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Spring Quarter: Examining Our Faith
Unit 2: The Measure of Faith
Lesson 8: Week of April 21, 2024
By Dr. Hal Brady
Lesson Scriptures: Luke 7:36-39, 44-50
Key Verse: Luke 7:50
Lesson Aims
- Identify what “saved” the woman.
- Compare and contrast the mindset of Jesus, the Pharisee, and the woman.
- Evaluate his or her own mindset in light of those three.
Introduction
According to the lesson’s writer, the smiley face killer (so called because of notes he sent to the police) was a self-appointed vigilante. As depicted in the TV documentary series “Forensic Factor,” he seemed determined to put an end to prostitution in his town by murdering those who engaged in that immoral trade. By the time this otherwise ordinary citizen was caught, he had murdered 13 women.
The investigation into the murders was initially hampered because there wasn’t much concern from the general public over the fate of missing prostitutes. In the first place, few people noticed that the women were missing. Second, most people seemed to view prostitutes as the dregs of society.
Today’s text features a law-abiding citizen and a sinful woman who both met the merciful Savior. Jesus’ interaction with them reveals an important link between forgiveness and love.
Lesson Context
Just prior to the events of today’s lesson, Luke summarized two viewpoints toward Jesus that had emerged. Those viewpoints are revealed by reactions to John the Baptist. On the one hand, “All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John” (Luke 7:29).
On the other hand, the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejects God’s purpose for they had not been “baptized by John” (Luke 7:30). Rejection of John the Baptist, the Christ forerunner (Luke 1:15-17; 3:1-20), meant rejecting the Christ as well (Matthew 17:12). This set the stage for a contrast between those who held these polar-opposite viewpoints.
As an oversimplification, we can see the tax collectors as a demographic that represented the first view. These Jews had chosen to work with the Romans to extract taxes from their fellow Jews, thereby earning great scorn as collaborators. Tax collectors could become wealthy by overcharging taxes (see Luke 19:2).
The Pharisees, by contrast, can be seen as primary representatives of the second viewpoint. Pharisees advocated strict and scrupulous observance of the Law of Moses. Over time, this resulted in human traditions being added to that law. See Jesus’ critique of this fact in Matthew 23:1-36 and Mark 7:1-23.
The first-century Jewish historian Josephus estimated that there were only about 6,000 Pharisees throughout the Roman empire. Perhaps no more than a few hundred lived in the Villages of Galilee. Yet they exerted an influence out of proportion to their number, as witnessed by their being mentioned about 100 times in the New Testament. (By contrast, Sadducees are mentioned only 14 times).
Today’s lesson takes us to an early point in Jesus’ ministry when things had gotten serious enough for Pharisees to come from “every village” of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem to investigate him (Luke 5:17). The nearest example up to the point of today’s lesson is Jesus having been in the village of Nain, about 25 miles southwest of Capernaum (7:11). Combining that fact with information in Luke 8:1, 22, and 26, we conclude that a village in Galilee was the location of today’s lesson.
Three People
(Luke 7:36-39)
This is one of three times in Luke that “Jesus was” invited to a meal at the home of a Pharisee (see Luke 11:37; 14:1). On whether the Pharisee’s invitations included other guests see 7:49.
The motive behind the invitations seemed to be that of scrutinizing Jesus more closely, noting any violations of the Law of Moses as interpreted by the Pharisees. In so doing, they were asking the wrong question of themselves. That question was: “Is Jesus on the side of truth, as we know it?” But their question should have been: “Are we on the side of truth as Jesus is witnessing it?”
Where the NRAV says that Jesus “took his place at the table,” the Greek says he “reclined.” Jews had adopted the Greco Roman practice of eating a formal dinner or banquet while reclining on couches with the head next to the table and the feet sticking out. That is why the woman can approach Jesus’ feet. Her actions are emotionally charged and bold. She enters a home where she is not welcome, disrupts the banquet, and publicly behaves with improper intimacy.
Since Jesus is a public figure, the door to this meal likely remains open so that interested people can enter, sit on edge of the room, and hear the discussion. The rebuke in verse 39 is not because the woman has come to the meal, but because she did not stay on the sidelines.
The fact that the woman, only identified as a sinner, has brought a jar of ointment shows that she has planned to anoint Jesus—a sign of her love (see Luke 7:47). That act reflects great sacrifice for such perfume was costly. If she used Nard, for example, the cost would be about 300 denarii a pound, an average person’s annual wage.
As the woman stood weeping behind Jesus, she began to wash his feet with her tears. In a spontaneous act, she let down her hair and began to wipe the tears from Jesus’ feet and then anointed them with the perfume. As I mentioned, the woman’s act expresses love and gratitude, but it also violated social conventions. Touching or caressing a man’s feet could have sexual overtones, as did letting down her hair in public. Moreover, the woman was known to be a sinner. Assuming she was unclean, she would have made Jesus unclean by touching him. The sinner has, therefore, created a scene at the Pharisee’s dinner, and he is scandalized. But how will he respond? And how will Jesus respond? In the Pharisee’s eyes, the woman’s act represents a challenge both to his honor and to Jesus’!
The scandal factor of the situation was multiplied by the fact that the roman “lived a sinful life.” Such a reputation probably suggests (but does not require) that the woman was a prostitute. Prostitution and prostitutes are mentioned about 100 times in the Old Testament and a dozen times in the New Testament.
Identities of local prostitutes were likely well known since the activities of such persons could not be secret for long in small villages. If the woman was indeed a prostitute, it explains why the Pharisees was scandalized that Jesus would not recognize her as a “sinner.” The pharisee himself recognized her immediately.
The Pharisee’s unspoken thoughts condemned both the woman and Jesus (contrast Luke 7;16). The Pharisee reasoned from a certain presupposition that he wouldn’t allow to be overturned: if Jesus doesn’t fit the Pharisee’s idea of how a prophet should conduct himself, then Jesus can’t be one. Jesus was thought to have carelessly allowed the woman’s touch. Again, the Jews’ understanding of what made them unclean was often tied to touching (example: Numbers 4:6; 19:11). In general, touching anything considered unclean made the teacher unclean as well (see Isaiah 52:11; Haggai 2:13). Pharisees were obsessed with the avoidance of anything unclean on violations of the Law of Moses. This woman was the living embodiment of everything they warned against. The contrast between the woman, who expresses her love for Jesus, and the Pharisee who views her with disdain could hardly be sharper.
In the verse not included in today’s lesson (Luke 7:40-43), Jesus told Simon a parable about a money lender pardoning debtors. While Jesus turns to the woman, he still speaks to Simon, but he is getting ready to make the parable a reality.
Question! When have you been reduced to tears in Jesus’ presence?
Different Actions
(Luke 7:44-50)
An awkward situation ensued: Jesus “turned toward the woman,” but his words were for the Pharisee. We also learn that the Pharisee’s name was Simon, a common Jewish name. The use of the name is a sign that the conversation is moving to a more personal level. It also helps the audience to think of the man as an individual and not just as another Pharisee.
Next, Jesus uses a parable which can provide an imaginative bridge leading hearers to judge a situation from a new angle. Jesus asks Simon to make a judgment about the two debtors in the parable (v. 43, not in our text today) testing to see if Simon agreed so far. Then Jesus turns back to the woman whom Simon called a sinner and asks him to look at her again: “Do you see this woman?” (v.44). Simon addressed Jesus as “teacher” in verse 40, and since that time Jesus had acted as teacher. But the woman can also be Simon’s teacher, if he is willing. From here he can learn about the powerful love that comes from forgiveness.
Jesus now gives a series of contrasts between the treatment he received from the woman and from Simon. The narrator has withheld, until this climactic point, both Jesus’ reaction to the woman’s striking behavior and information about Simon’s reception of Jesus. At this point, Jesus makes three contrasts between the woman’s reception of Jesus and Simon’s.
Foot-washing was a centuries-old cultural practice (Genesis 18:4; 19:2; 43:24; etc.) It was an act of hospitality for guests in one’s house. Footwear of the era did not keep dust and dirt out. Walking on unpaved roads resulted in feet getting filthy quickly, thus the experience of the foot washing courtesy—or at least providing water and a towel for the guest to do the foot-washing himself. Yet Simon had not even provided those to Jesus! Simon’s actions were cold and calculated; both he and Jesus knew it. What a contrast to the woman, whose actions were those of spontaneous gratitude.
As difficult as it may be for us to understand the ancient cultural practice of foot-washing, understanding the significance of a kiss (v.45) is scarcely any easier. The missing “kiss” at issue here would have been an expression of greeting and welcome, customarily offered by a host to his guest (see Luke 15:20; compare Romans 16:16; contrast Luke 22:47-48). As with the absence of foot-washing water, the lack of a kiss indicates something less than full acceptance of the host.
The kissing of “feet” rather than the cheek was not a part of hospitality expectations, but its presence here shows the woman’s humility and her desire to serve Jesus.
To kiss feet eagerly indicates total devotion. The one whose feet are worthy of being kissed is special. It’s certainly uncomfortable to display affection in a way that breaks cultural norms unless the esteem of the object of one’s love requires it, as the woman in this story reveals.
Question! Has there ever been a time when your level of devotion to Jesus caused you to exceed your “embarrassment threshold” in an act of loving service to him?
To offer one’s “head” to be anointed “with oil” (v.46) also seems strange to us, something we would never expect when visiting a friend’s house. But this, too, was a gesture of hospitality in first-century Palestine. The practice communicated favor (see Psalms 23:5; Ecclesiastes 9:8). Simon had withheld this level of courtesy as well.
The oil to which Jesus referred was olive oil, the multipurpose liquid used for cooking, fueling lamps and medicinal purposes. By contrast, the woman anointed the feet of Jesus with “perfume” from her alabaster container. This might have been Nard oil, which was highly prized and expensive in Palestine—much more so than household olive oil. The contrast of anointing the feet rather than the head demonstrated the great humility of the woman. Her actions were unsolicited.
Question! How does your hospitality honor Jesus?
The crux of this story is in verse 47. There’s the fact that the woman has taken extra steps to greet Jesus. But there is a reason for her love—her many sins now stand forgiven. The one who is forgiven little, on the other hand, loves little. To understand Jesus’ point, the parable and his remarks must be put together. According to the parable (verses 41-43, not in today’s text), the basis of love is a previously extended forgiveness that produced a response of love. So, Jesus indicates that the woman’s actions reflect her experience of forgiveness from him. The Lord’s declaration to her and forgiveness of sins serves to confirm what the parable has already indicated.
Important! The woman’s loving act is evidence that she has been forgiven much. By implication, the woman’s preparation in bringing the alabaster flask in the first place suggests that she has experienced acceptance and forgiveness prior to this event. So, did the woman love because she had been forgiven or was she forgiven because she loved Jesus? I think the lesson points to the former—the woman loved because she had been forgiven.
At the end of the scene Jesus turns to the woman showing that he is not just concerned with Simon, for whom the woman can provide a lesson, but also with the woman herself. Jesus’ statement in verse 48, “your sins are forgiven” may be puzzling at this point, for the story assumes that the woman’s grateful love shows her previous experience of forgiveness.
Nevertheless, reassurance of forgiveness may be important, since the woman must face people who share Simon’s negative attitude. Jesus also speaks about her faith (v.50). As in Luke 5:10-20, faith was demonstrated in bold action.
Now, this is not the first time that Luke records controversy resulting from Jesus’ forgiving “sins.” In the story of a paralyzed man of lesson 6, Jesus both healed the man and pronounced his sins to be forgiven. The audience of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were outraged. But they spoke better than they knew with their rhetorical question, “who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Luke 5:21).
Similarly, Simon and his other guests in today’s lesson are startled by Jesus’ declaration. The pronouncement of forgiveness of sins in both texts forces a choice on the religious leaders: if Jesus indeed had the power to forgive sins, then he is God-in-the-flesh. But if Jesus did not have such power, then he was guilty of blasphemy.
In verse 56, Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
The story ends with a final two-part word from Jesus to the woman. First, he clarifies the underlying reason for her forgiveness: her “faith” which is the source of her love. By devoting herself to Jesus, she has yielded her heart to him in repentance.
Second, Jesus telling her to “go in peace” reminds us of his words to a sinful woman caught in adultery. After that woman’s accusers left the scene, Jesus said to her, “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11). Neither woman would have found peace if they had departed only to resume lives of sin.
Conclusion
Simon’s viewpoint was one of complete rejection of the sinful woman, thinking of himself more highly and being confident of his own righteousness (compare Luke (18:9-14).
But Simon was not completely sinless. As a student of the Law of Moses, he should have realized, as the Pharisee Paul did, that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23; compare Acts 23:6). Another way to look at it is to imagine a survey being taken in Pharisee Simon’s village. The survey question is, “Who needs to be forgiven, Simon or the immoral woman?” The villagers would predictably respond overwhelmingly to “the immoral woman.” But this is really a trick question since it presents a false choice. It is not a matter of “either/or,” but one of “both/and.” They both needed to be forgiven of sin. They both needed a humble faith that would bring them to God with hearts full of love. They both needed to follow Jesus, love God, and serve others. The tragedy of this story is that only one of these people left the banquet forgiven. Simon’s apparent pride in seeing himself superior to the woman blocked any realization of needing forgiveness.
No question, Christians are to flee from sin and obey God. We show our love for God when we keep his commandments (1 John 5:2-3). But does this justify us when we reject and condemn those who struggle with sin? Are sinners welcome in our fellowship if they are seeking to love Jesus? Or must they cleanup their sinful lives before the enter the doors of our church? Jesus taught that even the vilest of sinners can be forgiven if they turn to him in faith and love. So, are we willing to follow him in his love for sinners and help them as they strive to follow Jesus, however imperfectly?
I’d like to close with this. Someone has said that there are three great witnesses remaining in the world to show humankind the Savior. And God is depending on these three witnesses to get His message of salvation and forgiveness to the world.
First, the Bible! It is God’s love letter to the human family. William Gladstone observed, “There is only one great issue and that is to get the truth of the Bible into the hearts of the people.”
Second, the church! The thousands of church buildings which span our communities are testimonies themselves to the world that God loves humankind. That he leads his followers to provide places for worship, study, fellowship and ministry. Yes, of course, the church is God’s serving community expressing His love to everybody.
Third, this is the witness of the committed – the forgiven, and agents of forgiveness! The late Thomas Merten, one of our great Christian thinkers, has said that the purpose of the indwelt life is to be a place God has chosen for his presence, his manifestation to the world. “And you will be my witness,” Jesus said (Acts 1:8).
Action Plan
- How do you guard against both excessive pride in your own efforts and debilitating awareness of your sin?
- If Jesus told you to “go in peace,” how would that impact your daily activities?
- What makes a good dinner guest?
Resources For This Lesson
- “2023-2024 NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, International Sunday School Lessons,” pages 289-296.
- “Abingdon New Testament Commentaries Luke” by Robert C. Tannehill, pages 234-138.
- “The NIV Application Commentary Luke” by Darrell L. Bock, pages 201-204.
- “The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume IX Luke/John,” by Alan Culpepper pages 169-170, 172.
Dr. Hal Brady is a retired pastor who continues to present the Good News of Jesus Christ and offer encouragement in a fresh and vital way though Hal Brady Ministries (halbradyministries.com).
