The passage
      v36-38. The scene is very typical of a Sabbath meal following a morning synagogue service. The visiting speaker, in this case Jesus, is invited to lunch at the home of one of the key religious members of the community. The meal would be served on the patio (verandah) with uninvited village locals gathering beside the patio to hear anything the important guest had to say. The poor and outcast could also be present to eat anything that remained. The woman is described as an "evil liver" ("sinner") or wife of an "evil liver", possibly a prostitute. While Jesus reclined at the table she wiped his feet with her tears and hair and anointed his feet with perfume. Tradition has it she was Mary Magdalene, but there is no evidence to support this view.
      v39. Simon, the Pharisee, concludes that Jesus can't be a prophet because he has inadvertently allowed this unclean woman to touch him. Of course, what follows shows that Jesus does know who she is and is therefore, a prophet.
      v40-43. Jesus then relates a teaching parable to Simon. This woman is no longer the person Simon once knew. She has been forgiven much and therefore loves much. We are not told how she came to understand the offer of forgiveness in Christ. All we can say is that she has obviously heard the gospel, responded to it, and now she is overflowing with gratitude.
      v44-46. Jesus compares the devotion of the woman to that of the churchman. Simon didn't wash Jesus' feet on entering his home; such was actually an insult. He did not greet Jesus with the kiss of peace; another insult. He didn't touch Jesus' hair with olive oil to tidy him up for the meal; again, another insult. The woman did all these things, but with Jesus' feet. Such love!
      v47. The NIV translation implies that love is the ground of forgiveness - because of her great love she was forgiven. This is contrary to the teaching of the New Testament - a salvation by works approach. The NEB is better: "Her great love proves that her many sins have been forgiven." Look, says Jesus, she's a different person, a person washed with the mercy of God.
      v48. Jesus confirms her present state in the words "your sins are forgiven", and in doing so, declares to all present, his authority to forgive sins. Jesus' words are a statement of assurance to the woman, but they are also intended for the wider audience.
      v49. The official guests are startled by the statement, but their reaction is not presented in a negative light. "Who indeed is this who takes upon himself the authority to forgive sins?"
      v50. Jesus goes on to underline the basis of her forgiveness. "Your faith has saved you." She accepted God's offer of forgiveness in Christ (she believed in / had faith in / relied on, the offer) and thus was forgiven and saved.

The grace of God in Christ
      The two great Christian doctrines of justification and sanctification are encapsulated in this story. It is from such stories that Paul the apostle developed his theology. Paul was the exegete of Jesus, that is, he expounded Jesus' teachings, he developed or systematized the theology of Jesus.
      The woman in our story was justified; it was just as if she had never sinned. She was certainly a sinner, but she put her trust in the gracious offer of forgiveness provided in the person of Jesus. She believed in Jesus for the forgiveness of her sins and for her ultimate salvation. She was justified by grace through faith.
      My son Paul, who died of a brain tumor when he was only 25 years old, was a typical larrikin. He drifted away from the church when he was 14, but all the stories about Jesus were still part of his psyche. If he were to have lived to old age he might have just continued to drift until hardened by life. Yet, in his last year he had to face the inevitability of an early death. Like that prostitute long ago he was able to rest on the free gift of God's forgiveness and eternal acceptance. Such grace!
      We also see in the woman's affection toward Jesus something of the operation of sanctification. Sanctification is a state of holiness, which, in the renewing power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ, we seek to realize in our daily life, albeit, always imperfectly. She loved much because she was forgiven much. She was no longer the same woman, and this because of the grace of God active in her life, a grace which she appropriated through faith. She was being renewed by the indwelling Christ and so she just flowed with his love.

v37
      kai idou gunh "when a woman" - and behold a woman. Subject of the verbal phrases and clauses that make up v37, 38. "There was a woman"
      hJtiV hn en th/ polei aJmartwloV "who had lived a sinful life in that town" - who was in the city a sinner. A relative clause to "a woman." The sense is "who was a well known prostitute." "In the city" = she was a local resident. "A sinner" = an evil living woman. It is often argued that she was Mary Magdalene, even possibly one in the same with, Mary of Bethany. Yet, just because each gospel has an anointing story doesn't mean it was the same person doing the anointing on each occasion. Note the profound differences between Luke's story and the anointing recorded by John. As Origin, many years ago noted, Jesus was probably anointed by different women on a number of different occasions.
      epignousa (epiginwskw) part. "learned" - having known. Participle clause meaning: having found out, discovered.
      oJti katakeitai "that Jesus was eating" - that he reclines [at table]. "She had discovered that Jesus was having a meal at the Pharisees home."
      komisasa (komizw) part. "she brought [an alabaster jar of perfume]" - having brought [an alabaster of ointment]. Another participle clause. Either a scented rubbing oil, anointing oil, or a more concentrated oil for embalming. Alabaster was used for expensive scents as it was believed that it preserved the perfume.

v38
      opisw para "behind [him] at" - back beside. "As Jesus was reclining, she stood behind him, adjacent to his feet." It appears that the meal was on the verandah of the home, probably facing the inside courtyard. It was not unusual for members of the local community to be invited to gather in the courtyard of a prominent citizen while he was entertaining a public identity. The crowd would be gathered, listining to the conversation. So it would be reasonably easy for the woman to step forward and tend Jesus' feet, although convention would have demanded that "a sinner" not be present.
      klaiousa toiV dakrusin "weeping" - crying with tears. "While she wept." The crucial question here is what has prompted her outburst. Commentators divide: either she is expressing repentance in seeking forgiveness, or gratitude for her forgiveness. The second view is best, although both imply a previous hearing of the gospel.
      brecein (brecw) inf. "to wet [his feet]" - to rain, drench, spray.... Her tears wet his feet.
      hleifen (aleifw) imperf. "poured [perfume] on [them]" - was anointing [with the ointment]. "And massaged his feet with the scented oil." Anointing is done on the forehead, not the feet, which implies humility on the woman's part. Also, it is doubtful whether this is an embalming image. So what we have here is a forgiven sinner lovingly cleaning Jesus' feet with her own tears and hair and massaging them with an expensive rubbing oil. It is an act of affectionate gratitude.

v39
      ei "if" - This conjunction introduces a conditional sentence that is contrary to fact. The form is usually ei with the indicative (here an imperfect verb to be) in the protasis with an in the apodosis with an imperfect (as here), or an aorist. As far as the Pharisee is concerned, Jesus is anything but a prophet (although the reader knows he is), since, if Jesus were a prophet he would know who this woman was and never let her touch him. He would act toward her just as this godly Pharisee would act toward her.

v40
      apokriqeiV oJ IhsouV eipen proV auton "Jesus answered him" - having answered Jesus said to him. "Jesus spoke up and said."
      didaskale (oV) "teacher" - Probably equivalent to rabbi.

v41
      creofeiletai (hV) "[two] men owed money" - debtors. Note that Luke uses the nominative case, as distinct from the dative, which is used where a comparison is being drawn, "it is like ......"
      dhnaria (on) "denarii" - The wage of a labourer was one denarius, although the point here has to do with the disparity in the debts, not the size of the debts.

v42
      ecarisato (carizomai) aor. "he cancelled the debts of" - forgave. This is probably the only colorful word in the parable, but in the context it means little more than the remission of a debt. The bland nature of the parable serves to draw out the point Jesus wishes to make, namely that there was a great disparity in the debts and that both were cancelled.
      amfateroiV (a) adj. "both" - the totality of. "He cancelled the debt they owed him."
      tiV oun autwn pleion agaphsei auton "now which of them will love him more?" - which therefore of them more will love him. The sentence draws a comparison. "Of these two men, which will love him more?" This is surely the punch line, rather than a secondary comment on the part of Jesus. The parable is not about the kind mercy of God, ie. that God can forgive big and small sins alike. The point of the parable is that the person who is forgiven much will love much. In the context, the love Jesus is speaking of is gratitude, a gratitude, which in the life of the prostitute, finds outward expression in grateful affection. Note that there is no actual word for "gratitude" in Aramaic.

v43
      Jesus carries the debate to the churchman by what is known as "Socratic interrogation" - a question leading to counter questions, followed by applied teaching.
      uJpolambanw "I suppose" - I suppose, imagine, regard something as presumably true, but without particular certainty*. Simon is cautious, either because he isn't quite sure that the obvious conclusion is true, or because he isn't sure where Jesus is taking him in the discussion.
      wJ/ to pleion ecarisato "the one who had the bigger debt canceled" - to whom the more he forgave. "The one whose debt was the greater." Jesus confirms Simon's answer.

v44
      kai - Linking the parable to what follows
      blepeiV (blepw) "do you see" - The question indicates that the parable applies to the woman and Simon." You see this woman here, don't you."
      eishlqon (eisercomai) aor. ind. "I came [into your house]" - I entered [into your house]. "I came as a guest into your home and accepted your hospitality."
      ouk edwkaV (didwmi) aor. ind. "you did not give me [any water for my feet]" - [water for me on feet] you did not give. Following proper custom, Simon should have provided water for Jesus to wash his feet before inviting him into the house. Often, servants would provide a bowl of water and towel and assist. Simon's failure to do this is actually an insult to Jesus. It indicates what he thinks of Jesus.
      Verses 44 to 46 seem like a diversion. What has Simon's lack of hospitality got to do with the woman's affectionate gratitude? Simon represents those who have not been forgiven much (there can be no forgiveness without repentance!), and therefore do not love much. The woman has been given much; she is forgiven, and so loves much. Simon, the one who judges, is condemned. The woman is saved.

v45
      Simon's lack of hospitality is again identified. He did not give Jesus the greeting of peace.
      af hJV "from the time [I entered] - from which. "From the moment I entered / since I entered." The trouble is that the woman has entered after Jesus. Probably Jesus is emphasizing her hospitality in comparison with the lack of hospitality offered by Simon.

v46
      elaiw/ (on) "oil" - olive oil. Again, anointing is an act of courtesy toward a guest. As with the other "courtesies", it was not expected of a host, but again Simon's failure to do it exposed his attitude toward Jesus.

v47
      ouJ carin legw soi "therefore, I tell you," - which, because of / on account of, I say to you. The neuter relative pronoun "which" has an external referent, namely, the principle formed in v43 (a person who is forgiven much loves much), and the demonstration of this in the woman's gratitude shown toward Jesus, v44-46. On account of which (ie. the evidence of the demonstrative love shown by this woman) Jesus is able to say (confirm / witness) that her sins have been forgiven. She loves much because she has been forgiven much. It is of course grammatically possibly to link "therefore" (because of / on account of) with "her many sins have been forgiven", which then implies that on the basis of her love, her affectionate gratitude, she is forgiven. This is of course a salvation by works statement and is opposed to the point Jesus has drawn out in v43. Given that the more literal translations are highly misleading, we are best to recraft the sentence eg. "And so, I tell you, her great love proves that her many sins have been forgiven", NEB. cf. 1Jn.4:7ff. "Proves" is a touch strong, "evidences" is better.
      afewntai aiJ aJmartiai outhV ai pollai "her many sins have been forgiven" - have been forgiven the sins of her many. "Her sins, her many sins", JB. The "her many" is emphatic in form. She is a big sinner, which is why she expresses big love. The perfect passive, "have been forgiven" indicates that Jesus is not declaring forgiveness, but affirming her already forgiven state. This doesn't mean that Jesus has previously met her and forgiven her, but rather that she has heard the gospel of God's infinite mercy in Christ for those who repent, and having availed herself of this mercy, is now responding with grateful affection to the instrument of God's mercy, namely, Christ.
      oJti hgaphsen polu "for she loved much" - The hoti "for", with the verb in the indicative mood, may be taken as causal ("because"), ie. the clause explains the reason for the forgiveness of her sins. As noted above, although grammatically correct, it is very unlikely that this is the intended sense. Nolland suggests its usage is logical. The clause identifies the basis for Jesus' claim that her sins have been forgiven, namely, the evidence of her loving response toward him.
      wJ/ de oligon afietai, oligon agapa/ "but he who has been forgiven little loves little" - but to whom little is forgiven, little he loves. This is an independent substantival relative clause functioning as the indirect object of the verb "I tell you". The present tense of "forgiven" pushes the sense of Jesus' words toward a general principle rather than a direct application to Simon. A pious person who is blinded to the seriousness of their sin by religious conventions, birth-rite or their own moral rectitude, will not be driven to seek forgiveness and therefore will not experience divine mercy. Such a person will not be bubbling over with affectionate gratitude.

v48
      afewntai (afihmi) perf. pas. ind. "[your sins] are forgiven" - have been forgiven [your sins]. The seemingly unnecessary addition of v48, 49, has prompted some commentators to discard the verses, or view them as a secondary expansion of the text. Even more concerning, there is the implication that Jesus may now be actually declaring forgiveness consequent upon the woman's exuberant affection, or even bestowing a second forgiveness. Both views are theologically untenable. The simple way through this maize is to view Jesus' words as a confirmation of her forgiveness, but confirmation to whom? Verse 50 is surely the woman's confirmation, while v48, particularly backed up by v49, serves as a self disclosure by Jesus to the unbelieving spectators. What is the central teaching of the whole episode, v36-50? "He who is forgiven much loves much" stands out, but it is possible that more is intended. This passage may well develop the teaching contained in the saying "wisdom is proved right by all her children", v35. God's wise ways are proved to be right by those who accept His wise ways. Verses 31-34 illustrate the many who do not accept Gods' wise ways. The prostitute is an example of one who does accept. What she accepts is that God's mercy is hers for the asking. So, Jesus declares what she has already discovered. He is the one who "forgives sins and receives, regardless of class, all who have faith", Earle Ellis.

v49
      oiJ sunanakeimenoi (sunanakeimai) "the other guests" - the ones reclining with. "Those at the table with him."
      en eautoiV "among themselves" - in themselves. Either they thought it or discussed it.
      tiV ouJtoV estin "who is this....? - "What kind of person is this who acts with the authority to forgive sins?" A similar reference in 5:21 carries a negative sense, here it is more likely positive. There is no indication that Jesus' words are taken as blasphemy, nor is it Simon or a "Pharisee" who makes/thinks the comment. This is another hint that the self revelation of Jesus is central to this episode.