Simon the Pharisee had invited Jesus to a meal. - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

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.
Luke 7:39

Simon the Pharisee had invited Jesus to a meal. We do not know his motive. At any rate, he was undecided about Jesus. Was He a gifted speaker, a prophet, or someone greater?
Suddenly an ill-famed woman entered the house. Her guilt compelled her to go to Jesus, who, according to the custom, was reposing on a cushion at the table. Weeping, the woman went behind Him and anointed His feet with fragrant oil. Jesus acquiesced. That seemed to resolve Simon's problem: "If Jesus were a prophet, he must know what kind of woman she is," he thought.
Aware of his thought, Jesus asked him, "A certain creditor had two debtors, who owed Him vastly different sums of money. When he waived the repayment of the loans, which of the two would love Him more?" Simon replied correctly, "The one with the bigger debt."
The significance became clear when the Lord pointed out the woman. She had given Him the honour that Simon, as host, had neglected. Full of regret over her sins, she had sought help from the Son of God. Simon, by contrast, felt no sense of guilt. So he imagined he needed no forgiveness.
Then the Lord said of the woman, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much." At that stage it became absolutely clear who the visitor was: Jesus was neither a teacher nor a prophet, but the Son of God. He could see into both Simon's and the woman's heart. And He had the authority to forgive sins.
Today's reading: Acts 26