Jesus deliberately sets up a stark contrast between the two debts – one ten times larger than the other – not just to show different levels of sin, but to highlight that both debtors are utterly unable to pay, making God's free forgiveness the only hope for either. This emphasizes that the magnitude of the debt isn't the barrier to receiving grace, but rather the inability to ever settle the score.
“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.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus tells a parable about a moneylender and two debtors, one owing a significantly larger sum than the other, to illustrate a point about forgiveness and love. This parable follows Jesus' interaction with a sinful woman in a Pharisee's house and directly precedes his explanation of the parable's meaning, which contrasts the woman's response to Jesus with the Pharisee's.
Why did Jesus use specific numbers for the debts? What does this reveal about how God views our sin and our response?
Jesus sets up a clear comparison in this parable. He introduces a moneylender with two debtors, one owing a very large sum (500 denarii) and the other a smaller sum (50 denarii). The key point here isn't just the amount, but the disproportion.
The Weight of Sin
Jesus uses these numbers to illustrate that both the woman and the Pharisee (as representatives of different kinds of sinners) have debts before God. The larger debt points to the woman's perceived many sins, and the smaller to the Pharisee's self-perceived righteousness, which still carried unacknowledged transgressions.
Love as a Response
The crucial takeaway is how Jesus connects the amount forgiven to the capacity for love. The one forgiven the larger debt will love the lender more. This isn't about earning forgiveness through love, but about recognizing the extent of God's free forgiveness and responding with a corresponding depth of love.
Ask a follow-up
What does it mean to be utterly unable to pay? How does God's forgiveness stand in stark contrast to our inability?
The parable emphasizes a critical reality: neither debtor could pay what they owed. They were bankrupt, hopelessly insolvent before the creditor.
The Human Condition
God's Generous Acquittance
Jesus states that the creditor 'forgave them both.' This wasn't a loan renegotiation; it was a complete cancellation of the debt. The original Greek word suggests forgiveness 'of his generous bounty' or 'freely.'
This mirrors God's action in Christ. He doesn't offer a payment plan for our sins; He offers complete, unearned forgiveness to all who turn to Him, because Christ's sacrifice has already paid the ultimate price.
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.
krinō · Greek Verb
To form an opinion or decide on the character or actions of another; in this context, it refers to a moral assessment based on the evidence of one's actions.
This parable is rooted in the everyday economic realities of Roman-occupied Judea, where debt was a constant concern for many. The denarius was a common Roman silver coin, highlighting that these were not abstract amounts but tangible sums that could cripple ordinary people.
c. 27-30 AD
Jesus' Public Ministry
Jesus begins his public ministry, calling disciples, teaching, and performing miracles throughout Galilee and surrounding regions.
c. 27-30 AD— this verse
Jesus dines with a Pharisee
Jesus accepts an invitation to dine at the home of Simon the Pharisee, an event during which the encounter with the sinful woman occurs.
c. 27-30 AD
Encounter with the Sinful Woman
A woman, known in the city as a sinner, boldly approaches Jesus as he dines, anointing his feet with perfume and washing them with her tears.
c. 27-30 AD
Jesus tells the Parable of the Two Debtors
In response to Simon's internal judgment, Jesus tells the parable of a creditor and two debtors, one owing significantly more than the other.
c. 27-30 AD
Jesus pronounces forgiveness
Jesus declares that the woman's many sins are forgiven because of her great love, demonstrating the power of faith and the freeness of God's grace.
This passage presents a very similar parable where a king forgives a massive debt owed by a servant, highlighting the concept of unpayable debts and God's free forgiveness.
Romans 5:8This verse speaks to God demonstrating His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, showing the vastness of our sin and the immeasurable nature of God's grace.
Psalm 130:3The psalmist questions who could stand if God kept records of iniquity, directly addressing the concept of insurmountable debt and the need for divine mercy.
1 John 1:9This verse promises forgiveness if we confess our sins, linking the act of confessing to the reception of forgiveness, which relates to how the debtors' state is addressed.
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…
Jesus deliberately sets up a stark contrast between the two debts – one ten times larger than the other – not just to show different levels of sin, but to highlight that both debtors are utterly unable to pay, making God's free forgiveness the only hope for either. This emphasizes that the magnitude of the debt isn't the barrier to receiving grace, but rather the inability to ever settle the score.
Jesus tells a parable about a moneylender and two debtors, one owing a significantly larger sum than the other, to illustrate a point about forgiveness and love. This parable follows Jesus' interaction with a sinful woman in a Pharisee's house and directly precedes his explanation of the parable's meaning, which contrasts the woman's response to Jesus with the Pharisee's.
Jesus tells a parable about a moneylender and two debtors, one owing a significantly larger sum than the other, to illustrate a point about forgiveness and love. This parable follows Jesus' interaction with a sinful woman in a Pharisee's house and directly precedes his explanation of the parable's meaning, which contrasts the woman's response to Jesus with the Pharisee's.
"“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 can…" — Jesus deliberately sets up a stark contrast between the two debts – one ten times larger than the other – not just to show different levels of sin, but to highlight that both debtors are utterly un…
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Last reviewed October 2026
