"This man receives sinners and eats with them" was the common complaint of Jesus' religious critics. Yet, he ate with Pharisees as well (Luke 7:36ff). Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus for dinner and he accepted. At the meal, the house filled with interested observers, looking for a glimpse of the up and coming rabbi.
One person was drawn to the meal who was not wanted. She immediately felt the judgment of the crowd. "Put her out of the camp, stone her, see that she is removed from polite society." The crowd, and Simon, condemned her.
The sinful woman, unnamed in Luke's account, came in tears. Her shoulders bore the weight of her sin and its consequences. She had no illusions regarding her standing with God or with society. Her tears were the pain of desperation. Her spiritual poverty drew her to Jesus.
Simon became critical of Jesus because she wept at his feet, anointed them with oil, and wiped her tears with her hair. She was in mourning for her sin and the consequences that had led her to this hour. This was not a parable of Jesus. The tearful woman, the mourner, walked away comforted. Simon, who sat in condemnation, found himself judged.
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