Discovery BoxLuke 7:40-42 
Context7:40 So 1 Jesus answered him, 2 “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He replied, 3 “Say it, Teacher.” 7:41 “A certain creditor 4 had two debtors; one owed him 5 five hundred silver coins, 6 and the other fifty. 7:42 When they could not pay, he canceled 7 the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
Luke 7:47-50
Context7:47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; 8 but the one who is forgiven little loves little.” 7:48 Then 9 Jesus 10 said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 11 7:49 But 12 those who were at the table 13 with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 7:50 He 14 said to the woman, “Your faith 15 has saved you; 16 go in peace.”
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the connection with the preceding statement recording the Pharisee’s thoughts.
2 tn Grk “answering, said to him.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “answered him.”
sn Jesus answered him. Note that as the Pharisee is denying to himself that Jesus is a prophet, Jesus is reading his thoughts.
3 tn Grk “he said.”
4 sn A creditor was a moneylender, whose business was to lend money to others at a fixed rate of interest.
5 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
6 tn Grk “five hundred denarii.”
sn The silver coins were denarii. The denarius was worth about a day’s wage for a laborer; this would be an amount worth not quite two years’ pay. The debts were significant: They represented two months’ pay and one and three quarter years’ pay (20 months) based on a six day work week.
7 tn The verb ἐχαρίσατο (ecarisato) could be translated as “forgave.” Of course this pictures the forgiveness of God’s grace, which is not earned but bestowed with faith (see v. 49).
8 tn Grk “for she loved much.” The connection between this statement and the preceding probably involves an ellipsis, to the effect that the ὅτι clause gives the evidence of forgiveness, not the ground. For similar examples of an “evidentiary” ὅτι, cf. Luke 1:22; 6:21; 13:2. See discussion in D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:703-5. Further evidence that this is the case here is the final statement: “the one who is forgiven little loves little” means that the one who is forgiven little is thus not able to love much. The REB renders this verse: “her great love proves that her many sins have been forgiven; where little has been forgiven, little love is shown.”
sn She loved much. Jesus’ point is that the person who realizes how great a gift forgiveness is (because they have a deep sense of sin) has a great love for the one who forgives, that is, God. The woman’s acts of reverence to Jesus honored him as the one who brought God’s message of grace.
9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
10 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 sn Jesus showed his authority to forgive sins, something that was quite controversial. See Luke 5:17-26 and the next verse.
12 tn Grk “And”; here καί (kai) has been translated as an adversative (contrastive).
13 tn Grk “were reclining at table.”
14 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
15 sn On faith see Luke 5:20; 7:9; 8:25; 12:28; 17:6; 18:8; 22:32.
16 sn The questioning did not stop Jesus. He declared authoritatively that the woman was forgiven by God (your faith has saved you). This event is a concrete example of Luke 5:31-32.
