AY – grace for debtors

In fact, seeing this, the Pharisee, his caller, said to himself, stating, “If this man was a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who touches him, in that she is a sinner.” And Jesus, responding, said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He in fact declared, “Teacher, say!” (Luke’s AD 60 research report re Jesus: Chapter 7: 39-50)

Luke identifies this “Pharisee” as “his caller”. The Pharisee had invited Jesus to dinner at his house. In that way he had *called” him. The Pharisee was in charge. But, embarrassingly, a “woman who was in the city and a sinner” had humbly and quietly come to Jesus, washed his feet with her tears, dried them with her hair and anointed them with perfume. The Pharisee knew a “sinner” when he saw one. He judged Jesus to be very unwise in allowing this “sort of woman” to “touch him”. “A sinner.” Guilt by association. “Two were debtors to a certain lender. The one was indebted for five hundred denarii; in fact, the other fifty. They not having anything to give back to him, he showed grace to both of them. Therefore, which of them will love him more?” Back in AD 29, one “denarii” was roughly one day’s pay for a labourer. Maybe £100 today at the Jersey Minimum Wage. Therefore, one owed £20,000 to the “certain lender” and the other £5,000. Big debts – but it seems that neither of the debts was necessarily written-off. All we know is that the “certain lender” “showed grace to both of them”. The suggestion is that both of the two would respond to that “grace” with genuine “love” towards the “certain lender”. Are there any “lenders” who show “grace” to all their “debtors”? I can think of one.
Simon, responding, said, “I reply this – the one whom he graced the most.”	.
“Simon,” “the Pharisee,” knows something about “grace” and something about human nature. But has he seen himself? In fact, he said to him, “You have judged correctly”, and, turning toward the woman, he declared to Simon, “You see this woman. I came into your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has drenched with her tears my feet and wiped them dry with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time of my coming in this one has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but this one anointed my feet with perfume.” There is quite a contrast between “the Pharisee” and “the sinner.” But, following through the meaning of the incident and the parallel of the “certain lender” and the “two debtors,” what “grace” had been shown to each of these “two debtors” by Jesus? From the parallel, it seems that both were shown “grace”. Jesus was close to both of them. The “woman … a sinner” loved Jesus greatly for his “grace.” Did she have the bigger debt? Was “Simon the Pharisee” also a “debtor”? How was he being “graced” by Jesus? “On account of this, I state to you: her sins, lots of them, are sent away - hence she loved lots. In fact, the one for whom a little is sent away loves little.” I wonder what “Simon” thought about this statement from his dinner guest. And what about the other guests? What were they thinking?
In fact, he said to her, “Your sins have been sent away.” And those seated together with him began to state among themselves, “Who is this, who also sends away sins?”	.
“Also”? Along with what else? And “sins … sent away”? To whom and to where? “Who is this, who also sends away sins?” In fact, he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go into peace!” I wonder if “Simon the Pharisee” also “went into peace”?

Sinner Syvret

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