Bible Study series: Luke 7:36-50. Jesus set her free from her past.
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I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Luke 7:36-50
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to dine with him. He went into the house of the Pharisee and reclined (at table). 37 And look! there was a woman in the town—a sinner! When she learned that he reclined (at table) in the house of the Pharisee, she brought an alabaster jar of aromatic ointment 38 and stood behind his feet and wept! She began to moisten his feet and dried them with the hair on her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the aromatic ointment.
39 When the Pharisee who invited him watched, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would perceive who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” 40 Then in reply, Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he said, “Teacher, speak.” 41 “Two men were debtors to a particular lender. One owed five hundred denarii, but the other fifty. 42 Since they did not have anything to repay, he canceled both debts. Which one of them then shall love him more?” 43 In reply, Simon said, “I suppose the one whose larger debt was canceled.” And he told him, “You have judged correctly.”
44 When he turned to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house, and you gave me no water for my feet, but she moistened my feet with tears and dried them with her hair! 45 You gave me no kiss of greeting, but from the moment I came in she has not ceased kissing my feet! 46 You did not anoint my head with olive oil, but she anointed my feet with aromatic ointment! 47 Thanks to this, I say to you that her sins which are numerous are forgiven, because she loved much. The one forgiven little loves little.”
48 He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The ones reclining (at table) began to say among themselves, “Who is this one who forgives sin?” 50 But he said to the woman. “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” (Luke 7:36-50)
Comments:
36:
This invitation from a Pharisee is remarkable. Is it a trap? Not quite, but almost. Other meals were offered in 5:29; 10:38; and 19:58. At each one the host was rebuked. The scene will offer another rebuke and life lesson. This scene will reenact the Great Reversal. Recall that Mary prophesied that the lowly would rise, and the great would fall (Luke 1:46-55), and Simeon predicted that this child (Jesus) would be appointed for the falling and rising of many (2:34).
The picture is a low-lying table, and everyone reclined at it, with their feet angling out from the table. So please don’t picture a modern dinner scene of a high table and everyone sitting in chairs. Even Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper is inaccurate.
“Pharisee”: for who they are, see my comments at vv. 28-30.
37-38:
Luke uses the command form of the verb to look or see. In the old days, it was translated “Behold.” I like the updated version. “Look!” He intends for us to pay attention to what is about to happen.
Clearly the sinful woman was a town prostitute. In the Great Reversal, she was about to rise in the kingdom of God, while the Pharisee was about to be swept aside by the same kingdom.
She came in and identified Jesus. She stood behind his feet that were angling out. All she had to do is kneel down behind them. The logistics was easy. Her boldness was not. She was not invited, but she went anyway. Excellent. Sometimes you have to be bold to get to Jesus, just as the woman with the issue of blood was bold (Luke 8:42-48).
The aromatic ointment must have been costly, so she made some money from her trade. It was contained in a flask of stone or glass. Expensive, again.
Only a scholar, who shall go nameless, would see something sexual going on here. No, she was repenting of her sins and doing the only thing she knew. Her inner love and repentance, invisible to us, preceded her actions, visible to us. She was giving everything she had, including her dignity, which she had lost by her trade. She could only hope that she was about to recover it by the forgiveness of sins. In any case, Luke goes into great detail about her actions. Undoing her hair would have been considered immodest by many. Kissing his feet would have been scandalous to many (like the scholar). But she didn’t care. She felt compelled to show her repentance and love and appreciation for his ministry.
39:
The Pharisee was being consistent with his training and character. He was concerned about purity laws, and she was an impure, sinful woman. A holy prophet would not allow this, Simon believed. In fact, a holy prophet would perceive who she was. No doubt she also had the “look” of a prostitute. The Greek reads with the “if” (if this man were a prophet) that Simon expected the answer that he was not a prophet.
We could ask how Simon knew she was a prostitute, implying that he was her customer! No, she was well known in the town. He was probably not her customer.
“sinner”: see v. 34 for more comments.
40:
The irony is that Jesus was a prophet because he perceived Simon’s thoughts. This is a word of knowledge. This gift means that the gifted person has knowledge that he could not have learned by himself. Jesus was God in the flesh, but he was also fully man, and the Spirit anointed him to exercise the gifts of the Spirit. The interplay between his divine nature, his human nature, and the anointing of the Spirit, as the Father guided his Son’s life, is unknown to us, except for tiny peeks into his ministry; the inner life of Jesus is little known to us. You can see more about Jesus’s discernment in Luke 5:20, 22; 6:8; 9:47; 11:17; 20:23.
2. Gifts of the Spirit: Word of Knowledge
41:
The short parable / illustration is clear enough. What is a parable?
Literally, the word parable (parabolē in Greek) combines para– (pronounced pah-rah and means “alongside”) and bolē (pronounced boh-lay and means “put” or even “throw”). Therefore, a parable puts two or more images or ideas alongside each other to produce a clear truth. It is a story or narrative or short comparison that reveals the kingdom of God and the right way to live in it and the Father’s ways of dealing with humanity and his divine plan expressed in his kingdom and life generally. The Shorter Lexicon says that the Greek word parabolē can sometimes be translated as “symbol,” “type,” “figure,” and “illustration,” the latter term being virtually synonymous with parable. Here you must see yourself in the parable.
The punchline reveals of this illustration reveals the meaning. “You have judged correctly” (v. 43). The one whose large debt is forgiven will leave the moneylender’s presence celebrating and feeling relieved more than the man who had the smaller debt—in general terms.
The verb “love” in this entire pericope or section (vv. 36-50) is the verb agapaō (pronounced ah-gah-pah-oh). BDAG, a thick Greek lexicon, says that the verb means, depending on the context: (1) “to have a warm regard for and interest in another, cherish, have affection for, love”; (2) “to have high esteem for or satisfaction with something, take pleasure in; (3) “to practice / express love, prove one’s love.” In most instances this kind love in Scripture is not gooey feelings, though it can be a heart-felt virtue and emotion, as we see in the first definition. Rather, mostly love is expressed by action.
Both the noun agapē (pronounced ah-gah-pay) and the verb mean a total commitment. For example, God is totally committed to his church and to the salvation of humankind. Surprisingly, however, total commitment can be seen in an unusual verse. Men loved darkness rather than light (John 3:19), which just means they are totally committed to the dark path of life. Are we willing to be totally committed to God and to live in his light? Can we match an unbeliever’s commitment to bad things with our commitment to good things?
Agapē and agapaō are demonstrative. This love is not static or still. It moves and acts. We receive it, and then we show it with kind acts and good deeds. It is not an abstraction or a concept. It is real.
It is transferrable. God can pour and lavish it on us. And now we can transfer it to our fellow believers and people caught in the world.
“denarii”: one denarius was worth a day’s wage for a farm laborer (Matt. 20:2-13), but even this valuation can be misleading, because farm labor was seasonal, during the harvests. So one denarius was precious.
But Bock, citing another commentator, says the amount of five hundred is middle class. Cicero, a Roman orator, made 150,000 denarii per year. Officeholders under August, 2,500-10,000 denarii per year, and procurators like Pilate, 15,000, 75,000 denarii per year. But for a woman like the one who barged into the dinner party, five hundred was extravagant.
42-43:
Simon answered correctly.
The word for canceling the debt is charizomai (pronounced kha-ree-zoh-my), and yes, it is related to the noun charis (pronounced khah-reese) or grace. It could be translated as “forgave.” The moneylender forgave their debts.
The two debtors were unable to pay back the loans, and the lender did something surprising. He forgave them. And all our debts of sin are unpayable before a thrice-holy God. But grace cancels our unpayable debts, although we do not deserve them to be canceled. God is love.
44-46:
Jesus’s tone was friendly, not hostile, towards Simon. This takes true character. I probably would have fumed or shown displeasure in some way.
Now we have the big contrast. Do you see “this woman?” No doubt he pointed at her or gestured with his hand in some way directly at her. Even though Simon lived in a large house, he did not show those common acts of hospitality. No doubt Simon was richer than his fellow townsmen, but he treated Jesus disrespectfully by not doing the things expected of him, socially. But she did, with her tears and hair and expensive ointment. In contrast, olive oil, no doubt perfumed, was less expensive. And Simon was unwilling to provide even the cheaper oil.
A kiss of greeting was cultural. Today, we don’t do that, though in Mediterranean cultures they still do. It may have been two cheeks side to side, without even touching. But the host should have initiated the kiss, whatever it was, and Simon did not.
The statement that she has not stopped kissing his feet is hyperbole (pronounced hy-per-bo-lee), which is extravagant exaggeration with a purpose, designed to show that her action was constant.
After the big contrast in vv. 44-46, the other verses will apply it our lives (vv. 47-50).
47-48:
Her “numerous sins” means that she had affairs with various men, whether locally or the ones passing through her town. She stood by the side of the road, as prostitutes do.
“sins”: it comes from the noun hamartia (pronounced hah-mar-tee-ah). A deep study reveals that it means a “departure from either human or divine standards of uprightness” (BDAG, p. 50). It can also mean a “destructive evil power” (ibid., p. 51). In other words, sin has a life of its own. Be careful! In the older Greek of the classical world, it originally meant to “miss the mark” or target. Sin destroys, and that’s why God hates it, and so should we. The good news: God promises us forgiveness when we repent.
“because she loved much”: does this clause mean that her love prompted or caused her forgiveness, or did his forgiveness cause her love? The Greek says her love caused his forgiveness. But the context says that her hospitality in a strange setting—not her house—were acts of repentance and love, and this prompts forgiveness from God. If a woman loves God, it is a sure sign that she repented from her old way of life, even though she may not have uttered the words, “I repent.” Her actions were motivated by her prior inner repentance and love, invisible to us who read her story. Only her actions are visible to us.
Stein has the right idea:
This statement about her forgiveness can be understood in one of two ways. (1) Because of what she had done, her sins were now forgiven. That is, because the woman loved much, her sins were as a result forgiven. (2) Because of what she had done, I can now conclude that her sins had in fact been forgiven. That is, the woman’s attitude (as revealed in her loving much) was evidence that she had experienced forgiveness. The second explanation fits better the last statement in this verse and the context provided by 7:29–30. Thus “therefore” is best understood as going with “I tell you” rather than the statement about her sins being forgiven. (comment on v. 47)
Let’s explore the issue a little more deeply in her case. Scholars debate how the woman knew Jesus was there and how she came to respond with such acts of contrition and humility. A few scholars speculate that Jesus ministered to her while he entered the town. He must have told her that she did not have to ply her trade (Bock, p. 704).
But I had always interpreted the story that his reputation of being a holy man anointed with the Spirit drew her to him. He was, after all, quite famous at this time. Renewalists believe that God’s glory and holiness radiates outward from an anointed person, like the glory and fire of God descending down in Solomon’s temple, when it was dedicated, though on a much smaller, individual scale (1 Kings 8:10-11; 2 Chron. 7:1-3). Jesus was the perfect container of the glory and holiness of heaven. It is called the anointing. He was the Anointed One. That’s why she did those acts of humility and hospitality, without her fully knowing who he was or meeting him before the dinner.
But maybe the other opinion is right. He had ministered to her before the dinner party. Maybe both options are true at this time in her life, as he walked into town and then reclined at table.
You decide.
“Forgiven” BDAG defines it with the basic meaning of letting go: (1) “dismiss or release someone or something from a place or one’s presence, let go, send away”; (2) “to release from legal or moral obligations or consequence, cancel, remit, pardon”; (3) “to move away with implication of causing a separation, leave, depart”; (4) “to leave something continue or remain in its place … let someone have something” (Matt. 4:20; 5:24; 22:22; Mark 1:18; Luke 10:30; John 14:18); (5) “leave it to someone to do something, let, let go, allow, tolerate.” The Shorter Lexicon adds “forgive.” In sum, God lets go, dismisses, releases, sends away, cancels, pardons, and forgives our sins. His work is full and final. Don’t go backwards or dwell on it. Clearly the most significant definition in this context is the second one. It means to forgive.
Please read these verses for how forgiving God is:
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Ps. 103:10-12)
And these great verses are from Micah:
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea. (Mic. 7:18-19, ESV)
In v. 48, the pronouncement is clear enough. Her sins were forgiven. See v. 47 (just above) for more comments on the word forgiven. This is not the divine passive, as if Jesus is speaking indirectly and is afraid to use the name of God. He himself forgives her sin. He himself has the authority to do this. That is Luke’s point (Stein, comment on v. 48).
49:
Of course the religious leaders reclining at table objected to his pronouncement of forgiveness of sins. Who is he to do such a thing? Jesus had already dealt with this question about the Son of man having authority to forgive sins, when he healed the paralytic who had been lowered down through the roof (5:22-26). He backed up his verbal claims—his words—that he could forgive sins by healing the man. Anyone can speak words about invisible things (sins being forgiven), but not just anyone can heal a paralytic, visible for all to see. Here, in these verses, the woman did not need physical healing, unless she had a sexually transmitted disease that we don’t know about, in which case “saved” includes healing. But that’s speculation.
She definitely needed her sins forgiven. The fact that the Pharisees and his friends were skeptical about Jesus’s authority to forgive sins indicates that only God can look down from heaven and forgive sins committed against him and his holy law. Here Jesus was the intermediary between his Father and her. He spoke for God. The people inside the story could not see that he was God in the flesh, though he spoke with divine authority. As noted, the Father and the Spirit—two persons of the Trinity—worked within Jesus in ways that we cannot fully understand in detail, though we can catch glimpses of it in verses like these.
“forgives”: see v. 47 for more comments about this verb.
50:
Faith and forgiveness of sins go together in Luke-Acts: Acts 3:19, 26; 5:31; 10:4; 13:28; 22:16; 26:18.
The Greek verb tense “has saved” reveals that she is now accepted by God. She can walk out of the house free from her past. Let’s look at the word more closely, since it is so vital to everyone on the planet, including you the reader.
“faith”: the noun is pistis (pronounced peace-teace or piss-tiss), and see v. 9 for more comments. In this verse she had saving faith, directed at Jesus.
It was her faith that saved her, not her actions. She had faith in him, which prompted her to show the acts of hospitality. Her faith was invisible, while her actions were visible. Let’s not get the sequence wrong. Have faith in Christ and his finished work on the cross. Then he will lead you to acts of repentance, or your faith will lead you to do works of repentance, as it happened to her.
Word Study on Faith and Faithfulness
“peace”: It speaks of more than just the absence of war. It can mean prosperity and well-being. It can mean peace in your heart and peace with your neighbor. Best of all, it means peace with God, because he reconciled us to him.
Do I Really Know God? He Is the God of Peace
In summary, the old Law of Moses had ambiguous commands about prostitutes. Lev. 21:9 says the daughter of a priest who turned herself into a prostitute shall be burned with fire, because she has shamed her priestly father. And v. 7 says that a priest shall not marry a prostitute. It does not say that she shall be put to death for being one and unconnected to priests. And Deut. 23:17 says that no one shall bring the fee of a prostitute into the house of the Lord. It does not say she shall be hunted down and executed for adultery. It is almost as if the prostitute was tolerated or recognized as part of ancient Israelite society, and apparently here too.
However, Jesus came to overturn the whole system and tell her that her sins were forgiven. She was free to live a better life.
And so the woman left with her sins forgiven, while Simon was exposed for who he was—a disrespectful, unforgiven Pharisee who was unable to see his own need for forgiveness. The Great Reversal came to this dinner banquet by the kingdom of God. Simon did not invite her into his house, but God invited her into his. She was unacceptable to Simon, but acceptable to God.
Finally, let’s discuss Jesus confrontation with this Pharisee.
As I noted in other chapters, first-century Israel was an honor-and-shame society. Verbal and active confrontations happened often. By active is meant actions. Here the confrontation is both verbal and acted out. Jesus forgave this sinful woman and allowed her to touch him. He won the actual confrontation, and this victory opened the door to his verbal victory with this religious leader who were binding people up with traditions. They needed to be loosed from them. Jesus shamed the leader to silence. He won. It may seem strange to us that Jesus would confront human opponents, because we are not used to doing this in our own lives, and we have heard that Jesus was meek and silent.
More relevantly, for many years now there has been a teaching going around the Body of Christ that says when Christians are challenged, they are supposed to slink away or not reply. This teaching may come from the time of Jesus’s trial when it is said he was as silent as a sheep (Acts 8:32). No. He spoke up then, as well (Matt. 26:64; Mark 14:32; Luke 23:71; John 18:19-23; 32-38; 19:11). Therefore, “silence” means submission to the will of God without resisting or fighting back. But here he replied to the religious leader and defeated him and his inadequate theology.
Get into a discussion and debate with your challengers. Stand toe to toe with them. In short, fight like Jesus! Of course, caution is needed. The original context is a life-and-death struggle between the kingdom of God and religious traditions. Get the original context, first, before you fight someone in a verbal sparring match. This was a clash of worldviews. Don’t pick fights or be rude to your spouse or baristas or clerks in the service industry. Discuss things with him or her. But here Jesus was justified in replying sharply to this oppressive religious leader.
When Jesus Used Harsh Language
GrowApp for Luke 7:36-50
1. The moneylender canceled two debts when he did not have to. The sinful woman was told to go in peace because her faith had saved her. How has Jesus forgiven your past? Did you respond with love for him? Peace? Tell your story.
2. The Pharisee objected to what the woman had been and done. Has any extra-religious church goer opposed you and the forgiveness of your sins? How did you respond to the skepticism?
RELATED
11. Eyewitness Testimony in Luke’s Gospel
3. Church Fathers and Luke’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES
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