New Testament · Gospel

Luke 7:44

The Faith of an Outsider

And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give Me water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. Luke 7:44 · Berean Standard Bible

What It Means

Luke 7:44, in plain English

Jesus turned to the woman but spoke to Simon: 'You see this woman? When I came in, you didn't give Me water for My feet. But she has washed My feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.'

Why it's here

Simon offered the bare minimum of hospitality. The woman gave everything she had. The contrast was impossible to miss.

Who's speaking

Jesus directly compares Simon's cold reception with the woman's extravagant devotion.

Where it sits in the story

Jesus sees what we do and what we don't do. Simon's lack wasn't accidental — it revealed his heart. The woman's extravagance wasn't excessive — it revealed hers.

A Closer Look

The scholarly reading

Jesus turns toward the woman but continues addressing Simon, drawing a devastating contrast: Simon provided no water for feet-washing (a basic hospitality), while the woman washed His feet with tears and hair.

Language and setting

Foot-washing, though not strictly obligatory, was a standard expression of hospitality in the ancient Near East. Its absence from Simon's reception suggests either negligence or deliberate social distancing.

Voice

Jesus turns the parable into a direct comparison between Simon's hospitality and the woman's devotion.

Significance

The comparison is not about social convention but about love. Simon fulfilled minimal social requirements; the woman exceeded every expectation. The difference reveals the depth of their respective awareness of grace.

In context

Luke 7:42–46

42When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more?”

43“I suppose the one who was forgiven more,” Simon replied.

44And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give Me water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

45You did not greet Me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing My feet since I arrived.

46You did not anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with perfume.

Read all of Luke 7 — A Roman centurion's faith astonishes Jesus, a widow's dead son is raised, and a sinful woman's tears become an act of worship.

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