God's love is fore-giving; it is there even before we turn towards Him. The 'woman' comes as one already forgiven; her tears, expressions of reverence are an outburst of joy.

The guests were reclining so Jesus' feet were exposed behind Him. She could discretely do her thanksgiving! In allowing the woman to touch Him Jesus shows that His norms for clean and unclean conflicted with those of Simon, the Pharisee. Jesus 'knows' the woman but Simon, blinded by his preconceived ideas doesn't even 'see' her until challenged to do so. Jesus is indeed a prophet but His prophetic knowledge is divine insight into how much worth a person has in God's eyes and how loved she is by God.

We too like Simon can fall into the temptation of 'domesticating' God . . . imposing our ways upon Him. Labelling others as sinners is opposed to the Gospel of love and forgiveness. We may be blind to our sinfulness or too fearful, proud, to ask that our debt be written off. Thus we are chained to our guilt, which keeps us from the freedom of loving. Jesus warns us of this by contrasting the generosity of the woman with the stinginess of the host who had failed in some even basic acts of hospitality towards Him which the woman had shown Him.