Text: Luke 7:36-50
Textual Introduction: Only Luke’s Gospel tells this story, reminding
us of that writer’s
characteristic interest in women touched by Jesus’ ministry.
*********
Why
in the world would Jesus accept an invitation from a member of a group that so
obviously opposed him? Why put up with
the hassle? I think it must be that
Jesus cared about the Pharisees. And he wanted this Pharisee to know about
God's grace.
Pharisees
appeared to be both intrigued by Jesus and repelled by him. They were curious about his obvious
understanding of the Scripture, yet disturbed by his association with all the
wrong people. Simon may have thought he
could help get to the bottom of the Jesus puzzle. So, he invited Jesus to a little dinner party.
This
would have been a shining moment for the Pharisee so he may have followed the
custom of allowing common people in to witness the banquet. It was considered good for them to see how
intellectual and religious their social superiors were. If they behaved like good children, being
seen and not heard, they might have been
allowed to take some of the leftovers from the meal.
The
woman in this story would not have been allowed to attend. Though Luke doesn’t spell out why she was thought of as
“a sinner in
the city,”
many New Testament scholars believe she was a prostitute. Whatever the reason for her reputation, the
household servants would have been told to keep such people away. But she somehow slipped past them. So the stage was set for an amazing
encounter.
Quietly
she moved up to the place where Jesus was reclining at the banquet table
(reclining on a large cushion with his feet stretched behind him in the fashion
of the day). Middle-class and wealthier
homes would have had chairs and tables but using “banqueting cushions” was considered more elegant.
Once
there, she bent over his feet began weeping.
Her tears were so copious that they made trails through the dust of the
road which still clung to the feet that had walked so many miles to tell the
good news. In response, she used her
long hair to wipe his feet dry.
When
they were dry she kissed his feet and then opened a bottle of perfume and began
anointing them with the costly fragrance.
The language suggests she continued this for some time.
Her
actions invite speculation. Did she come
planning to give the perfume to the master so it could be sold to help the
cause? (Luke will mention women who
contributed to the support of Jesus and in the similar account that takes place
later; Judas argues that the perfume could have been sold.) If she were a
prostitute, had the perfume played a role in her profession and would her
giving it to Jesus signal her intention to leave that life forever? I don’t
think she came planning to wash Jesus’
feet. She brought no water and a
towel. Surely she couldn’t have planned to weep enough tears
to wash his feet. Did she come planning
only to pour her costly perfume on his feet, feet that should have already been
washed by the host or his servants? But,
then, when she approached Jesus and saw his feet were still dirty did she
realize what that meant? Were her tears
prompted by both loving gratitude to Jesus and distress because the one who had
done so much for her had been treated so badly?
But
Luke keeps us from too much speculation by turning our attention to Simon’s response to the woman’s behavior. Frankly, he was disgusted, so disgusted that
the incident resolved his questions about Jesus.
As
Simon watched with horror, his mental processes began to assess the
situation. Surely, Simon thought to
himself, anyone could see what she is. A
Pharisee, Simon would never allow such a woman to touch him.
Before
this, Simon may have been wavering in his opinion about Jesus, hoping the
conversation at the banquet would either confirm or disprove the notion that
Jesus was a prophet. Apparently, Jesus’ allowing the woman to touch him was
enough to persuade him that Jesus could not be a prophet.
Let
me ask this: How would Jesus have been
expected to stop the woman? Would
convention allow him to use harsh, uncaring words? Would it have been permissible for him to
strike her or roughly push her aside?
At
this point in the story, Jesus looks at Simon and says, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
The language Luke uses is interesting.
He says, “Answering
him, Jesus said.” Now, Simon’s thoughts about the woman and about
Jesus were unspoken but it was clear to Jesus what he was thinking. Jesus knew what was in the heart of this
proud, judgmental man.
After
Simon encourages Jesus to speak, the Master Teacher tells a story, a parable.
"
41“Two men were in debt to a banker. One
owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. 42Neither of them could pay up, and so
the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?”
Jesus
was well-known for his parables. But
this one seems so simplistic. Honestly,
now, how does this compare with his stories of the Good Samaritan or the
Prodigal Son? And, then, there’s the question he asked Simon. In our day we might say it was a “no brainer.”
Simon
may have thought this at first. But he
may have also known that when a skilled teacher asks a question that seems to
have an obvious answer, watch out. Simon
seems to have grasped this. Listen to
his response, I think you can hear a touch of hesitancy as he says, “I suppose
the one who had the larger debt canceled.” I can’t
help but wonder if Simon thought that somehow, some way the situation was about
to get out of hand.
Congratulating
him on his correct answer, Jesus instructs Simon to look at the woman, as if he
hadn’t
already. He invites the Pharisee to
really see her, to evaluate her actions in light of Simon’s inaction.
Jesus
honestly reminds Simon of his failure to observe even the minimum of hospitable
behavior.
You
know it was customary in that hot, dusty land to wash the feet of any guest who
came to your home. Sometimes this act
was performed by a servant; sometimes, by the host. In some cases the host simply provided water,
basin, and towel so the guest could wash his own feet. Simon had done none of these things. Nor had he greeted Jesus with the customary
kiss on the cheek—the
equivalent of a hearty handshake. It was
a cold reception Jesus received.
After
reminding Simon of his lack of hospitality, Jesus points to the woman’s actions.
Whatever
motive Simon may have given for her actions, Jesus defines her motivation in
one word: Love.
Love
prompted her to do what Simon had failed to do.
While washing Jesus’
feet had been costly for the woman (she had used her perfume) Simon could have
simply dispatched a servant to take care of this matter of hospitality. He did not.
In fact, washing a guest’s
feet was such a routine action that Simon’s
failure begs the question: Did he instruct his servants to leave Jesus’ feet unwashed?
The
woman couldn’t
have helped but hear some of this conversation.
What was she thinking? Was she
suddenly embarrassed? Was she afraid she
had acted impulsively? Jesus next words
were both for Simon and for her.
Luke 7:47 So I'm telling you that her sins, as many as
they are, have been forgiven, and that's why she has shown great love. But the
one to whom little is forgiven loves little."
48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are
forgiven!"
49 Those who were at the table with them began to
say among themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?"
50 But Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith
had saved you. Go in peace." Luke
7:47-50 (ISV)
To
begin with, consider the impact of Jesus’
words on the woman. Jesus’ parable and his comments about and
to the woman suggest there may have been a previous contact in which he offered
her the grace of forgiveness.
Something
about Jesus prompted her to rely upon his offer of forgiveness.
The
woman’s
faith, not her acts of devotion, led to salvation which resulted in real
spiritual peace. No matter what ghosts
of her past might rise up to haunt her, no matter how often the self-righteous
treated her with disdain, she had the word of Jesus that her sins were forgiven. That would give her a peace which could not
be shaken.
So,
her actions had been prompted by love.
She had acted freely; she had no ulterior motive in expressing her
gratitude. She sought no favor or
benefit. She simply wished to express
her devotion and love to the one who had saved her. She who so freely and openly expressed her
devotion challenges us.
But
what did Jesus mean by his other words?
Did Jesus imply that there are degrees of guilt? Was Simon less a sinner than the unnamed
woman? No, even the teachings of the
Pharisees would not have supported that notion.
Isaiah
affirms that “all
we like sheep have gone astray”
but the Pharisees tended to believe that by keeping their many regulations they
had gone far in overcoming the impact of sin in their lives.[i]
Haven’t you met people like this? Because they live by a carefully crafted list
of do’s
and don’ts
they believe they have achieved the moral and spiritual heights.
But,
it’s not that
simple, is it? Even though we snicker at
such people we sometimes have our own lists of spiritual accomplishments which
we believe set us apart from the ordinary folks who need God’s grace. So, let me ask you?
Who
needs God’s
grace more, you and me or the lifer sitting in his cell reading the Bible for
the first time, his lips forming each word as he makes his slow progress? Who needs God’s grace more, you and me or the
relieved young executive furtively slipping out of the abortion clinic? Who needs God’s grace more, you and me or the
politician taking the bribe from the representative of the box store that wants
to build on land designated as green space?
Intellectually,
as good Baptists, we know the answer to those questions. All of us need God’s grace equally. In Paul’s
words, “All
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….”
Yet, in answering those questions did you have even a moment of
hesitation, a pause in which you thought, “Well,
those people are pretty far gone and I never did anything like that so maybe
they do need God’s
grace more.”
If
such a thought crossed your mind, don’t
be surprised; it’s
a very human trait to want to think of ourselves as better than someone
else. The danger is in believing
it. Once you’ve rejected the thought for the folly
it is, you’re
ready to better understand the actions of this woman.
CONCLUSION
Remember
this party crasher. Remember, how she
went to a party where she didn’t
belong to show her gratitude to the Savior.
And,
remember that this Savior has invited us all to a banquet of grace, a banquet
where none of us belong.
[i] Moises Silva
writes: “Those who followed scrupulously the rabbinic traditions were in
danger of concluding that their conduct satisfied God’s demands. And a muted
sense of one’s sin goes hand in hand
with a false sense of spiritual security; the need to depend on God’s mercy no longer appears crucial.” (Marshall Pickering
Encyclopedia of the Bible, II:1672).
