Luke 7:44-46

Luke 7:44-46

[44] And  he turned  to  the woman,  and said  unto Simon,  Seest thou  woman?  I entered  into  house,  thou gavest me  no  water  for  feet:  but  she  hath washed  feet  with tears,  and  wiped  them with the hairs  of her  [45] Thou gavest  no  kiss:  but  this woman  since  the time  I came in  not  ceased  to kiss  feet.  [46] head  with oil  not  anoint:  but  this woman  hath anointed  feet  with ointment. 

What does Luke 7:44-46 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Jesus probably surprised Simon by making the woman the focus of his parable and by contrasting her with Simon. Moreover Jesus made her the heroine and Simon the villain, the opposite of how Simon thought. The woman was guilty of sins of commission, but Simon was guilty of sins of omission. All the things Simon had failed to do for Jesus were courtesies that hosts frequently extended their guests. However Simon had not acted discourteously. He had just not performed any special acts of hospitality on Jesus. [1] The scented oil in view would have been olive oil that was plentiful and inexpensive. The woman, however, had gone far beyond courtesy and had made unusual sacrifices for Jesus out of love. Simon appears in the incident as the greater sinner of the two.