Jesus had been touched by an immoral woman, but He did not reject her (Luke 7:36-38).  She came, ashamed of her sinful life, her tears splashed on Jesus’ feet.  Drying them with her hair, the woman poured very costly perfume over them.  Jesus’ host, Simon the Pharisee who kept strict moral and religious rules to ensure that he was 'cleaner than clean', was confused by Jesus' reaction to the weeping woman.  Surely, he thought, if Jesus really was from God, He would know her character and refuse to have anything to do with her.  How could a holy person have anything to do with a publicly shamed sinner? (Leviticus 18:29-30).

In the Pharisee’s mind there were only two possibilities: either Jesus did not know everything about her, or He did know, but was not repulsed by her immoral lifestyle.  Either way, the Pharisee may have thought, Jesus could not be a 'prophet' and certainly not the Messiah.  Although Simon was very religious, he did not know the God whose law he revered.  He needed to be taught that neither of his thoughts was true, nor did they exhibit the character of God (Numbers 14:18).  

Jesus accepted the woman with all her guilty grieving, as she regretted a wasted life, because He had come to earth for people like her (Mark 2:17).  What she needed was forgiveness and a completely new start.  She had so thoroughly broken the religious rules that religion could never offer any hope - it would only condemn her.  What she needed was to have all her sins taken away.  And in coming to Jesus, she came to the only person who could help.  He had not come to condemn, but to save (John 3:17).  Simon needed to know that, and Jesus was about to tell him (Luke 7:41-50).

Forgiveness and grace cannot be earned - they are supernatural gifts of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Free forgiveness is unthinkable for people who live outside of God's love, and they will never know unless somebody tells them (Romans 10:13-15).  In the same way that Simon would never know unless Jesus told him, many of our friends who see no way through their guilty conscience will stay hopeless, until we tell them that Jesus wants to forgive them (Acts 4:12).  It is the best comfort anybody can receive.  We should never keep it hidden away from those who need it.  Be a real friend today by telling them the good news that Jesus is longing to forgive them because He loves them and died for them (www.crosscheck.org.uk).