36  Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.

37  When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume,

38  and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39  When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is--that she is a sinner."

40  Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said.

41  "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[4] and the other fifty.

42  Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

43  Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

44  Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

45  You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.

46  You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.

47  Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

48  Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

49  The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

50  Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

It's easy to reject someone because they appear different from us.  To the Pharisee who hosted Jesus in this story, the woman who anointed the Lord's feet was a sinner, a degenerate.  Her reputation in the town had been sullied; her past was littered with one-night stands.  Yet Jesus allowed he r to anoint his feet with perfume, cover them with her tears and wipe them with her hair.

Why did Jesus do this?  Because he looked beyond this woman's past and saw her future.  He knew she "loved much" because she had been forgiven much.  His parable and his sharp rebuke of the Pharisee (v. 41 - 47) bring his actions ---and the lesson we're to learn through them---into razor-sharp focus.

How would you have responded if you had been present that evening?  Or, to be more pointed, how do you respond to people who are different than yourself--people with lighter or darker skin, people who speak with a different accent. People whose bad reputation precedes them?  Remember, Jesus loved and accepted love from someone just like that.  And today he wants those who follow him to show the same kind of love.  Jesus looked beyond appearances.  He shunned stereotypes, just as Jesus did, look beyond such a person's past or his or her differences.  Look toward that person's bright potential future---complete forgiveness of sins and eternity with Jesus Christ. (v 50).