Debt Relief: Luke 7:36-50
Mark C. Taylor
Oak Island Presbyterian Church
Oak Island, North Carolina
June 13, 2010
Our gospel story this morning, from Luke’s gospel, is a fascinating story full of drama, power struggle, and daring acts of bravery. There are three characters in this story; a Pharisee whom we learn is named Simon, an unnamed woman we understand to have a well-known reputation as a sinner, and of course, Jesus.
The scene opens with a dinner invitation from Simon to Jesus, which he accepts. However, this dinner invitation is not extended with the intent on a casual social evening between religious scholars, as is evident by the reception Jesus receives when he arrives. No, Simon’s motive was not, “Let’s get together over dinner and discuss theological issues, maybe exchange some ideas, talk about teaching methods, etc.” Had that been the case, Simon would have greeted him with the proper social customs of the time: a greeting kiss, water to wash his feet and olive oil for his head, none of which was offered, as Jesus points out to him later on in verses 44 through 46. To be denied the entire proper greeting is nothing less than a premeditated, pointed, insult.
Imagine, if you will, accepting a dinner invitation from a colleague, not a close friend or family member, but perhaps your boss or even a prominent member of the community, and when you arrived you were told, “The doors open, come on in. There are drinks in the fridge. Grab another cold one while you’re there. I’m just watching the game.” You find your host lounging on the couch, feet up, remote control in one hand and the other in a bowl of popcorn. No greeting, no handshake, no “can I get you something to drink,” or, “here, let me take your coat,” and little, to no, eye contact. Would you feel welcome? I know I wouldn’t.
It is apparent in this story that the true motive behind the dinner invitation was to be able to get Jesus away from the crowds for the purpose of cross examining him in hopes of finding fault. Perhaps Simon was thinking that if he and a few reliable witnesses could trip Jesus up enough to prove him a false prophet or a heretic, then maybe they could shut him up and get back to business as usual. We already know from chapters 5 and 6 in Luke’s gospel that twice the Pharisees have questioned Jesus’ actions concerning Jewish law, only to be bested and publically embarrassed by Jesus.
Now the power struggle begins. Jesus, rather than simply walking away from obvious personal insult, returns in kind by taking his place at the table, also without regard to proper custom. You see, it was customary among the religious leaders of the time to sit, or recline as is the more accurate description, in order of age; eldest first and youngest last. Kenneth Bailey, in his book, “Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes” comments that at age 30 Jesus could not have been close to the eldest in the room. Now who’s insulted? It is as if Jesus is saying, “Well Simon, if you’re going to act this childish, then I guess I’ll have to be the grown up here.” The tension in the room must have been thick enough to cut with a knife, and all of this takes place in only one verse.
The next verse introduces the third character, a woman whose name we are not told, but whose reputation is without question. She is described as a woman in the city who was a sinner. We are not told what her sin is but most scholars agree that it was probably prostitution. Now, just as in the first verse of this story, much is to be learned by noticing what is not said. We read that, “Having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house…”, indicating that she was told by someone where Jesus was, either in passing or, more probably because she had inquired as to his whereabouts. And, that she brought an alabaster jar of ointment with her which also indicates an act of premeditation on her part. This woman actively sought out Jesus and went there bearing a gift. There are many possible explanations as to how she gained access to the house, much less the dinner table, but for now it is best just to accept her presence there as something that would have been considered normal for that time.
If our woman character had not already been identified as a sinful woman, her next actions would leave no question at all about her disregard for the law. Verse 38 says that she was weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Now, for a woman to touch a man that was not her husband is bad enough, but touching a man that is considered a prophet is unheard of, and no prophet would allow himself to be touched by a woman, yet Jesus seems unconcerned and does nothing to stop her. Her next act could very well be the worst thing, outside of prostitution, that a woman in the Middle East, whether it be the first century or the present one, could think to do. She let her hair down! Had she been a pious, married, woman and done this her husband would have been duty bound to divorce her. You see, at that time, and even up to today in that culture, a woman’s hair was considered her most sensual asset. To expose it in a public setting was considered an act of sexual enticement, just as touching a man other than her husband would have the connotation of sexual misconduct. (Oh, if they could see us now! Oh, wait, they do. Do not think that our culture of reckless sexual abandonment is going unnoticed by the rest of the world.) And of course Simon seizes the opportunity to confront Jesus over his tolerance, and yes, full acceptance, of this woman’s actions.
Now we return to the power play, the, according to one commentator, the climax of the story. Simon serves up an accusation and Jesus returns the serve with a parable:
41‘A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42When they could not pay, he cancelled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?’ 43Simon answered, ‘I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the greater debt.’
And of course, Simon falls into his own trap when he gives his answer. This gives Jesus the opportunity to chastise Simon for his earlier rude behavior. Now Jesus can play his hole card because he knows something about this woman that Simon does not. Notice the tense expressions when Jesus speaks:
“Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were (past tense) many…”
“have been (past tense) forgiven,”
“hence (since that time) she has shown great love.”
We’ve already seen this use of the past tense back in verse 37 when the writer tells us, “And a woman in the city, who was a sinner…” The writer has already given us a clue about this woman long before Jesus makes his commentary about her. In literary terms this is called foreshadowing. Therefore, when Jesus says to the woman, “your sins are forgiven,” he is not performing the act of forgiving her, but rather, affirming what she already believes, a belief she achieved through faith.
Both of our characters, Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman, have much in common, and yet both receive Jesus in very different ways. Simon knows about Jesus. He has watched him during his public ministry, heard his sermons, questioned him, studied him, analyzed him, and debated him with other Pharisees. At this point there is little Simon does not know about Jesus, he just doesn’t know Jesus. This is SO true about SO many today. Speaking as one in college majoring in religious studies I can attest that our schools are overflowing with scholars and academics that know more about Jesus than I do, yet truly do not know him. And not just in our college classrooms, but in our Sunday school classrooms as well. We invite Jesus into our schools and churches and homes. We study the scriptures, analyze them, debate them, question them, and interpret them. More often than not many people, like Simon the Pharisee, are looking for the faults, the imperfections, the contradictions, because if we can locate enough of them then we can justify dismissing the scriptures as flawed. However, knowing about Jesus is not the same as knowing Jesus.
And then there is our sinful woman. Like Simon, she also knows much about Jesus. In fact, she and Simon may have been part of the same crowd that followed Jesus around to hear what he was saying. I dare say that she also has analyzed, debated, and questioned what Jesus was saying and doing concerning the kingdom of God. The difference is that she was not looking fault in Jesus, she was looking to rid herself of her faults and Jesus offered her the answer: acceptance, repentance, and faith. Here is a woman that heard the word and accepted it. Jesus did not do anything to or for her. He did not cure her disease or infirmary. He did not cast out any demons from her. He simply said that God loves sinners and is willing to forgive their sins simply if they repent of those sins and accept the forgiveness. Problem solved! This message was literally her Good News!
Unlike Simon, this woman did not wait for Jesus to come to her, even by invitation, but rather, asked around as to where he was and then went there looking for him. She arrived at the house before Jesus with anticipation of thanking him with an offer of expensive ointment, possibly for him to put on his head. This woman started out that day a happy and grateful woman. She was going to meet the man that freed her from a lifetime of persecution and resentment. But what did she witness when Jesus did arrive? The man she was there to honor, her messiah, her savior, was treated with blatant disrespect and resentment. What may have started out as tears of joy on her face quickly became tears of pain. She began to feel Jesus’ pain, but rather than turn and leave she decided instead to risk everything, for his sake. By performing the greeting ritual than had been denied Jesus by his host she offered him the honor that had been denied. By the literal and figurative act of “letting down her hair” in his presence she made her intentions unmistakably known. She offered herself fully, completely, and publically to her lord.
The love that she is demonstrating is in direct proportion to how much has been forgiven her. In this case it is her sins, which we are told were many. That means ALL of her sins, not just the little ones and not just one or two of the big ones. She has been granted a clean slate in the eyes of God. She has been offered a second chance, a new life, one with and for God. She has been redeemed. Her place in this world, the world of sin, no longer matters. She now has a place in a new world, citizenship in the kingdom of God. Therefore the love she is showing to Jesus, who has made that possible, is a reflection of her gratitude. Simon the Pharisee is showing little, to no, love for Jesus, for as Jesus has pointed out in his parable, “But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” As far as I can tell in this text, the only thing Jesus has forgiven Simon is his bad manners.
It comes down to faith. Simon heard the good news, but had no faith in it. The woman heard the same good news and put all of her faith in it. And, in doing so, she received acceptance and assurance by her savior, as is evident by his final blessing to her, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace!”
Amen
The following sources were used during the research for this sermon:
“A Survey of the New Testament” by Robert H. Gundry
“Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes” by Kenneth E. Bailey
“The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts, A literary Interpretation, Vol. 1” by Robert C. Tannehill
“The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 8”
“The Harper Collins Study Bible, NRSV”
Mark C. Taylor
Oak Island Presbyterian Church
Oak Island, North Carolina
June 13, 2010
Our gospel story this morning, from Luke’s gospel, is a fascinating story full of drama, power struggle, and daring acts of bravery. There are three characters in this story; a Pharisee whom we learn is named Simon, an unnamed woman we understand to have a well-known reputation as a sinner, and of course, Jesus.
The scene opens with a dinner invitation from Simon to Jesus, which he accepts. However, this dinner invitation is not extended with the intent on a casual social evening between religious scholars, as is evident by the reception Jesus receives when he arrives. No, Simon’s motive was not, “Let’s get together over dinner and discuss theological issues, maybe exchange some ideas, talk about teaching methods, etc.” Had that been the case, Simon would have greeted him with the proper social customs of the time: a greeting kiss, water to wash his feet and olive oil for his head, none of which was offered, as Jesus points out to him later on in verses 44 through 46. To be denied the entire proper greeting is nothing less than a premeditated, pointed, insult.
Imagine, if you will, accepting a dinner invitation from a colleague, not a close friend or family member, but perhaps your boss or even a prominent member of the community, and when you arrived you were told, “The doors open, come on in. There are drinks in the fridge. Grab another cold one while you’re there. I’m just watching the game.” You find your host lounging on the couch, feet up, remote control in one hand and the other in a bowl of popcorn. No greeting, no handshake, no “can I get you something to drink,” or, “here, let me take your coat,” and little, to no, eye contact. Would you feel welcome? I know I wouldn’t.
It is apparent in this story that the true motive behind the dinner invitation was to be able to get Jesus away from the crowds for the purpose of cross examining him in hopes of finding fault. Perhaps Simon was thinking that if he and a few reliable witnesses could trip Jesus up enough to prove him a false prophet or a heretic, then maybe they could shut him up and get back to business as usual. We already know from chapters 5 and 6 in Luke’s gospel that twice the Pharisees have questioned Jesus’ actions concerning Jewish law, only to be bested and publically embarrassed by Jesus.
Now the power struggle begins. Jesus, rather than simply walking away from obvious personal insult, returns in kind by taking his place at the table, also without regard to proper custom. You see, it was customary among the religious leaders of the time to sit, or recline as is the more accurate description, in order of age; eldest first and youngest last. Kenneth Bailey, in his book, “Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes” comments that at age 30 Jesus could not have been close to the eldest in the room. Now who’s insulted? It is as if Jesus is saying, “Well Simon, if you’re going to act this childish, then I guess I’ll have to be the grown up here.” The tension in the room must have been thick enough to cut with a knife, and all of this takes place in only one verse.
The next verse introduces the third character, a woman whose name we are not told, but whose reputation is without question. She is described as a woman in the city who was a sinner. We are not told what her sin is but most scholars agree that it was probably prostitution. Now, just as in the first verse of this story, much is to be learned by noticing what is not said. We read that, “Having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house…”, indicating that she was told by someone where Jesus was, either in passing or, more probably because she had inquired as to his whereabouts. And, that she brought an alabaster jar of ointment with her which also indicates an act of premeditation on her part. This woman actively sought out Jesus and went there bearing a gift. There are many possible explanations as to how she gained access to the house, much less the dinner table, but for now it is best just to accept her presence there as something that would have been considered normal for that time.
If our woman character had not already been identified as a sinful woman, her next actions would leave no question at all about her disregard for the law. Verse 38 says that she was weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Now, for a woman to touch a man that was not her husband is bad enough, but touching a man that is considered a prophet is unheard of, and no prophet would allow himself to be touched by a woman, yet Jesus seems unconcerned and does nothing to stop her. Her next act could very well be the worst thing, outside of prostitution, that a woman in the Middle East, whether it be the first century or the present one, could think to do. She let her hair down! Had she been a pious, married, woman and done this her husband would have been duty bound to divorce her. You see, at that time, and even up to today in that culture, a woman’s hair was considered her most sensual asset. To expose it in a public setting was considered an act of sexual enticement, just as touching a man other than her husband would have the connotation of sexual misconduct. (Oh, if they could see us now! Oh, wait, they do. Do not think that our culture of reckless sexual abandonment is going unnoticed by the rest of the world.) And of course Simon seizes the opportunity to confront Jesus over his tolerance, and yes, full acceptance, of this woman’s actions.
Now we return to the power play, the, according to one commentator, the climax of the story. Simon serves up an accusation and Jesus returns the serve with a parable:
41‘A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42When they could not pay, he cancelled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?’ 43Simon answered, ‘I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the greater debt.’
And of course, Simon falls into his own trap when he gives his answer. This gives Jesus the opportunity to chastise Simon for his earlier rude behavior. Now Jesus can play his hole card because he knows something about this woman that Simon does not. Notice the tense expressions when Jesus speaks:
“Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were (past tense) many…”
“have been (past tense) forgiven,”
“hence (since that time) she has shown great love.”
We’ve already seen this use of the past tense back in verse 37 when the writer tells us, “And a woman in the city, who was a sinner…” The writer has already given us a clue about this woman long before Jesus makes his commentary about her. In literary terms this is called foreshadowing. Therefore, when Jesus says to the woman, “your sins are forgiven,” he is not performing the act of forgiving her, but rather, affirming what she already believes, a belief she achieved through faith.
Both of our characters, Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman, have much in common, and yet both receive Jesus in very different ways. Simon knows about Jesus. He has watched him during his public ministry, heard his sermons, questioned him, studied him, analyzed him, and debated him with other Pharisees. At this point there is little Simon does not know about Jesus, he just doesn’t know Jesus. This is SO true about SO many today. Speaking as one in college majoring in religious studies I can attest that our schools are overflowing with scholars and academics that know more about Jesus than I do, yet truly do not know him. And not just in our college classrooms, but in our Sunday school classrooms as well. We invite Jesus into our schools and churches and homes. We study the scriptures, analyze them, debate them, question them, and interpret them. More often than not many people, like Simon the Pharisee, are looking for the faults, the imperfections, the contradictions, because if we can locate enough of them then we can justify dismissing the scriptures as flawed. However, knowing about Jesus is not the same as knowing Jesus.
And then there is our sinful woman. Like Simon, she also knows much about Jesus. In fact, she and Simon may have been part of the same crowd that followed Jesus around to hear what he was saying. I dare say that she also has analyzed, debated, and questioned what Jesus was saying and doing concerning the kingdom of God. The difference is that she was not looking fault in Jesus, she was looking to rid herself of her faults and Jesus offered her the answer: acceptance, repentance, and faith. Here is a woman that heard the word and accepted it. Jesus did not do anything to or for her. He did not cure her disease or infirmary. He did not cast out any demons from her. He simply said that God loves sinners and is willing to forgive their sins simply if they repent of those sins and accept the forgiveness. Problem solved! This message was literally her Good News!
Unlike Simon, this woman did not wait for Jesus to come to her, even by invitation, but rather, asked around as to where he was and then went there looking for him. She arrived at the house before Jesus with anticipation of thanking him with an offer of expensive ointment, possibly for him to put on his head. This woman started out that day a happy and grateful woman. She was going to meet the man that freed her from a lifetime of persecution and resentment. But what did she witness when Jesus did arrive? The man she was there to honor, her messiah, her savior, was treated with blatant disrespect and resentment. What may have started out as tears of joy on her face quickly became tears of pain. She began to feel Jesus’ pain, but rather than turn and leave she decided instead to risk everything, for his sake. By performing the greeting ritual than had been denied Jesus by his host she offered him the honor that had been denied. By the literal and figurative act of “letting down her hair” in his presence she made her intentions unmistakably known. She offered herself fully, completely, and publically to her lord.
The love that she is demonstrating is in direct proportion to how much has been forgiven her. In this case it is her sins, which we are told were many. That means ALL of her sins, not just the little ones and not just one or two of the big ones. She has been granted a clean slate in the eyes of God. She has been offered a second chance, a new life, one with and for God. She has been redeemed. Her place in this world, the world of sin, no longer matters. She now has a place in a new world, citizenship in the kingdom of God. Therefore the love she is showing to Jesus, who has made that possible, is a reflection of her gratitude. Simon the Pharisee is showing little, to no, love for Jesus, for as Jesus has pointed out in his parable, “But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” As far as I can tell in this text, the only thing Jesus has forgiven Simon is his bad manners.
It comes down to faith. Simon heard the good news, but had no faith in it. The woman heard the same good news and put all of her faith in it. And, in doing so, she received acceptance and assurance by her savior, as is evident by his final blessing to her, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace!”
Amen
The following sources were used during the research for this sermon:
“A Survey of the New Testament” by Robert H. Gundry
“Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes” by Kenneth E. Bailey
“The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts, A literary Interpretation, Vol. 1” by Robert C. Tannehill
“The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 8”
“The Harper Collins Study Bible, NRSV”
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