The Story of the Woman
HISTORIC GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH JUNE 11 & 12, 2016 THE FOURTH WEEKEND AFTER PENTECOST REV. THOMAS B. CHRISTELL, JR. PASTOR
Luke 7:36—8:3
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. 37 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. 38 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. 39 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." 40 Jesus 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. 42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?" 43 Simon 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. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore, 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." 48 Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" 50 And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
1 Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, 2 as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.
LET US PRAY, HEAVENLY FATHER HELP US TO ALWAYS BE READY TO HEAR YOUR WORD AND THEN ACT ON IT. GUIDE US TO THOSE PLACES WHERE PEOPLE NEED TO EXPERIENCE YOUR LOVE AND GRACE AND ALLOW US TO BE YOUR VEHICHLES TO ACCOMPLISH THAT. GRANT US THE POWER TO OFFER YOUR FORGIVENESS TO ALL WHO NEED IT AND THE ABILITY TO RECEIVE YOUR FORGIVENESS AS IT IS OFFERED TO US. WE PRAY THIS ALL IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST AND TOGETHER THE PEOPLE OF GOD SAY AMEN.
The story of the woman...
Who anoints Jesus...
Is a very familiar story in the Bible...
Perhaps a bit too familiar...
That being so...
I want to do something...
I usually reserve for Bible Study...
This story appears in Matthew, Mark, and Luke...
In Matthew and Mark...
It is basically the same story...
Placed at the same point in gospel...
Told for the same reason...
Luke places it at a different point in the narrative...
Has different people involved...
The woman takes different actions...
The outcome is different...
Luke’s purpose in telling it is unique...
So that we don’t start confusing...
Or accidently harmonizing all three...
I want us to take a quick look at this story...
As it comes to us...
In Mark and Matthew...
The setting is the home of Simon the Leper...
The woman brings an expensive gift...
A special ointment and pours it on Jesus’ head...
Some in attendance grumble at the waste...
Matthew specifically identifies the grumblers...
As the disciples...
They think the ointment should have been sold...
Using the money to help the poor...
Jesus responds to their complaints...
Stating that the unnamed woman...
Has a done a great service for Jesus...
Preparing him ahead of time for his burial...
Therefore in both Mark and Matthew...
This woman’s actions becomes...
The critical hinge as these two Gospels...
Turn to Holy Week and what follows...
At the end of the story Jesus declares...
What she has done will be told in remembrance of her...
Throughout the entire world forever...
The Luke account of Jesus’ anointing...
Is similar, but has some striking shifts...
Instead of leading to the crucifixion...
Luke has placed this incident...
Very early in the narrative...
Meaning that this story does not...
Prepare Jesus for his burial...
The cross is still a long way off...
The host of this dinner is identified...
By both name and religious order...
His name is Simon and he is a Pharisee...
Nothing is said of leprosy...
Another difference...
Is the identification of the woman...
In Matthew and Mark she has no name...
And only later praised by Jesus...
For her faithfulness...
Luke immediately tells us that she is a sinner...
Her final gift will be forgiveness of her sins...
Not the promise that she would be remembered...
Over the years...
Many scholars have tried...
To establish what her sins were...
Linking the listing of the women who supported Jesus...
Including Mary Magdalene to this passage...
It has led to the erroneous conclusion...
That Mary Magdalene was the sinful woman...
Her sin was that of prostitution...
There is no good scholarship...
That will support this...
We may just conclude that this woman...
Lived on the margins of society...
She was considered sinful by the powerful...
Simply because she was a woman...
Luke chooses not to identify the sins...
It being more important to show...
How Jesus continues to fulfill his ministry...
Reaching out to all people...
Especially those that society deems...
Untouchable or worse...
This woman is a social outcast...
It is that status that labels her...
More than her sins...
If we understand that...
Then what we have is the kind of person...
That Jesus usually tends to break bread with...
This unnamed woman boldly enters a place...
Filled with dangers for her...
Her courage stands in sharp contrast...
To the shoddy hospitality...
That the righteous Pharisee offered to Jesus...
The Pharisee thinks 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."
Jesus, as always, knows what the Pharisee is thinking...
Being quick to set him straight...
He tells the parable of the debtors...
One owing his creditor 10 times...
The amount of the other...
Jesus asks Simon which debtor...
Would love the creditor more...
To which Simon responds...
The one who owed the greatest amount...
Jesus tells Simon he got the answer right...
Then he begins to drop the other shoe...
"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. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore, 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."
As this other shoe drops...
We get a sense of Luke’s angle of vision...
On this story...
In order to receive the forgiveness that Jesus offers...
We must first accept that we are sinners...
We are sinners...
Just like this woman was a sinner...
The types of sins, really don’t matter to Jesus...
The recognition that our sins are real does...
The Pharisee did not treat Jesus as an honored guest...
Jesus was just not that important to the Pharisee...
The Pharisee had a nice house...
Jesus didn’t...
The Pharisee had a lot of money...
Jesus didn’t...
The Pharisee was very powerful in his community...
Jesus never sought that kind of power...
In short...
The Pharisee didn’t think...
Jesus had anything to offer the Pharisee...
The unnamed woman on the other hand...
Knew she was a sinful person...
She knew she had no standing...
So as to receive help from the community...
She knew that she was lost and alone...
She was well aware of what Jesus had to offer her...
So in great love for Jesus...
She shed her tears...
She washed his feet and dried them with her hair...
She continued kissing his feet...
Anointing them with oil...
She was showing Jesus how much she loved him...
She did not ask him for anything...
Yet her actions spoke volumes to Jesus...
They said...
I am a sinner...
I have not right to feel you love...
I deserve nothing from you...
I cannot pay you for anything you can give me...
The Pharisee didn’t think Jesus...
Could do anything for him...
The unnamed woman put all her trust in Jesus...
He knew what she was saying...
And simply said...
"Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
When we accept our short comings...
When we acknowledge that we are sinners...
When we realize we have no hope to save ourselves...
When we understand that it all lies upon...
Jesus Christ...
Our crucified and risen Savior...
When we know we are nothing without him...
Jesus comes also to us and says...
"Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
And that is when we say...
A M E N
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