waited for you to come to Him, He sent Someone to you, and His Name is Jesus.
Pastor and teacher, Thabiti Anyabwile says that,
To be a big sinner is not the worst thing; to not ask forgiveness through faith in Jesus is. You can recover from a very sinful past—the church is full of people who have…[7]
Come, let the love of God free you from the sin that separates you from Him.
Tré Clark
Britton Christian Church
5/21/2026
References
[1] https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/05/testimony-paige-lohman-sold-my-body-couldnt-quit-heroin-god-pursued-me/
[2] The New Testament in Color, p143
[3] David Garland, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Luke, p326
[4] David Garland, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Luke, p327
[5] The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete New Testament in One Volume, p160
[6] The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete New Testament in One Volume, p160
[7] Thabiti Anyabwile, Exalting Jesus in Luke, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2018), 139
