In brief
The sinful woman at Simon's house is a woman whose name Luke does not give. While Jesus is at table in the home of a Pharisee named Simon, she comes in with an alabaster jar of ointment. She weeps at his feet, wipes them with her hair, kisses them and anoints them. Simon judges her silently, but Jesus declares her many sins forgiven and sends her away in peace, saved by her faith. The story shows that great forgiveness gives birth to great love.
What does the name The Sinful Woman Who Anointed Jesus mean?
Luke does not give her name. He introduces her only as a woman in the city who was a sinner (Luke 7:37), so she is known by the place of the scene, the house of Simon the Pharisee. This story is generally distinguished from the anointing at Bethany, shortly before Passover (Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8).
The story of The Sinful Woman Who Anointed Jesus
A woman enters the Pharisee's house
Luke 7:36-38A Pharisee invites Jesus to eat, and Jesus sits at table in his house. A woman of the city who is a sinner learns that he is there. She brings an alabaster jar of ointment and stands behind him at his feet. She weeps, wets his feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, kisses them and anoints them with the ointment.
Simon's silent judgment
Luke 7:39-43The Pharisee says to himself that if Jesus were a prophet, he would know that this woman is a sinner. Jesus answers with a parable: a lender forgives two debtors, one who owed five hundred denarii and the other fifty. Which of them will love him most? Simon answers that it is the one forgiven the most, and Jesus tells him he has judged correctly.
“Do you see this woman?”
Luke 7:44-47Jesus turns to the woman and speaks to Simon. The Pharisee gave him no water for his feet, no kiss and no oil for his head. She, by contrast, has wet his feet with her tears, has not ceased to kiss them and has anointed them with ointment. Jesus concludes: “her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
“Your faith has saved you”
Luke 7:48-50Jesus tells the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” The guests begin to ask themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus does not stop at their murmuring. He speaks one last word to the woman: “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” She leaves forgiven, with the peace that Jesus gives her.
Test your knowledge
What The Sinful Woman Who Anointed Jesus teaches us
- No one is too far away to come to the feet of Jesus: he welcomes the woman whom others condemn.
- Whoever measures the greatness of their pardon loves the Lord with a greater love.
- Silently judging others can make us blind to our own need of grace.
- Salvation is received by faith in Jesus, who alone has the authority to forgive sins.
- Sincere worship does not fear the eyes of others: it gives Jesus the best it has.
Key verses
Jesus links forgiveness and love. The parable of the two debtors shows that the woman's love answers the grace she received, while Simon, who thinks he has little to be forgiven, loves little.
The last word of Jesus names what saved this woman: her faith. She does not leave merely comforted, but saved and sent away in peace.
The guests' question is at the heart of the story. By forgiving sins, Jesus does what God alone can do, and everyone must decide who he is.
Bible verses to meditate on
Sermons about The Sinful Woman Who Anointed Jesus
Frequently asked questions
Is the sinful woman at Simon's house Mary Magdalene?
The Bible does not say so. Luke does not name the woman of Luke 7. A few verses later, he introduces Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out (Luke 8:2), without linking her to the scene at Simon's house. Nothing in the text allows us to identify the two.
Was she forgiven because she loved much?
The parable of the two debtors sheds light on the answer: the one who was forgiven the larger debt loves the most (Luke 7:41-43). The woman's love shows the forgiveness she has received. Jesus also states at the end what saved her: “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace” (Luke 7:50).
Where is the story of the sinful woman at Simon's house in the Bible?
The story is found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 7, verses 36 to 50. It follows the praise of John the Baptist by Jesus and comes before the passage where Luke presents the women who traveled with Jesus and served him from their possessions (Luke 8:1-3).