“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?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The specific amounts, 500 and 50 denarii, aren't just arbitrary numbers; they highlight that even a tenfold difference in debt still represents an impossible sum for either debtor to repay. This emphasizes that both are equally bankrupt before God, and their hope lies solely in the creditor's generous, free forgiveness, not in their ability to pay.
“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?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is at a dinner party hosted by a Pharisee named Simon. A woman, known in the city as a sinner, interrupts the meal to anoint Jesus' feet with expensive perfume, washing them with her tears and kissing them. Simon, the Pharisee, inwardly judges Jesus, thinking that if he were a prophet, he'd know what kind of woman this is. Jesus responds by telling a parable about two debtors to highlight Simon's flawed judgment and to explain the woman's actions as a sign of her great gratitude for forgiveness.
Ever felt like you're drowning in debt, but maybe not as much as someone else? Jesus uses a striking financial parable to show us something profound about ourselves and God.
The Creditor and the Debtors
Jesus introduces a moneylender with two people owing him money. One owes a huge sum – five hundred denarii. The other owes a much smaller amount – fifty denarii.
What These Numbers Mean:
Jesus isn't just talking about money here. He's setting up a picture of our spiritual state before God.
Why does one person seem overflowing with love and devotion, while another appears cold and distant? Jesus connects it directly to how much we believe we've been forgiven.
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The Power of Being Forgiven
Jesus doesn't stop at just listing the debts. He uses this scenario to show the powerful connection between forgiveness and love.
The Heart of the Parable:
This isn't about earning forgiveness through love; it's about how much forgiveness we grasp that fuels our love.
Understand the original words
daneistēs · Greek Noun
A person who lends money, often implying a position of authority or creditor status. In biblical parables, this figure frequently represents God as the ultimate creditor to whom all humanity owes a debt of sin.
chreopheiletēs · Greek Noun
One who owes a debt, whether financial or, figuratively, a moral debt (sin) to God. The term highlights human insufficiency to meet God's righteous requirements.
dēnariōn · Greek Noun
A Roman silver coin worth about one day's wages for a laborer; used to represent the magnitude of a debt, emphasizing that some debts are impossible for humans to repay through their own efforts.
charizomai · Greek Verb
To grant a formal release from a debt or obligation; in a theological context, this mirrors God's grace in forgiving the sins of those who are spiritually bankrupt.
agapaō · Greek Verb
The Greek word 'agape' (in verb form here) refers to a deep, sacrificial, and committed love, often contrasted with mere sentimental affection. It is the love that stems from gratitude for divine forgiveness.
The parable's setting within a Pharisee's home, a place of social and religious standing, starkly contrasts with the presence of a 'woman of the city, who was a sinner.' This juxtaposition is crucial, as Jesus uses the everyday, yet significant, concept of debt and forgiveness to expose the Pharisee's spiritual blindness and highlight the profound, life-altering power of God's grace for those who recognize their utter inability to repay.
c. 30 AD— this verse
Jesus dines with Simon the Pharisee
Jesus accepts an invitation to dine at the home of Simon, a Pharisee, in a town in Galilee. This social setting provides the backdrop for the encounter with a sinful woman and the subsequent parable.
c. 30 AD
Encounter with a sinful woman
A woman, known in the city for her sinful lifestyle, enters the home and anoints Jesus' feet with perfume, washing them with her tears and hair, demonstrating profound devotion.
c. 30 AD
Jesus tells the parable of the two debtors
Jesus responds to Simon's unspoken judgment by recounting a parable about a moneylender and two debtors, one owing a large sum and the other a smaller amount, both of whom are forgiven.
c. 30 AD
Jesus contrasts the woman's love with Simon's neglect
Jesus draws a direct comparison between the woman's extravagant gestures of love and Simon's lack of customary hospitality, highlighting the woman's deep gratitude for forgiveness.
c. 30 AD
Jesus declares the woman's sins forgiven
Jesus declares that the woman's many sins are forgiven because of her great love, attributing her love to the forgiveness she has received, and then directly tells her her sins are forgiven.
c. 30 AD
Jesus affirms the woman's faith
In response to the murmuring of other guests, Jesus tells the woman that her faith has saved her, sending her away in peace.
This parable also features a creditor and debtors, but it highlights the immense debt humanity owes to God and the importance of forgiving others as we have been forgiven, mirroring the theme of debt and forgiveness in Luke's account.
This passage speaks to the overwhelming nature of God's love, which demonstrated itself by Christ dying for us while we were still sinners, echoing the idea of owing a great debt that we could not pay ourselves.
2 Corinthians 5:19This verse explains that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not counting people's sins against them. This directly relates to the creditor's act of 'not counting' the debt, which is central to Jesus' parable.
Isaiah 1:18This prophetic declaration states that though sins are like scarlet and crimson, they will be made white as snow. This beautifully illustrates the immense cleansing God offers, much like the free forgiveness of a large debt.
calvinLuke 7:36-50: "And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat."
- And one of the Pharisees requested him to take food with him; and he entered into the house of the Pharisee, and sat down at table. 37. And, lo, a woman in the city, who was a sinner, when she knew that he sat at table in the house of the Pharisee, brought an alabaster box of ointment: [236] 38. And sitting at his feet behind him, and weeping, she beg…
pulpitLuke 7:41: "There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty."
Verses 41, 42. - There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. The illustration was from the everyday life of the people. This lending and borrowing was ever a prominent feature in the common life of the Jews. Pointed warnings against greed and covetousnes…
The specific amounts, 500 and 50 denarii, aren't just arbitrary numbers; they highlight that even a tenfold difference in debt still represents an impossible sum for either debtor to repay. This emphasizes that both are equally bankrupt before God, and their hope lies solely in the creditor's generous, free forgiveness, not in their ability to pay.
Jesus is at a dinner party hosted by a Pharisee named Simon. A woman, known in the city as a sinner, interrupts the meal to anoint Jesus' feet with expensive perfume, washing them with her tears and kissing them. Simon, the Pharisee, inwardly judges Jesus, thinking that if he were a prophet, he'd know what kind of woman this is. Jesus responds by telling a parable about two debtors to highlight Simon's flawed judgment and to explain the woman's actions as a sign of her great gratitude for forgiveness.
Jesus is at a dinner party hosted by a Pharisee named Simon. A woman, known in the city as a sinner, interrupts the meal to anoint Jesus' feet with expensive perfume, washing them with her tears and kissing them. Simon, the Pharisee, inwardly judges Jesus, thinking that if he were a prophet, he'd know what kind of woman this is. Jesus responds by telling a parable about two debtors to highlight Simon's flawed judgment and to explain the woman's actions as a sign of her great gratitude for forgiveness.
"“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?”" — The specific amounts, 500 and 50 denarii, aren't just arbitrary numbers; they highlight that even a tenfold difference in debt still represents an impossible sum for either debtor to repay. This emph…
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Last reviewed October 2026