Lectionary blogging: Luke 7:36 - 8:3

³⁶One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. ³⁷And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. ³⁸She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. ³⁹Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.” ⁴⁰Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “Speak.” ⁴¹“A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” ⁴³Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” ⁴⁴Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ⁴⁵You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” ⁴⁸Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

8Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, ²as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, ³and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

Translation:  But someone of the pharisees was asking if he might eat with him, and he went into the house of the pharisee and reclined.  And behold, a woman who was in the city, a sinner, knew that he was reclining in the house of the pharisee.  She brought an alabaster box of perfume, and she stood behind alongside his feet weeping.  The tears began to wet his feet, and she wiped (them with) the hair of her head.  And she was kissing his feet and anointing (them) with perfume.

But when the pharisee who called him saw, he spoke in himself, saying, "This one, if he were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman (this is) who is touching him, that she is a sinner."

And Jesus answered (and) said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  But he said, "Teacher, speak."  "A certain moneylender had two debtors.  The one owed 500 denarii, but the other fifty.  When they had nothing to give, he was gracious to both.  Which one of them will love him more?"  Simon answered (and) said, "I suppose whomever he graced the most."  And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." 

And he turned to the woman (and) was speaking to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  I entered into your house.  You did not give me water upon my feet, but she was my feet (with) tears and wiped (them with) her hair.  You did not give me a kiss, but she, since the time I came, has not stopped kissing my feet.  You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume.  For this reason, I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been released because she loved much, but to whom little has been released, that one loves little."  And he said to her, "Your sins have been released."

And the ones sitting at meat with him began to say in themselves, "Who is this who releases sins?"  But he said to the woman, "Your trust has saved you.  Go into peace."

And it happened afterward, and he was going throughout every city and village, proclaiming and bringing good news of the kingdom of God, and the twelve together with him.  And certain woman were healed from evil spirits and weaknesses--Maria, the one called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who were serving them out of their possessions.

Background and situation:  The other gospels place this story, or one very much like it, in the last week of Jesus' life.  See:  Mark 14:1-11, John 12: 1-8, and Matthew 26: 6-13, all of which feature a woman who anoints either Jesus' head (Mark, Matthew) or feet (John, Luke).  

In Mark and Matthew, the episode occurs in the house of Simon during passion week.  In Luke, we are also in the home of Simon--either the same one or another--but the story occurs early in the ministry of Jesus, and not during the final week.  The woman is not named in any story except that of the fourth gospel where she is identified as Mary of Bethany.

In the 7th century, Pope Gregory said that all these women were, in fact, the same person, and that person was Mary Magdalene.  This would mean that Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene were the same person, in which case Mary Magdalene would have been the sister of Lazarus and Martha.  While speculative indeed, this is also possible.  (For more, see this chart of the parallels in the stories.) 

The story is preceded by a section (7:18-25) featuring dialog between Jesus and two followers of John the Baptist and Jesus discussing John with the crowds.  He notes the contrast between himself and John.  John is the ascetic who neither eats nor drinks, yet was called a "demon" by his opponents.  Jesus eats and drinks, and his opponents call him a "glutton and a drunkard"--you can't win for losing!--and say he hangs out with a bad crowd--"a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (7:34).

The text:  Luke takes a slightly more gentle view of the pharisees than either Mark or John, and especially Matthew.  For Luke, the pharisees were most dangerous when in cahoots with the scribes.  In Luke, it is the scribes and Temple bureaucrats who are most responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus, not the pharisees.  (At the time Luke was written, c. AD 85, the pharisees were the only major tradition within Judaism to survive the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.)

A pharisee named Simon invites Jesus to dinner.  (Making sure we don't miss the point, Luke uses the word "pharisee" three times.)  As many commentators note, the meal appears to follow the general lines of the Greco-Roman "symposia" where dinner also features discussion of issues and sometimes lively debate.  (See Jerome Neyrey on meal customs of the time.)

The use of "behold!" signals an important moment.  A "woman who was in the city" is introduced.  She is also identified as a "sinner."  Then, as now, the expression conveyed the impression of forbidden sex.  Most likely, the woman was a prostitute, though this is not stated directly. 

Jesus appears to be in the town of Nain, which Luke had identified as a "city" in 7:11.  Nain was likely small and not really deserving of being called a "city."  Perhaps Luke called Nain a "city" so that the later-mentioned "woman who was in the city" might more easily be seen as a prostitute.  ("Woman of the town" doesn't have the same ring as "woman of the city.")  In any case, most prostitutes--then as now--were economically-coerced into prostitution.  They were among the "marginalized." 

The woman knew that Jesus was eating dinner in the home of Simon--how she "knew" is not stated.  She appears suddenly in the home--her actual entrance is not mentioned--and she is carrying an alabaster box containing perfume.  (Muron could also mean myrrh, but probably perfume is intended.)

The woman's intrusion provokes a religious and social crisis.  She has just barged into the home of a pharisee, yet that pharisee will consider her impure and unclean.  In her line of work, she has no doubt consorted with gentiles.  Her presence contaminates the gathering.  She clearly has crossed a significant social and religious boundary.  From the pharisaical point of view, she does not belong here.

...and she stood behind alongside his feet weeping.  The tears began to wet his feet, and she wiped (them with) the hair of her head.  And she was kissing his feet and anointing (them) with perfume.

This is a scene of great intimacy--shocking for that world, and quite foreign to ours.  "Her actions are emotionally charged and bold," says Tannehill (p. 135).  Moreover, there are lots of them--stood, weeping, wiped, kissing, anointing.  Two of these--"kissing" and "anointing"--are imperfect verbs, meaning continuous action.  Presumably, the woman is still doing these things as the story proceeds.

But when the pharisee who called him saw, he spoke in himself, saying, "This one, if he were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman (this is) who is touching him, that she is a sinner."

The crowds at Nain had already hailed Jesus as a "great prophet" (7:16), but Simon is not impressed.  He thinks to himself that Jesus can't be much of a prophet if he doesn't know certain things about certain people, such as whether or not they are sinners.  Simon specifically mentions that the woman "is touching" Jesus, which renders Jesus unclean.  (Jesus knows all this, of course, but could care less.)

And Jesus answered (and) said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  But he said, "Teacher, speak."  "A certain moneylender had two debtors.  The one owed 500 denarii, but the other fifty.  When they had nothing to give, he was gracious to both.  Which one of them will love him more?"  Simon answered (and) said, "I suppose whomever he graced the most."  And he said to him, "You have judged rightly."

Simon had been talking to himself, but Jesus answered him anyway--(not too bad for a guy who's not supposed to be a prophet)!  Note that Jesus addresses Simon, for the first time, by name.  This is because Jesus will soon make the point that the woman before them is not a category of person, but an actual human being.  As the woman is a human being and deserving of dignity, so is Simon.  Jesus will address him, respectfully and personally, by name.

Simons response is encouraging--"Teacher, speak."  He appears open.  Jesus then tells what is often called the "parable of the two debtors."  One debtor owed a huge amount, the other a much lesser (though still sizeable) one.  The two debtors are in the same boat--"they had nothing to give."  Nevertheless, the moneylender "was gracious to both" (exarisato).

Joel Green makes an important point.  The parable is quite confrontational, though subtle.  In the world of that time, hosting a dinner placed the guests in the hosts debt.  At some point, they will repay their hosts in like manner.  (One thinks of that line in the Godfather:  "Some day, and that day will never come, the Godfather will call on you for a service.")

Go around cancelling debts and what would become of the world?  The world is all about the purchasing and performance of services.  Joel Green:  "The cancellation of debts would denude relationships of their inherent dimensions of status discrimination and duress...the cancellation of debts would radically undermine the 'rules' governing interpersonal interaction" (p. 312).

Then, Jesus appears to shift gears.  He does not push the limits on the question of debt.  Instead, he asks which of the debtors will love the moneylender more.  The question shifts from debt to love.  Simon is being asked to view the woman not in terms of her "deficiencies" but rather in terms of her "capacities." 

Which one of the two debtors will love the moneylender the most?  Simon responds tentatively, but accurately, "I suppose whomever he graced the most."  So far, so good.

And he turned to the woman (and) was speaking to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  I entered into your house.  You did not give me water upon my feet, but she was my feet (with) tears and wiped (them with) her hair.  You did not give me a kiss, but she, since the time I came, has not stopped kissing my feet.  You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume.  For this reason, I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been released because she loved much, but to whom little has been released, that one loves little."  And he said to her, "Your sins have been released."

The story reaches its dramatic turning point--literally.  Jesus "turned to the woman and was speaking to Simon."  Imagine that.  Jesus was "reclined," which means they were sitting at a low table with their feet spread out behind and to the right.  Jesus "turned to the woman"--that is, behind and to his right--and "was speaking to Simon," who was probably about 120 degrees to his left.

"Do you see this woman?"  Jesus posture reflects his attitude.  He sees the woman, but Simon does not.  Jesus sees a human being--moreover, one in loving action--while Simon sees only a category of person, a "sinner," who renders others "unclean."

We are then given a series of contrasts.  The woman's actions are contrasted with Simon's.  We are now told, for the first time, that Simon's actions thus far have been some less than hospitable.  Apparently, Simon has received little grace in his life because he "loves little."  He does not even meet the basic standards of hospitality.

The woman does that and much more.  The woman's actions are exceptional for their extravagence.  She exceeds the minimum requirements.  She has "loved much" and she has done so as a result of being forgiven (apheontai, "released") much.  Her loving behavior emanates from freedom and grace. 

The woman's sins had already been forgiven prior to the story.  (Apheontai is a perfect passive--"have been released."  Egapesan--"loved"--is aorist.)  Her forgiveness is not as a result of her loving actions.  Rather, her loving actions are an expression of forgiveness.

And the ones sitting at meat with him began to say in themselves, "Who is this who releases sins?"  But he said to the woman, "Your trust has saved you.  Go into peace."

This turns out to have been a more hostile gathering than we had supposed.  Not only was the host inhospitable, but the other participants are revealed as people who worry about theological correctness while ignoring loving action. 

They are, however, careful not to grouse out loud.  They only "say in themselves," which is not protection at all since Jesus has already demonstrated that he can read Simon's thoughts and theirs aren't safe either, which is why Jesus lauds the woman a second time.  The woman didn't need to hear it.  The other diners do.

And it happened afterward, and he was going throughout every city and village, proclaiming and bringing good news of the kingdom of God, and the twelve together with him.  And certain women were healed from evil spirits and weaknesses--Maria, the one called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who were serving them out of their possessions.

Luke gives us a summary statement of Jesus' activity.  Jesus leaves Nain and goes throughout the region "proclaiming" (kerussown) and "bringing good news" (euanggelizomenos).  The twelve are mentioned for only the second time in Luke, and they are "together with him," along with "certain women."

Three are named:  (1)  Mary, "the one called Magdalene," which may mean that she is either from the town of Magdala, or that she was an especially distinguished woman; (2)  Joanna, the spouse of Herod's steward, which would have placed her in the upper social rank;  this would have been Herod Antipas, by the way, not Herod the Great;  (Antipas would prove to be a sworn enemy of Jesus), and (3) Susanna, about whom we know nothing.  These woman, "and many others," not only did some traveling with Jesus, but also helped pay the bills.  This would have been shocking in the first century middle east.