Comparing Your Sin and Mine by Shannon Popkin
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14).
It was as scandalous as anything he’d ever seen. Right there, in the middle of his dinner party, a prostitute had crept into Simon’s home and was making a scene at the feet of his guest. Her hot tears made trickles in the dirt on his feet and mingled with the perfume she had poured from her tiny bottle. And then, to Simon’s Pharisee horror, she let her hair down and used it to wipe his feet, then began kissing them dry.
“Well, I guess we know he’s not a prophet,” Simon thought to himself. “He doesn’t even know what sort of woman is touching him!” But since Jesus was a prophet, he answered Simon’s thoughts, by telling a story.
With the woman still crouched at his feet, Jesus said, “Suppose a lender forgave two outstanding debts—one for 500 pieces of silver, another for 50. Which debtor do you think would love him more?”
Jesus, the master storyteller, was using a comparison story to reveal the true comparison story happening around Simon’s table.
The first debtor in the story represented the woman. She has sinned greatly, and (contrary to what Simon supposed) Jesus knows it. Yet Jesus sees her, not as a sinful woman, but a forgiven daughter of the kingdom who will one day dance—forgiven and clean—on streets of gold!
And who is the second debtor in the story? It’s Simon.
Don’t miss what Jesus has done here: He’s placed a Pharisee and a prostitute side-by-side in the same story! They are both sin debtors who cannot pay. But of course, Simon doesn’t see it this way.
Simon’s condescending disgust toward “that sort” of woman, and the prophet who’s letting her touch him reveals Simon’s sense of elevated superiority. Simon sees himself as judge—yet look how he has misjudged both the woman and Jesus.
Back when Jesus arrived, Simon didn’t even offer Jesus the customary greetings. No kiss, no footbath, no oil. This means Simon has just snubbed the One and only Savior who can forgive his debt of sin.
But the woman, with her extravagant love, has elevated Jesus—and rightly so!
Friend, which better represents you: Are you a judgmental Simon, or a forgiven woman? Regardless of how your sin compares with others, you are a sin debtor who cannot pay. And the One who can invites you to find yourself in his story.
Prayer: Jesus, I don’t want to be a Simon, always lifting myself up as judge and looking down with disgust on others. Lord, I want to be a woman who stoops low with extravagant love, before the One who says I’m forgiven and clean.
Dig Deeper: Read Luke 7:36-50.
Discussion Questions:
Who is someone whose sin disgusts you? Given the details of this story, and what you know about the story of the cross, how do you think Jesus looks at him or her?
How do you relate to the woman in this story? What difference does it make to you that Jesus compared Simon’s rudeness with the woman’s love, and used her as the positive example?
About Shannon Popkin
From the platform, page, and podcast mic, Shannon Popkin invites women to drink deeply of God’s story, and live like it’s true. Shannon’s books include Comparison Girl and Control Girl, and she hosts the “Live Like It’s True” podcast. Shannon has been featured on FamilyLife Today, Revive Our Hearts, and Proverbs 31. Shannon is happy to be sharing life with Ken, who makes her laugh every day. Together, they have the joy of watching their three young-adult kids become the amazing people God created them to be.
