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

 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him.  And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.  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, 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.  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."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  So he said, "Teacher, say it."  "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"  Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."  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.  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  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."   Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  And those who sat at table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."

- Luke 7:36-50

Yesterday, we read that the disciples of John the Baptist reported to him concerning all the things that Jesus was doing.  And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'"  And that very hour He cured many infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits, and to many blind He gave sight.  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard:  that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  This is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'  For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."   And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.   And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:  'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not weep.' For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by all her children."

  Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him.  And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.  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, 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.  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."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  So he said, "Teacher, say it."  "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"  Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."  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.  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  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."   Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."   This passage has many interesting commentaries by Church Fathers.  It is clear that the sinful woman has a great love for Christ.   This story reminds us of another banquet, this one in the house of a tax collector rather than a Pharisee.  There, Jesus taught, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  But something new is entered into this particular banquet, and that something new is love.  With forgiveness comes great love.  The woman, in contrast to Simon the Pharisee, shows Christ great love.  Ambrose of Milan comments that this woman shows great love and in so doing, represents the Church.  He writes, "The Church has innumerable flowers of different fragrance," which form the oil of anointing of Christ's feet, love and blessing for Him.  Clement of Alexandria suggests that Christ's feet symbolize the apostles, the sweet odor prefiguring the anointment by the Holy Spirit.   She loves and receives His love, but the Pharisee is intrigued by Christ the man.  He doesn't show Christ the same love she does, nor even common hospitality.  My study bible says that the encounter with this sinful woman is an icon of the grace found in the Church.  Through her, and her evident love, the Church is shown to be greater than the Law, according to St. Ambrose, because the Law doesn't know the forgiveness of sins nor "the mystery in which secret sins are cleansed; therefore, what is lacking in the Law is perfected in the Gospel."

And those who sat at table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."  To forgive sins was beyond the bounds of the Law as understood by the Pharisees (see also 5:21).  Christ, however, isn't a mere human being but also the very Lawgiver Himself.  Cyril of Alexandria writes, "Who could declare the thins that were above the Law, except the One who ordained the Law?"

In the past two readings, we see a Jesus who vigorously defends those who are criticized or 'put down' by the powers that be, by the established in the society.  He defended John the Baptist in yesterday's reading, although John is by now in prison (and will die as a prisoner of Herod).  He scathingly replies to the crowd in yesterday's reading, asking them what they expected of a prophet like John, and telling them he was a prophet and the greatest of all prophets.   But, he added, the lowest in the Kingdom is greater than this.  In today's reading, we see this woman, an apparently notorious sinner, symbol of those who enter the Kingdom.  His defense of her is also open and complete, even contrasting her graciousness with Simon's.  But key to all of this is love.  She responds to Christ with profound love.  This is not a story only of Christ's love, but it is an understanding of love between creature and Creator, or Physician and the one who needs healing, of sinner and the One who forgives sin.  It's a depth of encounter and relationship that goes far beyond any requirement of the Law, or a definition of practice, or prescription for social order.  Love can't really be contained.  But it is the currency of the Kingdom, it is the one thing we can truly share with our Creator, it is true communion.  St. Ambrose writes of her as image of the Church, "She fittingly assumes the likeness of a prostitute, because Christ also took upon himself the form of a sinner."  In the depth of love we find a communion and understanding that touches the heart, for which measurement and rule and Law can't make a complete equivalent.  Grace works in the secret depths of understanding, that mystery that St. Ambrose writes about, as cited above.  Jesus knows this, and teaches us that love is the great key of communion and communication; it's the myrrh of forgiveness.   The woman's wordless entry, her great humility and show of love, all take place without negotiation but in the fullness of an understanding of the depth of the heart.  There is so much more to forgiveness of sin than crossing off an error; there is healing, there is the taking away of suffering by the One who has suffered with us.  That remains a mystery.  Going to Him in our own secret prayer with the hurts our lives we will find the same, and also the courage to face our own sins, imperfections, and ignorance with His grace.  But everything starts with love and ends with love, is fulfilled with love.