Luke 7:36-50 | Community
Embracing Jesus' Vision of Community: Empty of Earning, Full of Love
When we think about community, what do we long for? Most of us desire a place where we don't have to earn our way in, where we don't have to check all the boxes or compete for acceptance. We want a community full of love rather than competition or self-centeredness.
This longing is hardwired into us because it's what God created us for. Yet despite our desire for authentic community, obstacles in our hearts often keep us from experiencing it. The consequences of this disconnect are felt everywhere, especially in urban centers like Boston, which ranks among America's loneliest cities.
The U.S. Surgeon General has even warned that loneliness and isolation in America have reached epidemic levels, with health consequences comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes daily. We live in a city and country that aches for community.
But what if the primary barrier to experiencing true community isn't our external circumstances but our heart posture? Jesus reveals this truth in a powerful dinner scene recorded in Luke 7:36-50.
The Scene: An Unexpected Dinner Guest
The passage begins with Jesus accepting a dinner invitation from Simon, a Pharisee. In Jesus' day, banquets were places where guests would enjoy eating, conversing, and debating—not unlike a family Thanksgiving meal. Everything seems normal until Luke writes, "And behold, a woman of the city who was a sinner..."
This woman, known simply as "a sinner" (likely involved in an immoral occupation like prostitution), enters the scene uninvited. She's the opposite of Simon in social standing—pushed to the margins of society because of her sin. Yet she becomes central to the story.
She brings an alabaster flask containing expensive ointment worth about ten months' wages. Standing behind Jesus at his feet, she begins weeping, wetting his feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, kissing his feet, and anointing them with the ointment.
Imagine the interruption this caused—an uninvited guest from the opposite end of the social spectrum approaching the table of a Pharisee and performing this intimate, humbling act of service. This was not a spontaneous action but revealed something profound happening in her heart.
Simon's Reaction: The Problem with Earning-Based Community
Simon's internal reaction reveals his perspective: "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner."
For Simon, this woman is an intruder who should be kept at a distance because of her sin. Her presence causes him to question Jesus: Why isn't Jesus reacting to this woman the way I would?
Simon's view reveals more about himself than about the woman or Jesus. As a Pharisee, he prides himself on being righteous and holy. His identity is based on the status he believes he's earned through his obedience to the law. The meal itself is a way for him to express and affirm his superior position.
Simon's vision of community centers around earning the right to belong. Those who haven't earned that right should be repelled rather than embraced. But Jesus is embracing this woman, not shunning her, revealing something revolutionary about Jesus' approach to community.
What Makes Jesus' Community Different?
Community with Jesus is not earned. It's not based on meeting certain standards or criteria. We don't earn or deserve an invitation, nor the right to stay. Rather, Jesus graciously invites those who don't deserve to be there.
This is refreshingly counterintuitive to how community typically works in our world. In most contexts, you belong if you've attained a certain socioeconomic level, vote for the right party, stand for the right social causes, know the right people, or went to the right school.
But community with Jesus is fundamentally different. It's not based on us but on Him. Not on our works but on His grace. As Tim Keller writes, "Unlike either traditional or secular culture, a Christian's identity is not achieved, but received."
This truth humbles us to not be like Simon while giving us confidence to approach the table and be in community with others, like the woman in the passage.
The Story Jesus Tells: A Tale of Two Debtors
Jesus, knowing Simon's thoughts, tells a story about two debtors who owed money to a lender. One owed 500 denarii (about a year and a half's wages), while the other owed 50 denarii (about one-tenth that amount). When neither could pay, the lender canceled both debts.
Jesus then asks Simon, "Which of them will love him more?" Simon correctly answers, "The one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt."
The answer is obvious: the one whose debt was more daunting, whose cancellation was more staggering, would love their forgiver more. But Jesus isn't content with Simon merely knowing this truth intellectually—He wants to connect it to the woman at His feet.
Why Did the Woman Show Such Extravagant Love?
Jesus turns toward the woman and says to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment."
Through Jesus' eyes, the "righteous" Pharisee needs to learn from the "sinful" woman. She understands what Simon doesn't—that she's a great sinner with a massive debt she cannot repay to God. She has carried the weight of her guilt, shame, and brokenness for years.
But she found Jesus, and Jesus not only saw her in her brokenness but forgave her completely. God doesn't forgive sinners halfway. Her weeping, washing, wiping, kissing, and anointing all declare, though she speaks no words: "I love you, Jesus. Thank you for forgiving me of all my sins."
She came to the banquet as an uninvited guest because of her great love for her Savior. Simon came to worship himself. In Jesus' eyes, she's no longer a sinful woman but a dignified daughter, an honored child, a beautiful trophy of His grace.
How Does This Change Our Understanding of Christian Community?
Jesus' community is empty of earning and consequently full of love. You can't have it any other way. The community Christ brings about overflows with love because He does. His abundant forgiveness is the explosive epicenter of the Christian faith.
Christians aren't people who are better than others but who embrace the fact that they are worse off than they could ever imagine—yet have a Savior who is more amazing than they could ever dare hope and who can transform anyone who comes to Him.
This is what leads to living the Christian life. As 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because he first loved us." Or as Paul put it in Colossians 3:13, "...forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."
The Christian life flows out of the forgiveness we've received, not for a forgiveness we haven't yet received. If we get that order reversed, we miss the message of the Christian faith altogether.
Who Is This Who Even Forgives Sins?
Jesus concludes by speaking directly to the woman: "Your sins are forgiven." The guests question, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" This question hangs in the air, and it's what Luke wants us to ponder.
Who is this who forgives sins? This is Jesus, the only one who perfectly earned His status and identity before God and others. Yet rather than filling Him with pride, this led Him to humble Himself to the point of death on a cross for sinners like us.
Though the woman was on her knees wiping His feet, Jesus would later get down on His knees to wash His disciples' feet. Though she wet His feet with tears, He would later wet the ground with drops of blood. Though she kissed His feet in worship, He would be kissed by Judas in betrayal.
Though she was forgiven of her sins at the banquet, Jesus would be numbered with sinners in His death. Though she broke an alabaster flask to pour ointment on His feet, His body would be broken and the cup of God's wrath poured on Him in judgment.
Jesus conquered death three days later so that if we turn from our self-reliance (unlike the Pharisee) and from our sins (like the woman), we can receive His abundant forgiveness. Our unpayable debt can be canceled, and we can enjoy deep, life-giving community with God and others—a community empty of earning and full of love.
Life Application
This week, consider where you might be more like Simon than the woman in the story. Are you trying to earn your place in God's community or in the communities around you? Are you judging others based on what they've done rather than seeing them through Jesus' eyes?
Ask yourself:
In what ways am I trying to earn God's approval rather than receiving His grace?
How might my understanding of my own forgiveness affect how I love others?
Is there someone I've been keeping at a distance who Jesus would welcome?
What would it look like for me to respond to Jesus with the same extravagant love as the woman in the story?
Remember Jesus' final words to the woman: "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." This week, live from the forgiveness you've received, not for a forgiveness you haven't yet received. Let Christ's abundant love overflow into abundant love for Him and for others.