Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse emphasizes that love isn't the cause of forgiveness, but the powerful evidence of it. Jesus is showing Simon that the woman's outpouring of love isn't what earned her forgiveness, but rather a visible sign that her many sins have already been forgiven. This highlights that our capacity to love God flows from our understanding of how much we've been forgiven, not the other way around.
Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is dining at the home of a Pharisee named Simon when a sinful woman enters, weeping over Jesus' feet and anointing them with perfume. Simon is disturbed by this, thinking Jesus cannot be a prophet if he doesn't know the woman's sinful past. Jesus then tells a parable about debtors to illustrate that this woman's great love for him is evidence of her many sins having been forgiven, contrasting her response with Simon's lack of hospitality.
Did this woman earn her forgiveness with her love, or did her love flow from being forgiven? It’s a crucial distinction!
Jesus uses the woman’s extravagant act of love not as the reason her sins were forgiven, but as powerful evidence that they had been forgiven. Think of it like this: you see a magnificent building, and you say, 'Wow, that must have cost a fortune to build!' The expense isn’t the reason it was built, but it’s clear evidence of the builder's intention and resources.
Similarly, the woman's overwhelming love and devotion was a visible demonstration of the deep reality of her forgiveness. Her actions weren't a transaction to buy forgiveness, but a heartfelt overflow of gratitude for a debt already paid.
Why does the Pharisee love so little? It wasn't necessarily because his sins were few, but because he thought they were.
Jesus contrasts the woman's passionate love with the Pharisee's lack of it. The reason for this disparity isn't that God forgave the woman 'much' and the Pharisee 'little' in an absolute sense. Instead, it’s about their perception of their own sinfulness and need for forgiveness.
The Pharisee, caught up in his self-righteousness and adherence to the law, likely saw himself as a decent person who made only minor errors. He didn't grasp the depth of his spiritual bankruptcy. Therefore, the forgiveness he perceived was small, leading to a correspondingly small expression of love.
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Our love for God is often directly proportional to our awareness of how much we have been forgiven. A superficial understanding of sin and grace leads to superficial love.
Understand the original words
hamartia · Greek Noun
In a biblical context, missing the mark of God's standard of righteousness; an offense against God's law or character that separates humanity from Him and requires atonement.
aphiēmi · Greek Verb
To remit, release, or pardon a debt or offense. In the New Testament, it refers to the divine removal of the guilt and penalty of sin through Christ's work.
agapaō · Greek Verb
The Greek 'agapaō' refers to a selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love, characterized by commitment and action rather than mere emotion. It is the nature of God's love toward His people.
This event occurred during Jesus' Galilean ministry, a time of intense public engagement. The dinner with Simon the Pharisee was a pivotal moment where Jesus contrasted a self-righteous religious leader's limited view of sin and forgiveness with the profound love and gratitude of a repentant sinner, highlighting that love for God flows from a deep sense of His abundant forgiveness.
c. 1st Century AD
Jesus' Ministry in Galilee
Jesus travels throughout Galilee, teaching in synagogues and villages, performing miracles, and attracting a large following, including many who were considered outcasts by religious leaders.
c. 1st Century AD— this verse
Pharisee's Invitation to Dinner
Simon, a Pharisee, invites Jesus to dine at his home, likely as a way to observe and perhaps test Jesus. This sets the scene for the encounter.
c. 1st Century AD
The Woman's Anointing
A woman known in the city as a sinner boldly enters Simon's home and anoints Jesus' feet with expensive perfume, weeping and showing deep affection, an act that shocks the Pharisee and other guests.
c. 1st Century AD
Jesus' Parable of the Debtors
To address Simon's unspoken judgment, Jesus tells a parable about a creditor who forgives two debtors, one a large amount and the other small, to illustrate how the degree of forgiveness relates to the degree of love.
c. 1st Century AD
Jesus Declares Forgiveness and Faith
Jesus explicitly states that the woman's many sins are forgiven because of her great love, which is itself an evidence of that forgiveness, and declares that her faith has saved her.
This passage speaks to the unshakeable nature of God's love, a love that transcends all earthly circumstances, mirroring the profound love the woman displayed out of her experience of forgiveness.
1 Samuel 16:7Just as God looks at the heart and not outward appearances, Jesus saw past the woman's reputation to the genuine love and repentance in her heart, contrasting with the Pharisee's outward-focused judgment.
This parable directly parallels Jesus' teaching in Luke, emphasizing that the depth of our love and gratitude is directly proportional to the magnitude of the debt (sins) that has been forgiven us.
The overwhelming love of Christ is presented here as the driving force behind believers' lives, which resonates with how the woman's great love stemmed from the immense forgiveness she received.
Psalm 51:17This verse speaks of a broken and contrite heart being an acceptable sacrifice to God, aligning with the woman's outward expressions of sorrow and love as evidence of her repentant heart.
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…
barnesLuke 7:47: "Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little."
Wherefore I say unto thee - As the result of this, or because she has done this; meaning by this that she had given "evidence" that her sins had been forgiven. The inquiry with Simon was whether it was proper for Jesus to "touch her" or to allow her to touch him, because she was such a sinner, Luke 7:39 . Jesus said, in substance, to Simon,…
The verse emphasizes that love isn't the cause of forgiveness, but the powerful evidence of it. Jesus is showing Simon that the woman's outpouring of love isn't what earned her forgiveness, but rather a visible sign that her many sins have already been forgiven. This highlights that our capacity to love God flows from our understanding of how much we've been forgiven, not the other way around.
Jesus is dining at the home of a Pharisee named Simon when a sinful woman enters, weeping over Jesus' feet and anointing them with perfume. Simon is disturbed by this, thinking Jesus cannot be a prophet if he doesn't know the woman's sinful past. Jesus then tells a parable about debtors to illustrate that this woman's great love for him is evidence of her many sins having been forgiven, contrasting her response with Simon's lack of hospitality.
Jesus is dining at the home of a Pharisee named Simon when a sinful woman enters, weeping over Jesus' feet and anointing them with perfume. Simon is disturbed by this, thinking Jesus cannot be a prophet if he doesn't know the woman's sinful past. Jesus then tells a parable about debtors to illustrate that this woman's great love for him is evidence of her many sins having been forgiven, contrasting her response with Simon's lack of hospitality.
"Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”" — The verse emphasizes that love isn't the cause of forgiveness, but the powerful evidence of it. Jesus is showing Simon that the woman's outpouring of love isn't what earned her forgiveness, but…
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Last reviewed October 2026