Reading 1
1 Cor 15:1-11
I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the Gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once,
most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the Apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally,
he appeared to me.
For I am the least of the Apostles,
not fit to be called an Apostle,
because I persecuted the Church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and his grace to me has not been ineffective.
Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them;
not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they,
so we preach and so you believed.
Gospel
Lk 7:36-50
A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
"If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"Simon, I have something to say to you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.
"Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days' wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?"
Simon said in reply,
"The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven."
He said to him, "You have judged rightly."
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
"Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;
hence, she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."
He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
The others at table said to themselves,
"Who is this who even forgives sins?"
But he said to the woman,
"Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Meditation: Luke 7:36-50
“Her many sins have been forgiven.” (Luke 7:47)
The fact that Jesus forgave the woman who came to the Pharisee’s house is worth taking note of—not just because Jesus forgives sins but because this woman never asked for forgiveness! She never spoke a word: Instead, she cried at Jesus’ feet, kissed them, and anointed them with oil. But noting these actions, Jesus told the Pharisee that her sins were already forgiven (Luke 7:47). Before he said any words of pardon over her, her sins were wiped clean. Was she perhaps a special case?
Certainly, this woman showed a lot of guts. Never having seen Jesus before, she burst into a stranger’s home and knelt at Jesus’ feet. But Jesus wasn’t giving her special treatment. Rather, he was like the father in the story of the prodigal son. Seeing his son returning to him, that father ran to him “while he was still a long way off” (Luke 15:20) and welcomed him home. Knowing what was in the woman’s heart, Jesus forgave her before she had a chance to open her mouth. He didn’t need a speech!
When we go to confession, it’s a great comfort to know that Jesus treats us the same way. We should certainly make our best effort to state our sins clearly and honestly. But Jesus isn’t looking for eloquence; he wants sincerity. He knows that we’re sorry, even if we feel no emotion and stumble over our words. He never fails to extend his arms toward us even before we’ve finished our confession.
You may want to pray with this passage before your next confession. Think about how this woman encountered the Lord, as you’re about to do. Before she met him, she was burdened with sin and guilt. But she was a different person afterward. Jesus not only forgave her but filled her with the grace and strength she needed to live as his disciple. He wants to do no less for you. The blood he shed on the cross can indeed set you free from sin. The power of his resurrection can change your life!
“Lord, help me to be as transparent before you as this woman was. May I look into my heart with the eyes of your Spirit and bring to you all that needs cleansing and healing.”
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