A woman pours expensive oil on Jesus
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat a meal with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee's house and sat down to eat. 37 In that town was a woman who had done many wrong things. She heard that Jesus was eating a meal at the house of the Pharisee. So she took a small stone jar with oil in it, and she went there. The oil had a very nice smell. 38 She went into the house and she stood behind Jesus. She was crying and she made his feet wet with her tears. Then she made his feet dry again with her hair and she kissed them. She then poured the oil out of the jar onto his feet. 39 When the Pharisee saw this, he said to himself, ‘This man cannot be a prophet from God. If he were, he would know all about this woman. He would know that she is a very bad person. He would not let her touch him.’
40 Jesus said to him, ‘Simon, I want to tell you something.’ Simon replied, ‘Yes, Teacher, tell me.’ So Jesus told him a story about two men:
41 ‘Someone had lent two men some money. He had lent one of them 500 silver coins. He had lent the other one 50 coins. 42 Neither of the men had enough money to pay him back. Then the man that had lent them the money forgave them. “You do not need to pay back my money,” he said to them both.’
7:41A man would pay someone one silver coin if he worked for a day.
Jesus then asked Simon, ‘Which of these two men will love that man most?’ 43 Simon replied, ‘I think that it is the man that needed to pay back the most money.’
‘You are right,’ Jesus said. 44 Then he turned towards the woman. ‘You see this woman,’ he said to Simon. ‘When I came into your house, you did not give me water for my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and she has made them dry with her hair. 45 You did not say “Hello” to me with a kiss. But this woman began to kiss my feet when she came in. And she has not stopped. 46 You did not put oil on my head. But she has brought oil with a nice smell and put it on my feet. 47 So I tell you, this woman has done many bad things. But I have forgiven her. She loves me a lot, because I have forgiven her for many bad things. If I only forgive someone a little, that person only loves me a little.’
7:44When someone went into a house, a servant brought water. This was to wash his feet. The master of the house also kissed the visitor and he poured oil on his head. These were the right things to do to welcome a visitor.
48 Then Jesus said to the woman, ‘Woman, I forgive you for all the bad things that you have done.’
49 The other people at the meal talked among themselves. They said, ‘Who is this man? Can he really forgive the bad things that people have done?’
50 Jesus said to the woman, ‘You have believed in me, so God has saved you. You may go now, and be happy.’
