“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.”
My Notes
What Does Luke 7:44 Mean?
Jesus turns to the sinful woman at Simon's house and uses her devotion to expose Simon's neglect. The comparison is devastating: Simon, you gave me no water for my feet (basic hospitality, expected from any host). She washed them with tears and dried them with her hair (extravagant devotion, beyond any expectation). The woman who was supposed to be the embarrassment becomes the example. The host who was supposed to be the host becomes the failure.
The phrase "seest thou this woman?" forces Simon to look — really look — at the person he's been judging. Jesus doesn't defend the woman theologically. He asks Simon to see her. To observe what she's doing. Because what she's doing puts Simon to shame. Her devotion exceeds his hospitality. Her tears outperform his protocol.
The three contrasts — no water/her tears, no kiss/her continuous kissing, no oil/her ointment — each expose the same gap: Simon did the minimum (and failed at it). The woman did the maximum (and exceeded it). The respectable Pharisee is outdone by the disreputable sinner.
Reflection Questions
- 1.If Jesus asked 'seest thou this woman?' about someone you've been judging — what would you notice?
- 2.Do the three contrasts (water/tears, kiss/kisses, oil/ointment) expose a gap between your hospitality to Jesus and someone else's devotion?
- 3.Does the 'disreputable sinner' outdoing the 'respectable Pharisee' challenge how you measure spiritual devotion?
- 4.What is your 'ointment' — the most valuable thing you've poured out for Jesus?
Devotional
See this woman? You gave me nothing. She gave me everything. The sinner is more devoted than the Pharisee.
Jesus turns the dinner party inside out: the host (Simon, the respectable Pharisee) failed to provide basic hospitality — no water for dusty feet, no greeting kiss, no oil for the head. The woman (the uninvited sinner) provided extravagant devotion — tears as water, hair as towel, kisses without stopping, expensive ointment for His feet. The respectable one failed. The disreputable one exceeded.
"Seest thou this woman?" — Jesus forces Simon to look at the person he's been judging (verse 39: if He were a prophet, He'd know what kind of woman this is). See her. Not her reputation. Not her category. Her. What she's doing. The tears falling on His feet. The hair wiping them dry. The kisses that haven't stopped since she arrived. The ointment she's pouring out. SEE her.
Three contrasts expose the gap:
No water (Simon) vs. tears (the woman). The host didn't provide the most basic courtesy. The sinner provided the most intimate substance — her own tears. The body produced what the butler didn't.
No kiss (Simon) vs. continuous kissing (the woman). The greeting Simon skipped, the woman hasn't stopped performing. Since Jesus arrived, her lips haven't left His feet. The kiss the host refused, the sinner multiplied.
No oil (Simon) vs. ointment (the woman). The cheap olive oil any host would offer, Simon withheld. The expensive perfume that no one expected, the woman poured. The economy is inverted: the rich man gave nothing. The woman gave the most valuable thing she had.
The lesson is the question: "seest thou?" Do you see what devotion looks like? Because it doesn't look like the Pharisee's dinner party. It looks like a weeping woman on the floor, worshipping with everything she has while the respectable host sits clean-handed and empty-hearted.
The sinner out-loved the Pharisee. And Jesus wants Simon to see it.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And he saith unto her,.... Directing his discourse to the woman that now stood before him:
thy sins are forgiven;…
Seest thou this woman? - You see what this woman has done to me, compared with what you have done. She has shown me…
Thou gavest me no water - In this respect Simon was sadly deficient in civil respect, whether this proceeded from…
When and where this passage of story happened does not appear; this evangelist does not observe order of time in his…
Seest thou this woman Rather, Dost thou mark? Hitherto the Pharisee, in accordance with his customs and traditions, had…
Cross References
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