Parable of the Moneylender and the Two Debtors
The Parable of the Moneylender, also called the Parable of the Moneylender and Two Debtors or The Parable of the Moneylender who Forgives Unequal Debts, is found in Luke 7. The parable is short, only consisting of two verses. Here is the parable and some surrounding context:
38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
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.
48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace (Luke 7:38-50).
The meaning of the Parable of the Moneylender and the Two Debtors is straightforward on the surface. Those who are forgiven of much love much. Sometimes, it is the most sinful people who have the strongest love for Jesus and the most powerful testimonies.
Whether we are thinking about our own unworthiness or whether we are tempted to judge the unworthiness of someone else, this parable provides comfort and correction through the love and forgiveness of Jesus.
Though her sins were many, her love and faith in Jesus saved her from condemnation. This should be our natural response to the saving mercy found in Jesus Christ. Of course, we cannot literally do as this woman did, but her actions can be applied to us symbolically.
Just as she cried at Jesus’s feet and wiped His feet with her tears, so can we throw ourselves at His mercy with a proper attitude of contrition for our sins. Just as she kissed and anointed Jesus’s feet, so can we serve and honor Jesus from a place of humility.
As another scripture states, “love covers a multitude of sins.” The love of Jesus toward us is such that no sin is too big for Him to forgive, and as we grow in our ability to love as Jesus loves, we too will learn to forgive, even the unforgivable.
However, forgiveness is not something that anyone should take advantage of. The way we react to the forgiveness we receive reveals a lot about our character—and whether we really love Jesus or not.
For many, the love and forgiveness that we receive from Jesus causes us to grow in our loyalty and love for Him, and our desire to serve Him in humility—just like the woman in the parable. However, for some, receiving forgiveness can become a kind of loophole for continuing in sin.
Have you ever encountered these two extremes in your own life?
Have you ever forgiven someone of something serious, and they loved you all the more for it? Have you ever forgiven someone of something serious, and they lost respect for you, thinking that they could do anything to you and get away with it? Which attitude should we have towards Jesus, and towards those who forgive us in general?
As Paul the apostle wrote, “should we sin more so that grace can abound? God forbid.” Or should we “count the blood of the covenant, wherewith we are sanctified, an unholy thing, and do despite to the Spirit of grace?” No.
If we do not respond to Jesus’s forgiveness with love, humility, and service, but instead with disrespect and disregard, then how should we expect to be received by Jesus?
If we have the right attitude towards Jesus and the incredible mercy that He has shown us, then His sacrifice covers all our sins. He will lead us also, showing us what it means to live out our faith, take up our cross, follow Him, and grow in our ability to obey Him in humility.
Does this mean that we never sin? No, but it does mean that we never accept sin as being acceptable, and if we do sin, we take this seriously and we go to Jesus to help us do better with faith in the work in us that He promises to do.
Even as a committed Christian, there could be times when we mess up or sin in a big way. Though we never make excuses for sin, I know from first-hand experience that these instances can help us grow in our dedication to Jesus and provide us with greater strength to face our cross in faith.
His love for us is incredible, and His mercy never fails. However, because we love Him and would never take advantage of Him in a way that we would not want others to take advantage of us, we will have the right response toward His love and mercy.
If we think we are taking advantage of Him, then we can confess this. Lord willing, He will show us great mercy and forgiveness for this severe sin, and as a result, we will love and serve Him more fervently than ever before.
This is part of a series of articles discussing the Parables of Jesus. You can visit the link for quick access to more articles within this series.
Previous Article Within This Series: Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins
The mercy of Jesus is truly incredible and empowering. Though the Great Whore is judged and will be judged, those of us who have been as her can “come out of her” and find forgiveness. Just like the woman who was taken in adultery, we can find mercy, but as Jesus said to her, “Go, and sin no more.” This idea is discussed in the introduction portion of the free online book, “These Things Saith He.”
This article originally appeared at thelordalone.com.
