Forgiveness and Love: Insights from Luke 7:41-43

The parable in Luke 7:41–43 is a brief story with deep power: it shows that those who know they’ve been forgiven much will love much, while those who feel little need of mercy love little.

The Parable in the KJV

In Luke 7:41–43, Jesus says, “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.” “And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?” Simon answers, “I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most,” and Jesus replies, “Thou hast rightly judged.”

Within just a few lines, Jesus paints a scene that everyone can grasp: two people in over their heads, one far more than the other, both completely unable to pay. The creditor cancels the entire debt freely, not because they deserve it, but because he chooses to be gracious.

Setting: At Simon’s Table

This parable is spoken at the table of a Pharisee named Simon, while a “sinful woman” weeps at Jesus’ feet, washing them with her tears and wiping them with her hair. Simon is offended; in his mind, a true prophet would never allow such a woman to touch him.

Jesus responds not first with a rebuke, but with a story. In doing so, He invites Simon to pass judgment—not on the woman, but on his own understanding of love, sin, and forgiveness.

Two Debtors, One Creditor

The Lord’s picture is simple: “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.” Five hundred pence (denarii) was a large sum; fifty was still significant but much smaller. Yet both are bankrupt—“when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both.”

Here, the creditor represents God, and the debt represents sin. One life, like the woman’s, is full of public, obvious failure; another, like Simon’s, appears more respectable yet still owes a real debt. The key truth: both are utterly unable to settle accounts on their own.

Forgiveness and the Measure of Love

Jesus’ question is piercing: “Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?” Simon answers correctly: “I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most.” The Lord affirms him: “Thou hast rightly judged.”

The logic is straightforward:

• Greater perceived debt.
• Greater gratitude for undeserved mercy.
• Greater love for the one who forgave.

This does not mean we should seek more sin so we can feel more forgiven; rather, it calls us to a deeper awareness of the sin already present in us and the depth of God’s grace in Christ. The woman knows she is bankrupt and clings to mercy; Simon hides behind religion and barely notices his own need.

Respectable Religion vs. Repentant Love

Simon the Pharisee symbolizes the person who keeps score: comparing himself favorably to others, confident that his record is mostly clean. In his heart, he owes “fifty pence,” while the woman, he thinks, owes “five hundred.”

But in Jesus’ story, both are debtors with “nothing to pay.” Simon’s problem is not that he has no sin; it is that he has little sense of his sin, and therefore little sense of God’s mercy. The woman, by contrast, pours out extravagant affection because she knows she has been loved and forgiven beyond what she could ever repay.

What This Parable Means for Us

This parable invites you to stand in the room with Jesus and listen to the question, “Which of them will love him most?” It gently exposes the pride that minimizes our own need and magnifies others’ failures.

Living this out might look like:

• Letting go of the illusion that you are “not that bad,” and honestly admitting your spiritual bankruptcy before God.
• Receiving Christ’s forgiveness not as a small favor but as the complete cancellation of a debt you could never pay.
• Allowing gratitude, not guilt, to fuel your devotion, worship, and obedience.

In the end, the parable of the two debtors is not about who sinned more on paper, but about who sees grace more clearly. Those who see themselves in the five-hundred-pence debtor—hopeless without mercy—are the ones who will fall at the Savior’s feet in love that matches the greatness of His forgiveness.

Continue studying the parables with us:

Matthew
Mark
Luke
John

For further study check out:

Discovering the Path of Salvation series by Stephen Luckett