The Two Debtors is the parable Jesus told in a Pharisee’s house when a woman wet His feet with her tears.
A certain moneylender had two debtors.
One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
When they could not pay,
he cancelled the debt of both.
Which of them will love him more?
Simon said,
The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.
Jesus said, You have judged rightly.
Her many sins are forgiven—for she loved much.
But he who is forgiven little, loves little.
Simon invited Jesus and then omitted the courtesies of a host: no water for His feet, no kiss, no oil. A woman of the city who was a sinner came with an alabaster flask, stood behind Him weeping, wet His feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them. Simon said in his heart, If this man were a prophet he would know what sort of woman this is. Jesus answered the thought with two bills. Neither debtor could pay. Both were cancelled. Love follows the size of the gift as the heart feels it. Simon judged the story rightly and still missed his place in it. He thought he was the fifty. He may have been the man who did not know he was broke. The woman was not saved by tears. She was forgiven, and the tears were the weather of that forgiveness.
- Your sins are forgiven.
- Your faith has saved you; go in peace.
The parable will not let a clean table treat mercy as a small courtesy. It also will not let the broken think they have out-sinned the canceling.
The lender wrote off what they could not pay.
That is the gospel in a Pharisee’s dining room.
- Both debts were unpayable. Fifty and five hundred meet at cannot pay.
- Cancelled is the verb. Not reduced. Not rescheduled.
- Love much is the fruit of forgiven much—not the price of it.
- Simon’s omitted basin and kiss were already a sermon about his estimate of Jesus.
- If this man were a prophet is how contempt talks while mercy is on the floor.
- Faith saved her. Peace sent her. The flask and the hair were not a ladder.
- He who is forgiven little loves little—or thinks he needs little.
- The House – A Pharisee’s table; missing courtesies.
- The Woman – Tears, hair, kisses, ointment; a sinner who came near.
- Five Hundred and Fifty – Two sums; one bankruptcy.
- Cancelled – The lender’s act toward both.
- Who Loves More – The question Simon answered and would not apply.
- Forgiven – Spoken over her in the hearing of the guests.
- Go in Peace – Faith’s verdict, not the room’s verdict.
- Luke 7:36-39 – “One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him… And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘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.’”
- Luke 7:40-43 – “And Jesus answering said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’… ‘A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered, ‘The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.’ And he said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’”
- Luke 7:44-50 – “Then turning toward the woman he said 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… You gave me no kiss… You did not anoint my head with oil… Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.’ And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’… And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’”
- Matthew 18:23-27 – The king forgave ten thousand talents; the unforgiving servant would not forgive a hundred denarii.
- Psalm 32:1 – Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
- Psalm 51:17 – A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
- Isaiah 1:18 – Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.
- Micah 7:18-19 – Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity… You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
- Luke 18:13-14 – God, be merciful to me, a sinner. This man went down to his house justified.
- Romans 5:20 – Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.
- Ephesians 1:7 – In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.
- Colossians 2:13-14 – He forgave us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt, nailing it to the cross.
- 1 John 4:19 – We love because He first loved us.
- Luke 15:21-24 – Father, I have sinned; this my son was dead and is alive.
- John 12:3 – Mary anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance.
- Mark 14:8-9 – She has done what she could; wherever the gospel is proclaimed, what she has done will be told.
One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both.
Which of them will love him more? The one for whom he cancelled the larger debt. You have judged rightly.
Do you see this woman? You gave Me no water. She has wet My feet with her tears.
Her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. He who is forgiven little, loves little.
Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.
We love because He first loved us. He cancelled the record. He nailed it to the cross.
Do not sit at the table and call her too close. Do not measure your debt as small in order to love small. Both could not pay. Both need the canceling. Love much.
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