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 the 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 reported to him concerning all these things that Jesus had been 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 of 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 woman shows the characteristic sign of an awareness of her failings, her sins:  weeping.  St. Ambrose contrasts the Pharisee with this woman by saying, "The Law does not possess the mystery in which secret sins are cleansed," illustrating that "what is lacking in the Law is perfected in the Gospel."   My study bible says that the Pharisee is intrigued by Christ, as evidenced by his invitation, but he clearly does not believe in Him, as shown by his reaction to Christ's mercy.  There's also a great contrast between the woman and the Pharisee, as Christ notes:  the Pharisee's hospitality to Christ does not extend even to the common practices of the time.  Rather it is the sinful woman is is an icon of grace, which my study bible says is found only in the Church. 

And those who sat at the 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."  My study bible explains that the fact that a man could forgive sins was beyond the bounds of the Law as the Pharisees understood it.  But Christ is not a mere man, but rather the very Lawgiver Himself.  My study bible quotes Cyril of Alexandria:  "Who could declare things that were above the Law, except the One who ordained the Law?"

So much once again comes down to hospitality, if we understand its effect and importance.  How do you greet others, or one another?  Is it with grace?  Look at the contrast between the Pharisee and this "sinful" woman.  It is her gracious actions toward Christ that form a true icon of hospitality.  The currency that runs between the woman and Christ, which He notes Himself in speaking to the Pharisee, is love.  It is a love and forgiveness that go hand in hand.   What comes first?   In St. Ambrose's commentary on this passage, he cites St. Paul, who writes to the Corinthians:  "You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart" (2 Corinthians 3:2-3).  St. Ambrose notes that the true Judea is the house of the Law that is written not on stones but on the tablets of the heart.  As this woman has known grace, so she expresses it.  In the Sermon on the Plain, which we recently read, Jesus speaks extensively about mercy, and our share in it, and how we should share it with others.  He tells us to "be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful," and also adds, "Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."   (See this reading.)   What is offensive about this Pharisee is not merely his failure to understand forgiveness of sins, but his failure to show true grace under his own roof.  Ultimately, he fails in his hospitality to Christ -- both in failing to treat Christ with common courtesy, and also in ultimately judging Christ for allowing the woman to show Him the hospitality which the Pharisee failed to show.  All too often in modern life, we regret the lack of "good manners" in our society.  We forget that the concept of good manners actually comes from the important notion of hospitality as embodying grace.  This isn't an outdated social norm, but a concept of making others feel comfortable, and understood as our own attempt to share what is most fully expressed in God's grace.  Even our understanding of the sinful nature of racism or sexism or other forms of prejudice comes down to a connection to hospitality:  we must see one another as individuals created in the image of God.  How we tarnish that image or let it shine is what the truth of the heart really comes down to; the rest is window dressing.  This is the bedrock of Christ's love and His Gospel, and it is the foundation of the good social norms we desire.  Let us consider this scene in our reading.  Who was the more gracious?  Whose hospitality is key to our rootedness in God's love?  Where do we fall on this scale of discernment in the image and love of Christ?    Where does forgiveness come into it?   What about recognition of our own need for grace?  Let us not forget that Jesus tells her, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."