Was the woman repentant? Right out of the gate we get to the root of the matter.
The Scripture doesn't say she came to repent, didn't ask forgiveness. It simply says that she found Jesus, and washed his feet with her tears, dried them with her hair.
It's possible that they were tears of joy. It's possible that they were tears of healing, of years of hurt.
Jesus doesn't Judge the woman, but Simon does.
According to your OP, Simon judging her was just judging, and Jesus, saying nothing, the "just look the other way - don't want to judge" crowd.
You have free will. You can follow Simon or Christ.
Don't tell me that you're robbing little old ladies at knife point; then when I call you on it; you say, "don't judge me." I'm going to judge you. If you aren't convicted; you will be when the jury gets done with you.
Would you mind using practical examples?
I drink alcohol. You may judge me as an alcoholic, or call me a drunkard. I then point out I have 2-3 beers a week.
You rush to point out scripture to show me I can't drink any alcohol and be Christian. The discussion goes in this route.
Does it seem edifying? From my standpoint, I would be wondering why you aren't looking at your own life, rather than putting me on trial with something in most people's minds would seem petty.
The Pharisees were making up laws as they went along. They weren't magnifying the Torah they were adding to it. Yahshua called them on it. Just judgement.
The condemned Jesus for healing on the
Sabbath - because he was working. He was. He wasn't resting. This isn't something they made up. As I said, they used the law to condemn and burden people, and because Christ was doing good, they were unable to see how healing was good, but rather, got very legalistic, and judged him, according to the law.
So, as with the flaw in your poll, who was right:
The Pharisees for judging according to God's Law
Jesus, thinking you can do whatever you want on the Sabbath?
Your poll is a trap.
Were held to the entire law whether we acknowledge it or not. If you judge justly you will be judged justly. What's wrong with just judgement? This is what we are called to do.
I'm called to love my neighbor as myself.
I only point out the speck in my brother's eye if I have examined and judged my own life, and removed the 2x4.
I am not to judge anyone outside of the faith.
But to love my neighbor as myself, I must come from a place of humility, acknowledging that I have fallen short of the glory of God. I must come from a place of love, that I am doing it to help, not condemn, not to bully, not to shame another to exalt myself. Sadly, this is what many Christians do. And I must do it from a place of mercy, as I have been shown mercy.
I thought you just said that he wasn't harsh.
The bible differentiates the Pharisees from the sinners. Are you purposefully being obtuse?
How does one recognize sin in absence of just judgement?
Is that the real point of the thread? To state what is and isn't sin, and judge that?
Because within our culture, "judge" has so many different, and often negative connotations.
Often, the unspoken theme I'm hearing is: Do Christians have the right to walk around condemning others, or judging with superiority, or judge because we have a superior moral compass to everyone?
Everyone has judgements of right and wrong, but to some extent, it's like eggs and ketchup. Just because you don't like ketchup on your eggs doesn't make those who do disgusting. It makes them different than you. Oooo scary.
It really doesn't take that much time. If they don't receive me; I just wipe the dust from my feet and move on. It gives me more time to spend with someone who loves the truth.
My point was, are you spending time examining your own life?
From everything you have said so far, you are mostly concerned about focusing on the sins of others, and haven't once mentioned yourself.
Um, bruh, I think you got something in your eye...