Scandalous love? Those aren’t a pair of words we often use in the church these days, but they might describe the account of Luke 7:36-50 from this week. A Pharisee, named Simon, invites Jesus to a meal at his home, and a woman begins to wash and kiss Jesus’s feet with perfume and her own hair. In the culture of that time, it was customary, but not required, for a host to offer a guest water to wash his feet and to greet him with a kiss on the cheek.  Simon hadn’t done either of these for Jesus. A woman, possibly a prostitue or woman with a bad background, takes this upon herself in an extravgant way.  Simon is shocked at this scandalous display – how could Jesus allow this type of woman to do this? Wouldn’t Jesus know her background if he was a prophet? Jesus tells Simon a simple story to explain the relationship of forgiveness and love and ends it with this explanation:

“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.  45You 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.”

Have we neglected the fact that true love is truth and grace mingled together? Maybe that’s how Simon missed the scene that unfolded at his dinner. Have we been forgiven much? Can we love extravagantly and risk looking ridiculous in our love and appreciation for God and his great forgiveness toward us?