Luke 7:36–50

“For She Loved Much”

illustration of woman wiping Jesus’ feet

Jesus had dinner in the home of a Pharisee named Simon. A woman that Simon deemed “a sinner” entered and “began to wash [the Savior’s] feet with tears,” dried them with her hair, “and kissed his feet, and anointed them with … ointment” (Luke 7:37–39). In response to Simon’s thoughts, the Savior shared a parable about forgiveness and love. This lesson is intended to help you exercise faith in Jesus Christ and repent of your sins.

Pondering. Invite students to ponder what they are learning. Pondering means thinking deeply about something and can be enhanced by prayer. As students learn to ponder, the Spirit will often reveal truth to them and teach them how to become more like Jesus Christ.

Student preparation: Invite students to read Luke 7:36–50 and to come prepared to share their answers to the following questions found in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023: “Ponder how you are like the woman described in Luke 7:36–50 . When have you experienced the tenderness and mercy that the Savior showed her? What do you learn from her example of faith, love, and humility?” (“February 27–March 5. Matthew 8; Mark 2–4; Luke 7: ‘Thy Faith Hath Saved Thee’”).

Possible Learning Activities

The direction we are moving

Display the following illustration and accompanying questions.

Shows two stick figures, one going toward Christ, the other going away from Christ

What do you notice about the people in this diagram?
What might their distance from the Savior and the direction they are facing suggest about their relationship with Him?

Think for a moment about where you might place yourself on this diagram and which direction you would be facing. Elder Larry R. Lawrence, then a member of the Seventy, explained:

Heavenly Father knows our divine potential. He rejoices every time we take a step forward. To Him, our direction is ever more important than our speed.

(Larry R. Lawrence, “What Lack I Yet?,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 35)

Why do you think the spiritual direction we are facing is more important than our speed?

The Lord feels great joy when we make efforts to repent (see Luke 15:7; Doctrine and Covenants 18:13). One way to describe repentance is turning away from sin and toward God (see Guide to the Scriptures, “Repent, Repentance,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org). As you study, pay attention to the promptings of the Spirit that can help you turn away from sin and toward the Savior.

Jesus eats in the home of Simon the Pharisee

Invite students to think about their answers to the questions they were asked to ponder as part of the student preparation activity.

Luke 7 contains an account of Jesus eating a meal in the home of a Pharisee named Simon. While Jesus was with Simon, He was approached by a woman who had a reputation as a sinner (see Luke 7:37, 39).

Read Luke 7:36–39, looking for what happened when the woman approached Jesus during this feast.

What did you notice about Simon? about the woman?

Jesus perceived Simon’s thoughts and shared a parable. Read Luke 7:40–43, looking for what the Savior taught Simon through this parable. It may be helpful to know that one pence is the amount of money a laborer would typically earn in a day (see verse 41, footnote a).

What might this parable have helped Simon understand about his own need for forgiveness?

During the Savior’s time it was customary for a host to honor his distinguished guests by offering acts of kindness such as kissing them in greeting, giving them water to wash their feet with, and anointing their heads with oil (see James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ[1916], 261). As recorded in Luke 7:44–46, the Savior pointed out that Simon did not offer these courtesies to Jesus, while the woman had gone to great lengths to show her love and gratitude for Him.

What do you think this woman understood about Jesus that Simon may not have understood?
What evidence do you see that the woman had repented, or turned away from her sins and toward the Savior?

Read Luke 7:47–50, looking for why the Lord forgave this woman of her sins.

What thoughts or feelings did you have about the Savior as you studied this account?
What truths did you learn from this account?

Students may identify a variety of truths from this account, including the following: As we are forgiven of our sins, our love for the Savior deepens. As we exercise faith in Jesus Christ and repent of our sins, we will receive His forgiveness.

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared teachings that relate to the account recorded in Luke 7. Watch the video “That I Might Draw All Men unto Me” (13:39) from time code 4:22 to 5:03, or read the following text.

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The closer we are to Jesus Christ in the thoughts and intents of our hearts, the more we appreciate His innocent suffering, the more grateful we are for grace and forgiveness, and the more we want to repent and become like Him. Our absolute distance from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is important, but the direction we are heading is even more crucial. God is more pleased with repentant sinners who are trying to draw closer to Him than with self-righteous, faultfinding individuals who, like the Pharisees and scribes of old, do not realize how badly they need to repent.

(Dale G. Renlund, “That I Might Draw All Men unto Me,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 40)

What words or phrases in this statement enhance your understanding of what you just studied in Luke 7?
What experiences have helped you feel a greater love and appreciation for the Savior and the mercy He offers?

Make a plan

Give students time to respond to the following questions in their study journals.

Remember that repentance is not an event or just for serious sins. Repentance is a process, and we are repenting any time we make an effort to come closer to the Lord and turn away from evil.

Look again at the image of the Savior and the diagram with the stick figures, and think about your relationship with Jesus Christ and which direction you are moving. Make a plan to deepen your love for the Savior by repenting daily. Complete the following exercise on a separate sheet of paper so you can keep it private. You may have an opportunity to follow up on this experience in an upcoming lesson.

The “Assess Your Learning” lesson that follows the lessons on Matthew 8–13; Mark 2–5; and Luke 7, 9, 11 refers to this plan and invites students to reflect on their progress.

What is one thing that you need to stop doing to come closer to the Savior? How will you stop?
What is one thing that you need to start doing to come closer to the Savior? How will you start?

Commentary and Background Information

Who do I most resemble in this account: Simon or the woman?

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, said:

19:13

Which of these two people are we most like?

Are we like Simon? Are we confident and comfortable in our good deeds, trusting in our own righteousness? Are we perhaps a little impatient with those who are not living up to our standards? Are we on autopilot, going through the motions, attending our meetings, yawning through Gospel Doctrine class, and perhaps checking our cell phones during sacrament service?

Or are we like this woman, who thought she was completely and hopelessly lost because of sin?

Do we love much?

Do we understand our indebtedness to Heavenly Father and plead with all our souls for the grace of God?

When we kneel to pray, is it to replay the greatest hits of our own righteousness, or is it to confess our faults, plead for God’s mercy, and shed tears of gratitude for the amazing plan of redemption?

Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience; it is purchased by the blood of the Son of God [see Acts 20:28].

(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Gift of Grace,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 109)

Why is it important to repent daily?

President Russell M. Nelson explained:

Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance. Repentance is not an event; it is a process. It is the key to happiness and peace of mind. When coupled with faith, repentance opens our access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

(Russell M. Nelson, “We Can Do Better and Be Better” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 67).

Supplemental Learning Activities

Alternate student preparation and beginning of lesson

Prior to teaching the lesson, consider inviting students to think about the kindest thing that someone has done for them. Invite them to think about how they felt toward this person and what they did to show their gratitude. They could ask family members or friends to share experiences as well. Students could share these experiences at the beginning of the lesson to help them feel the importance of the truth that as we are forgiven of our sins, our love for the Savior deepens.

Scriptures to deepen students’ understanding

To help students better understand the truth that as we are forgiven of our sins, our love for the Savior deepens, they could be asked to study some or all of the following scriptures: Romans 2:4; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:19; Enos 1:1–11; and Mosiah 27:23–37.