Who Will Love Him More?

In Luke 7:36–50, Jesus tells a short but powerful parable in the middle of an unexpected dinner party moment. It’s a story that challenges the way we think about sin, forgiveness, and love for God. And it starts with a Pharisee named Simon.

The Setting

Simon invites Jesus to eat at his home. We’re not told his motives — maybe they were genuine, maybe not — but like most encounters with Jesus, the evening doesn’t go as planned.

While they’re reclining at the table, a woman from the city comes in, bringing an alabaster jar of perfume. She begins to weep, washing Jesus’ feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, kissing them, and anointing them with the perfume.

To us, that might feel unusual. But in their culture, this was a sign of deep respect and honor — the kind of welcome a host should have provided for a guest. She took it upon herself to do it for Jesus.

Simon, however, isn’t impressed. Thinking to himself, he says, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is… that she is a sinner.”

He doesn’t say it aloud, but Jesus answers anyway.

The Parable

Jesus tells him:

“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?”(Luke 7:41–42)

Simon answers, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.”

Jesus says, “You have judged rightly.”

The Meaning

In the parable:

• The moneylender represents God, the one who forgives.

• The debt represents sin — something we cannot repay.

• The two debtors represent people who see themselves as very sinful (500 denarii) and less sinful (50 denarii).

The Pharisee’s mistake — and ours at times — is thinking that the “amount” of sin changes our standing before God. We put sins on a scale: “That lie wasn’t so bad.” “At least I’m not like them.” Or the opposite: “I’ve sinned too much for God to forgive me.”

But Jesus is making it clear: Sin is sin. All of it separates us from God.A “50 denarii sinner” and a “500 denarii sinner” are both hopeless without God’s forgiveness.

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” There are no degrees of separation — only separation.

What Both Debtors Had in Common

Both were in debt.Both were unable to pay.Both were completely dependent on the moneylender’s mercy.

The same is true for us. Whether we grew up in church or spent years running from God, we’re all in the same spiritual position apart from Christ — unable to repay what we owe.

Why the Perception Matters

Jesus applies the story directly to Simon. The woman washing His feet knew she needed forgiveness — and that awareness overflowed into love and gratitude.

Simon, on the other hand, seemed to think he didn’t need much forgiveness at all. In his eyes, her sins were great and his were small. But his self-righteousness blinded him to his own debt.

That’s the danger. When we forget how much we’ve been forgiven, our love for Jesus shrinks. We stop bowing at His feet. We stop pouring out our gratitude. We stop serving with joy.

The Takeaway for Us

1. Recognize Your Debt – No matter your past, you’ve been forgiven more than you can repay. Don’t minimize that truth.

2. Stop Comparing – Other people’s sins don’t make yours less serious. Forgiveness is not about who was “worse” — it’s about who has been made whole in Christ.

3. Let Forgiveness Fuel Love – The more we understand what we’ve been saved from, the more we’ll love and serve the One who saved us.

Jesus ends by telling the woman, “Your sins are forgiven… your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

That’s the invitation to all of us. Whether we see ourselves as a “50 denarii” or “500 denarii” debtor, the truth is the same: we were bankrupt without Him. And because He’s paid our debt in full, we can live in peace — and love Him with all we are.