Mark 14: 3-9

Luke 7: 36-50

In the first week of this series on the parables of Jesus, we looked at how the kingdom of God, or the realm of God if we want to use a more inclusive term, remained first and foremost in Jesus’ heart and mind, and we examined several parables he told to emphasize this. Last week, we looked at how Jesus used parables to challenge traditional imagery of what God’s realm would look like and to offer fresh images of his own. But Jesus did much more than just tell parables; he also lived them out. As we saw last week, Jesus not only told a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector but Luke also says, “Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to (Jesus). And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” (Luke 15: 1-2)

If there was a group in Jesus’ society that was lower than the despised tax collectors, it was women. That is why stories like the one we just heard from Mark’s gospel (14:3-9) are so radical because it is a woman who realizes who Jesus is while his closest male disciples are still trying to figure it out.

I want to shift our focus to a similar story that Luke tells. Whether it is a version of the same story or based on another incident is not clear. “One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And 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. She 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. Now 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.’” (Luke7: 36-39)

Before we look at Jesus’ response, let’s put this story in context. Last week I pointed out that the Pharisees were highly regarded and among the most respected people in first century Palestine. They were certainly among the most religious people of their day. Apparently, Simon the Pharisee knew Jesus by reputation, if not first-hand experience, and invited him to share a meal and further discussion in his home.

Jesus accepted the offer; he was never one to turn down a free meal. At such scenes in the Middle East in those days, and in some places even today, the doors were left open and the uninvited were free to wander in and overhear the conversation. Jesus and Simon and the other guests would have been in the center of the room, reclining on low couches for the meal, while curious onlookers gathered around the edges of the room to listen and, hopefully, be enlightened by their conversation. People arrived expecting a spirited discussion on some theological theme, maybe even a hot debate between Simon and this new challenger to his role as the theological expert in the community. But no one could have anticipated the startling, amazing, even shocking events that were to occur.

The chain of events began with Simon the host. It was not something Simon did; it was what he did not do. When Jesus came into Simon’s house, Simon offered none of the accepted rituals of welcoming a guest. In that culture, it was usual to receive a guest with a kiss on the cheek. In the case of a distinguished teacher, you might wait at the entrance and kiss his hands, showing deference. Once inside the house, the first thing that was attended to was washing of the guest’s feet. In a wealthy home, servants might have done this. Simon offered none of these things. These were glaring omissions and the room must have become electrified with tension. It was an open signal of confrontation, probably a claim to a much higher social position, or spiritual and intellectual superiority, likely even a sign of contempt.

Those watching this might have expected Jesus to turn and, thus insulted, leave the house immediately. Though Simon’s lack of hospitality was certainly clear to Jesus, as we shall see, he simply ignored it and took a place at the table anyway. If that episode sent ripples through the crowd, what happened next must have blown them out of the water.

Into this scene appears a certain woman. A nameless woman in the story, we are told only that she was a sinner in the city. She may have been a prostitute, but not necessarily so. The term “sinner” covered a wide variety of things, including adultery, or even having certain diseases. She was definitely not in Simon’s circle, but she had shown up in his home anyway because she knew Jesus was there. We do not know anything about her previous connection with Jesus but he must have had said or done something that touched her deeply so much so that it may have impaired her better judgment. Maybe it was gratitude, devotion, or just plain anger at the insulting way Jesus was treated upon entering. But in a room full of men hostile toward her, she knelt down behind Jesus at his feet, and began crying. And then she began to wet Jesus’ feet with her very tears.

In that culture, a woman did not touch a man in public. In fact, if a woman even accidentally touched a rabbi, religious law declared him unclean and unable to go into the Temple until he went through a ritual cleansing. Jesus should have stopped her before she touched him, but he did not. And as shocking as that must have been, the next move was a knockout. She let down her hair, and with her hair she dried his feet. In that culture, such a tender gesture in public display would have been totally inappropriate. Remember the old Hollywood movies, when something was still left to the imagination, when after a long romance, the heroine would be alone with her lover. Then she loosened her hair, and it fell cascading across her shoulders and down her back, and the camera faded out. Some things don’t change in thousands of years; it’s just as true in most parts of the Middle East today. This intimate gesture of letting down her hair was something a woman would do only alone with her husband. It was a profound symbol of intimacy.

If that were not enough, she still wasn’t finished. She then began to literally cover his feet with kisses. Folks, this is getting way too sensual! Finally, after what must have seemed forever to the stunned onlookers, she anoints his feet with an expensive ointment. It was a first-rate scandal, front-page news for the Jerusalem national Inquirer.

Next week photographs of this scene would be glaring out from the magazine racks by the checkout counters in markets all over the city. But as for Jesus, it seems he just reclined there and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I imagine things were quiet, very quiet when the woman finished, everyone waiting expectantly for the next move. The mood was broken finally by Simon. We are told he spoke aloud to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him for she is a sinner.” In the Greek, the form of the word Simon uses for touching also can mean literally “to light a fire.” And he no doubt deliberately chose it, thus implying sexual overtones to their behavior. In other words, if Jesus were a prophet he would have known whom this woman was and would have been thoroughly disgusted at her intrusion into their circle, would have reprimanded her, and had her removed.

But instead of scolding the woman we are told that Jesus instead turned to Simon. “Simon, I have something to say to you,” his voice firm and determined. “Speak, Teacher,” was the reply, Simon’s voice heavy with sarcasm. And then Jesus did what he so often did in the midst of conflict—he told a parable.

Jesus said, “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?”

Suddenly, to his surprise Simon is pressed with a question, and sensing that he is about to be trapped, answers very tentatively. “I suppose, the one who was forgiven more.” “You are right,” Jesus says. And then comes one of those high moments of drama recorded in the New Testament. Jesus turns to this woman and while looking gently and lovingly at her, rebukes his host, one of the most respected men in that city, “Simon, do you see this woman?” (Luke 7: 44a)

Wow, what a question. Simon do you see this woman? It was a rhetorical question, really, for Simon had not been even slightly moved by what may have been one of the most courageous, spontaneous, and sincere acts of gratitude and love that he had ever witnessed. But in Simon’s world, she was secure in her place. He saw perfectly well who she was. He knew her, and repentance and restoration for people like her was not a possibility.

But in Jesus’ world, strange and mysterious things could happen. Those that owed enormous debts could be forgiven, and Jesus had just witnessed a woman who had realized this and was enormously grateful. Jesus accepts her expressions of love knowing full well from the grim faces around the room that her actions were being misunderstood. What Jesus saw was a woman who had experienced grace.

Jesus is not through with Simon. “Simon, do you see this woman? I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.” (Luke 7: 44-46)

In a Middle Eastern world dominated exclusively by men, pointing out that a despised woman has made up for the shortcomings of a leader of the religious community, and strongly rebuking him sitting at his own table with his best friends looking on, will get you in some serious trouble. And, if what he said was not enough, look at how he said it. Jesus does not even bother to look at Simon and instead faces the woman as he speaks. Unbelievable!

But Jesus still isn’t through. What he says next will get everyone there even more stirred up. Jesus said, “For this reason I tell you that her sins, her many sins, must have been forgiven her, or she would not have shown such great love. It is the one who is forgiven little who shows little love.” (Luke 7: 47)

This is outrageous! Jesus is going too far now, declaring this woman to be more capable of offering love than Simon. Everyone must have been staring at Simon to see how he would deal with this humiliation. But Jesus was still looking at the woman: “Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Whether Jesus had ever seen her before or not, her public display of affection and thanksgiving affected him deeply that day. And I even wonder if her actions might not have been in the back of Jesus’ mind on the evening of his last supper with the disciples when he followed her example and washed their feet. Regardless of how she may have changed him, we know that Jesus changed her.

I’m reminded of the haunting words sung by Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ, Superstar. “I don’t know how to love him, what to do, how to move him; I’ve been changed, yes really changed. In these past few days when I’ve seen myself I seem like someone else.” Such may have been her thoughts, but in the story the woman never speaks a single word aloud, as if words were totally inadequate to describe her experience of grace.

When Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven,” this was just too much for just about everyone in the room. “But those who were with him at the table began to mumble angrily to themselves, ‘Who is this man, that he even forgives sins?’” (Luke 7: 48-49)

Jesus can’t get away with this, can he? One of our main questions in this series is, “How is it possible to bring together the teacher who spoke in parables and the subversive who threatened the ruling powers of his day?” (Bill Herzog) Here we see yet another example of Jesus creating the realm of God. But this is dangerous business. Did he not realize it could even get him killed?

But as most of those in Simon’s house mumbled angrily among themselves, Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7: 50) It’s a sure bet that most of the people mumbling angrily were men. But this incident must have affected the women who witnessed it and heard about it in another way altogether. It is worth noting that the next story in the gospel of Luke is about how many women joined Jesus and his male disciples. In fact, we are told that it was women who provided for Jesus and them out of their resources as Jesus went on through cities and villages bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. (See Luke 8: 1-3.)

When you look at this and other stories about Jesus’ relationship with women, only one conclusion is possible. Any situation in a culture and especially in any church where women are not full and equal participants does not reflect the realm of God.

As this particular story ends, we do not know Simon’s final reaction. Remember Jesus’ parable was about two debtors. Though one did not own nearly as much as the other, both of their debts were cancelled. I believe Jesus entered into Simon’s house despite his rudeness because he knew Simon needed to experience forgiveness and grace even if he did not know it yet.

We do not know this story’s ending, what happened to Simon or the woman. In a sense, it doesn’t matter for we are the ending. Remember the parables are “not portraits of other people but mirrors to help us see ourselves more honestly.” (John Claypool) Once upon a time in the house of Simon, Jesus told a parable of God’s forgiveness and two peoples’ response to God’s great love. Their story is finished. As for you and me, my fellow debtors, we shall see. We shall see.