This is Life!: Revolutions Around the Cruciform Axis

My Favorite Gospel

And one of the Pharisees was asking Him that He would eat with him. And He entered into the house of the Pharisee, and reclined at table. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she found out that He was reclining at table in the house of the Pharisee, brought an alabaster flask of perfumed ointment, and she stood beside His feet behind Him, weeping; and she began to wet His feet with tears, and was wiping them off with the hairs of her head; and she was kissing His feet ardently and anointing them with the perfumed ointment. Now when the Pharisee who invited Him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, "This One, if He were a prophet, would know who and of what sort the woman is who toucheth Him, for she is a sinner." And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to thee." And he saith, "Teacher, say it." "There were two debtors to a certain creditor: the one was owing five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. But when they had nothing to pay back the debt, he showed himself gracious to both. Say which of them then will love him more?" Simon answered and said, "I suppose that he, to whom he showed himself the more gracious." And He said to him, "Rightly thou didst judge." And He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house; water thou gavest Me not for My feet, but she with tears did wet My feet, and with the hairs of her head wiped them off. A kiss thou gavest Me not, but she from the time that I entered did not cease from ardently kissing My feet. With oil thou didst not anoint My head, but she anointed My feet with perfumed ointment. For which reason I say to thee, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." And He said to her, "Thy sins have been forgiven." And those reclining at table with Him began to say among themselves, "Who is this Who even forgiveth sin?" And He said to the woman, "Thy faith hath saved thee; go thy way in peace." (Luke 7:36-50, The Orthodox New Testament, © 2004 Holy Apostles Convent)