Primary Scripture: Luke 7:36-50
36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[a] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Free-form Sermon Notes

Sermon Outline

Grace is for all

• Jesus has shown grace to the woman, and also to the Pharisees.
• We all have a place at the table.
• Some of us come to Jesus like the woman—broken, desperate, hoping He’ll see us and not turn us away.
• Some of us come like Simon—holding back, unsure, maybe even judging others while not realizing how much we need grace ourselves.

The Alabaster Jar

• We all have things in life that serve as touchstones to who we are and who we have been in the past. That may be a quilt, a picture, or a recipe.

The Woman

• This is a woman with a reputation that the Pharisees knew well. And she came to the meal anyway.
• She must have felt a range of emotions in that space; anxiety, fear, shame, dedication, and hope.

The Pharisees

• The previous chapters of Luke tell us that Simon invited Jesus to the meal after the Pharisees had been openly critical of him. Jesus still accepted the invitation.
• Jesus’ accepting that invitation is showing grace : The same grace that makes room for the broken woman makes room for the skeptical Pharisee.

Sermon Fill-ins

1. Her

2. The same grace that reaches out to the

3. Grace always pulls up a chair, even at a

Reflection Questions

1. What is that thing you carry to define you, protect you, or give you identity?
2. When have you felt like an outsider—like the woman in the story—and how does Jesus’ response give you hope?
3. Who in your life is being judged, rejected, or overlooked—someone you’re being called to see and advocate for, like Jesus did?
4. What would it look like for you to love Jesus with that same kind of boldness and vulnerability?
5. In what ways have we related to Simon? The Woman?

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