When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
When the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is — that she is a sinner.” Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said.
“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven — as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:36-50
“In addition to describing a confrontation of Jesus with the self-righteousness of the host, the account also depicts Jesus’ bridging of the gaps of social, religious, and ethical exclusivism by his association with outcasts and sinners. The story in Luke 7:36-50 makes explicit what is implicit elsewhere, namely, that in each case Jesus’ relationship with the outcasts is to be understood as an enactment of the “forgiveness” or “release” in which those persons are restored to their place in the community. The bonds that are broken with Jesus’ advent are the bonds that deprived people of a place in their society. Such periscopes echo the Jubilee images of “return” to God found in Leviticus 25 as well as those in Isaiah 61 that point to liberation from captivity and celebration of God’s eschatological reign, now recognized as present in Jesus.”
Sharon H. Ringe in Jesus, Liberation, and the Biblical Jubilee: Images for Ethics and Christology (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2004) 71.
I’ve spent the weekend at the annual meetings for the Institute for Biblical Research and the Society of Biblical Literature, hence the new header photo. In looking at texts in the Gospels that champion Jubilee, this one in particular reveals God’s generosity as we see Jesus creates space for outcasts to return to community.
Imagine the scene: reading it feels like we are attending a dinner party with Jesus. He was invited by an unnamed Pharisee. The OT Law stated plainly that the host makes provision for the washing of the feet of the guests. Failure to do so showed unfriendliness (Genesis 18:4; 19:2; 24:32; 43:24; Judges 19:21). So notice that not only does the religious leader (whom we would expect to sort this important detail) not do it, a woman walks in with a less than virtuous reputation, wets them with her tears, wipes them with her hair, kisses them, and pours perfume on them.
The irony of this scene is compounded by Luke’s record of the thoughts of the Pharisee. How would Luke know this to record it for us? We can’t say with certainty. Perhaps it’s in there to hold up a mirror for us. Maybe we too are like the Pharisee, who clearly was guilty of picking and choosing what aspects of the OT Law he would follow. I know in my own journey I have been guilty of following gospel teachings that fit in our modern cultural settings but don’t match the radical teachings of Jesus. That said, Jesus welcomes all who return to Him.
The timing of this post is perfect as we approach Thanksgiving in America. When our generosity exhibits the justice and righteousness of Jubilee, we help people return to community and, in response, they are profoundly grateful! We release them from labels and stereotypes and we begin to realize our own issues in the mirror of the Word.