Forgiving Debts
Preaching
Preaching the Parables
Series II, Cycle C
Object:
36One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he
went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table.
37And 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. 38She 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. 39Now 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." 40Jesus 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. 42When they could not pay,
he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will
love him more?" 43Simon 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. 45You gave me no kiss, but from
the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You
did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet
with ointment. 47Therefore, 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." 48Then he
said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49But those who were at
the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this
who even forgives sins?" 50And he said to the woman, "Your faith
has saved you; go in peace."
1Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bring the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, 2as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.
Two of the most difficult practices which emerge in Jesus' ministry are forgiveness and gratitude. A frequent charge against Jesus was that he preempted the prerogative of God when he presumed to forgive sins. It is difficult to know which is the harder thing to do: to forgive another or to forgive oneself.
Lavish expressions of gratitude for acts of forgiveness are rare. Persons do not like to admit their indebtedness. If we owe someone gratitude for something that he has done for us, we feel dependent upon that person. Adults are reluctant to acknowledge such dependency since independence is considered a mark of maturity.
Both forgiveness and gratitude emerge in the setting of the parable.
Context
Context of the Lectionary
The First Lesson. (1 Kings 21:1-10 [11-14] 15-21a) The account is the incident when Ahab wanted to have a vegetable garden adjacent to his house. When Naboth, the owner of the garden, refused to allow him to have it, Ahab became depressed. His wife Jezebel then conspired to have Naboth falsely accused of blasphemy and stoned to death. Ahab then took possession of the garden. Contrary to David, who was forgiven when he used a similar stratagem to get rid of Uriah, Ahab is condemned to punishment by Elijah.
The Second Lesson. (Galatians 2:15-21) Paul contrasts the attempts to receive justification under the law with justification by faith. The Christian is justified by vicariously being crucified with Christ and now living by faith in the Son of God.
Gospel. (Luke 7:36--8:3) The incident when Jesus was invited to the house of Simon the Pharisee for a meal and the woman intrudes to wash Jesus' feet with her tears is the occasion for the parable. Jesus describes two debtors with a large disparity between what they owed. Jesus uses the forgiveness of the debts and the corresponding gratitude of the debtors to make a point with Simon. It is also an opportunity for Luke to report about the number of women who accompanied Jesus and the twelve disciples.
Psalm. (Psalm 5:1-8) The psalmist offers a plea for acceptance by God. He pledges to celebrate the abundance of God's steadfast love by worship before God in the temple. The psalm has both the implication of forgiveness and the response of gratitude.
Context of the Gospel Lesson
Luke places the parable in a setting immediately following an encounter with the disciples of John the Baptist. John wonders about Jesus' mission since Jesus did not follow the ascetic practices of John. Jesus claims the test of his ministry is not in a life in the wilderness but in the followers he produces. His eating with people usually avoided by the strict religious leaders sometimes led to the accusation that Jesus was a glutton and winebibber.
Luke turns to the occasion where Jesus has a meal with the Pharisee Simon. At the feast a woman who was apparently well- known as a prostitute intrudes on the meal and begins to show gratitude to Jesus by washing his feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair. Simon concludes that Jesus was not a prophet or he would not let such a morally unclean woman behave that way.
Jesus responds with a parable and a rebuke of Simon. It also leads Luke to note that women were part of the company that traveled with Jesus in his itinerant ministry.
Context of Related Scripture
1. On feetwashing, see John 13:1-10 where Jesus washed the disciples' feet when they had neglected this common courtesy.
2. See John 2:24-25 where Jesus knew what was in persons. That contradicts Simon's assumption that Jesus was not a prophet because he did not know what kind of persons he was associating with.
3. On forgiveness of debts:
Matthew 6:12; Luke 11:4 -- The Lord's Prayer on forgiving debts.
4. On other healings and peace:
Mark 5:34; Luke 8:48
Luke 5:21-26 -- Forgiving sins and healing the paralytic.
5. 1 Peter 4:8 -- Love covers a multitude of sins.
6. Mark 14:9 -- Women anointing Jesus' body after the crucifixion as an act of devotion and gratitude.
7. Mark 14:3-9; Matthew 26:6-13 --A similar story of a woman anointing Jesus' feet in Bethany.
8. Luke 11:37; 14:1 -- Two other occasions when Jesus ate with Pharisees.
Content
Content of the Pericope
The pericope is made up of three components:
1. Luke 7:36-40 -- the meal with Simon the Pharisee where a woman shows up and begins to bathe Jesus' feet with her tears and to wipe them with her hair. Simon rebukes Jesus for allowing this kind of woman to perform such an act. Jesus responds by offering Simon a story.
2. Luke 7:41-50 -- Jesus tells the parable of the two debtors and applies it as a counter rebuke to Simon.
3. Luke 8:1-3 -- Luke reports the further itineration of Jesus with the twelve disciples and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities. The implication probably is that these women also showed devotion and love to Jesus.
Precis of the Parable
A man had two men who owed him money. One owed him $1,000 and the other owed $100. The debtors ran into trouble and could not repay their debts. The wealthy man forgave both of them and wrote off the debts. Jesus then posed the question as to which of them would be the more grateful and love the wealthy man the more.
Thesis: The greater the debt forgiven, the more grateful the debtor feels.
Theme: The greater our sense of being forgiven, the more deeply we should be committed to following Christ.
Key Words in the Passage
1. "A Woman in the City." (v. 37) The place is uncertain but the context suggests that it was in the neighborhood of Galilee and some speculate that it was at Nain. A later similar event (Mark 14:3-9; Matthew 26:6-13) occurred in Bethany in Judea.
2. "A Sinner." (vv. 37, 39) The obvious implication is that she was a prostitute.
3. "Stood Behind Him at His Feet." (v. 38) The custom at the time was for persons to recline on low couches at a table to eat. The meals were not private affairs. People who were not invited to eat would wander in and stand behind the persons reclining at the table. Beggars might hope for some handout from the persons eating or pick up scraps tossed to the floor by the invited guests. Jesus' feet would probably be extended behind the person to his right and so be available to the uninvited woman.
4. "Kissing His Feet." (v. 38) This act would signify both deep humility and gratitude. To be at a person's feet would also indicate subservience to the person.
5. "Anointing Them with the Ointment." (v. 38) The woman made a thank offering as an expression of gratitude. She probably experienced forgiveness as a consequence of his earlier preaching to the multitudes. Anointing was usually done on the head rather than on the feet. It was an expression of honor to a guest.
6. "Prophet ... Teacher." (vv. 39, 40) Simon probably used these titles with a touch of sarcasm. Such expressions were seen by the early church as ironic because they were considered by Christians as unconscious tributes to Jesus' true status.
7. "Five Hundred Denarii ... Fifty Denarii." (v. 41) A denarii was the equivalent of a day's wages for a common laborer. Today's equivalent would probably be the pay for eight hours times the minimum wage. Thus the total would be somewhere around $170-200 for fifty denarii and $1700-2000 for 500 denarii.
8. "Gave Me no Water for my Feet." (v. 44) Common courtesy for an honored guest would require the host to provide water to wash away the dust from the feet of the traveler. The fact that Simon did not extend the usual courtesies to Jesus would mean that he considered Jesus an inferior.
Contemplation
Issues and Insights
1. Is the Woman Mary Magdalene? In an article by Jane Schaberg ("How Mary Magdalene Became a Whore" in Bible Review, Volume VIII, No. 5 [October, 1992], pp. 30-37, 51-52) the identification of Mary Magdalene with the woman who was a prostitute is questioned. Mary Magdalene is one of the women whom Luke mentioned as cured of infirmities and evil spirits and then accompanies Jesus during his ministry. She shows up elsewhere, especially as the first person to witness the resurrection. Jane Schaberg believes that Mary Magdalene should not be identified as a whore.
2. Penitence and Gratitude. The story does not tell us clearly how and when the woman was forgiven. Her acts of anointing and kissing Jesus' feet are not interpreted as acts of penitence. Rather, they are reported as acts of love and gratitude to Jesus.
Forgiveness of sins does not require the payment of a debt. It is not a bookkeeping transaction. It is an act of grace. The obedience of a person to Christ as Lord is not that of a bound slave. It is a joyous response to the freedom from the guilt that we carry from the past. It is the status of freedom from those habits and motives that previously enslaved us in sin.
3. Can You Measure Forgiveness? The parable and the contrast between the woman who was a sinner and Simon the Pharisee seems to suggest that forgiveness can be quantified. Do persons have to engage in gross and grievous sinning to appreciate God's forgiveness fully?
Is it a question of how bad the sin is that is forgiven? Or is it rather a question of the degree to which we recognize our true condition? Was Simon so much better than the woman, or was it that he was too ready to assume that he deserved God's blessing because of his own goodness? Do persons lack the sense of gratitude because they do not recognize that they are forgiven by God's love and grace?
4. Simon's Evaluation of Jesus. Simon's assumption that Jesus would know what kind of a person the woman was may have hidden in it the assumption that he knew what kind of a person Jesus was. We need to examine our own assumptions about who we think Jesus was and who Christ is to us today.
Some see Jesus as an extraordinary human being. Some see him as a "trickster" who appeared to perform miracles but only knew how to manipulate certain psychological mechanisms that made him look like a magician. Some see him as so empowered by God that he was not really a human being. Therefore he is not a model for us since we do not have his unique powers as a Son of God.
How persons evaluate Jesus, what they assume about what they know about his nature will affect how they respond to him. It will also influence what they think of the nature of God and the possibilities of human nature.
5. The Role of Women. The participation of women in Jesus' retinue along with the twelve may indicate that they had a larger role in Jesus' mission and ministry than people generally think. They were not as prominent as the men who were with Jesus, but the term for what they did is the root word for deacons. Was their role restricted because of the particular culture of the time, or does their role represent a permanent state of subservience to a lesser role in the church and society? How definitive is the example of what women did as reported in the gospels? Does a changing understanding of the status and rights of women in today's world give us a truer understanding of their role in the church?
It is clear that the status of women as equal in the church was far better than was typical in the world generally when the church was born.
Homily Hints
1. Three Characters. (vv. 36-50) Trace the essential differences among the main persons in the pericope.
A. Simon -- The Accuser
B. The Woman -- A Grateful Sinner
C. Jesus -- The Forgiver
2. How To Define a Person? (vv. 36-50) How do we evaluate persons from the perspective of Christ?
A. Doing -- Simon defined the woman from what she did, a prostitute.
B. Being -- Jesus defined the woman according to her worth as a person needing forgiveness.
C. Becoming -- The woman responded in gratitude to Jesus' forgiveness and received a blessing of peace.
3. The Dimensions of Forgiveness. (vv. 41-50) Who is involved in the process of forgiveness?
A. Related to the Offended. Seek forgiveness from the one to whom debt is owed.
B. Related to Self. The debtor has to accept forgiveness for self before it is complete. Sometimes that is the hardest part of forgiveness.
C. Related to God. Ultimately persons need to confront and deal with a loving God.
4. Good News of the Kingdom. (vv. 1-3) What is the good news?
A. Grace Offered
B. Gratitude as Response
C. Ailments Healed
D. Resources Shared
5. The Role of Women. The unsung supporters of Jesus' ministry.
A. As Living Witnesses. They were walking examples of the power of Christ.
B. Courageous Companions. Note how the women stay at the cross and go to the tomb when the twelve betrayed and fled.
C. Forgiven and Giving. They shared their resources.
Contact
Points of Contact
1. With Whom Identify? Three sets of three may be noted in the pericope. The first is the three people at the meal: Jesus, Simon the Pharisee, and the woman of the city. The second set of three is the creditor, the large debtor, and the small debtor. The third is in the verses that talk about Jesus, the twelve, and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities.
People can look for themselves in any of the three in each set. If they have a depth encounter with Christ they may see their life as Jesus living in them. If they see themselves as Simon, the lesser debtor, or the twelve before the transforming power of the resurrection, they may tend to think they deserve privilege and place in the church and society. If they identify with the woman of the city, the greater debtor, or the women cured, they may be more likely to show love and devotion in their service to Christ and his church.
2. A Thank Offering. The woman of the city brought an alabaster box of anointment to pour over Jesus' feet. It was an expensive gift of love and devotion. Jesus did not require it of her. She did it as a spontaneous thank offering.
A response of offerings to the church may be viewed in many ways. A frequent complaint heard is that the church is always asking for money. A stale cliche about preachers is that they never pass up an opportunity to take an offering.
If the church is truly the body of Christ and persons have experienced the power of forgiveness and peace that the woman of the city experienced, offerings would not be given reluctantly and at times sullenly. They would come as joyous acts of love and devotion, a thank offering of the heart.
3. Love and Faith. The love of the woman for Jesus came from the experience of grace given. The devotion of the women who accompanied Jesus started with their healing. The love comes from some experience of the power of Christ in a life. Faith and following him came as a consequence. Love and faith are sequential but they are also inseparable. If love comes, faith should follow.
4. Internal and External Cleansing. The woman washed the feet of Jesus. That was an act of external cleansing. Simon was concerned that he or Jesus would be contaminated by contact with the woman who was a sinner in his estimation. People often expect that baptism will somehow accomplish a magical cleansing because of the external application of the water.
True cleansing of a life is not the result of external applications. It does not depend on what happens to the outside of a person. It depends on what happens internally. The real cleansing of life occurs when the Holy Spirit is active within to change motivation which leads to a change of behavior.
Jesus could be pure despite his contact with the woman who had been a sinner. Simon, who held himself detached from her, may have been less than pure because of his internal attitude. So persons are not dependent for purity by what is outside of them. They depend upon the life of Christ that is within them.
5. Walking with Jesus. Those who have had their sins forgiven and been cured of their evil spirits and infirmities will be ready to walk with Jesus. They may not have to go about itinerating as the twelve and the women did. They will seek to understand where he would go and what he would do if he were present in their place today. They will then seek to follow and walk with him as a real presence in daily life.
Illustrative Materials
1. Divinity and Forgiveness. To err is human, to forgive is divine. We need the imparting of the spirit of Christ to enable us to proffer the grace of forgiveness to others.
2. Forgive and Forget. People often ask how they can forget the wrong. We cannot induce a kind of amnesia for events that have happened. What is needed is a new relationship that acts as though the wrong done was forgotten.
3. The Measure of Gratitude. A person who held a prominent and responsible position recently retired. He has expressed the feeling that he did not receive the recognition due for his long period of service and accomplishments for a church-related organization. The failure to show gratitude to persons who have served us in the past often hurts in a way that is hard to ask for forgiveness. A student wrote to a faculty member years after benefiting from her teaching. That was worth more to the teacher than much of the meager salary she had earned during the depression years in a small church-related college.
4. Blame or Problem-Solving. An error in a mailing list offended some members of the organization. When the administrator went to talk to the person in charge of the mailing list, the person immediately became defensive. It was not the person's fault, but even if it was in part, the administrator suggested that he was not trying to assess the blame. What he was doing was looking for a way to correct the system so that the error was not likely to occur again. Immediately the person came up with some suggestions as to how to improve the system and then went to work to make the necessary changes. A lot of energy would have been lost if the attempt had been to place the blame rather than seeking the solution.
5. Bankruptcy and Forgiveness. The parable rests on a personal relationship between the creditor and debtors. How different from today when the relationship is impersonal and set by law and judicial decisions. Corporate raiders buy control of a company. They proceed to milk it of its financial resources. They then let the company go into bankruptcy without concern for who must pay the debts. The amounts are much larger than what is told in the parable. Not much forgiveness or gratitude is found in the legal as opposed to a personal relationship.
1Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bring the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, 2as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.
Two of the most difficult practices which emerge in Jesus' ministry are forgiveness and gratitude. A frequent charge against Jesus was that he preempted the prerogative of God when he presumed to forgive sins. It is difficult to know which is the harder thing to do: to forgive another or to forgive oneself.
Lavish expressions of gratitude for acts of forgiveness are rare. Persons do not like to admit their indebtedness. If we owe someone gratitude for something that he has done for us, we feel dependent upon that person. Adults are reluctant to acknowledge such dependency since independence is considered a mark of maturity.
Both forgiveness and gratitude emerge in the setting of the parable.
Context
Context of the Lectionary
The First Lesson. (1 Kings 21:1-10 [11-14] 15-21a) The account is the incident when Ahab wanted to have a vegetable garden adjacent to his house. When Naboth, the owner of the garden, refused to allow him to have it, Ahab became depressed. His wife Jezebel then conspired to have Naboth falsely accused of blasphemy and stoned to death. Ahab then took possession of the garden. Contrary to David, who was forgiven when he used a similar stratagem to get rid of Uriah, Ahab is condemned to punishment by Elijah.
The Second Lesson. (Galatians 2:15-21) Paul contrasts the attempts to receive justification under the law with justification by faith. The Christian is justified by vicariously being crucified with Christ and now living by faith in the Son of God.
Gospel. (Luke 7:36--8:3) The incident when Jesus was invited to the house of Simon the Pharisee for a meal and the woman intrudes to wash Jesus' feet with her tears is the occasion for the parable. Jesus describes two debtors with a large disparity between what they owed. Jesus uses the forgiveness of the debts and the corresponding gratitude of the debtors to make a point with Simon. It is also an opportunity for Luke to report about the number of women who accompanied Jesus and the twelve disciples.
Psalm. (Psalm 5:1-8) The psalmist offers a plea for acceptance by God. He pledges to celebrate the abundance of God's steadfast love by worship before God in the temple. The psalm has both the implication of forgiveness and the response of gratitude.
Context of the Gospel Lesson
Luke places the parable in a setting immediately following an encounter with the disciples of John the Baptist. John wonders about Jesus' mission since Jesus did not follow the ascetic practices of John. Jesus claims the test of his ministry is not in a life in the wilderness but in the followers he produces. His eating with people usually avoided by the strict religious leaders sometimes led to the accusation that Jesus was a glutton and winebibber.
Luke turns to the occasion where Jesus has a meal with the Pharisee Simon. At the feast a woman who was apparently well- known as a prostitute intrudes on the meal and begins to show gratitude to Jesus by washing his feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair. Simon concludes that Jesus was not a prophet or he would not let such a morally unclean woman behave that way.
Jesus responds with a parable and a rebuke of Simon. It also leads Luke to note that women were part of the company that traveled with Jesus in his itinerant ministry.
Context of Related Scripture
1. On feetwashing, see John 13:1-10 where Jesus washed the disciples' feet when they had neglected this common courtesy.
2. See John 2:24-25 where Jesus knew what was in persons. That contradicts Simon's assumption that Jesus was not a prophet because he did not know what kind of persons he was associating with.
3. On forgiveness of debts:
Matthew 6:12; Luke 11:4 -- The Lord's Prayer on forgiving debts.
4. On other healings and peace:
Mark 5:34; Luke 8:48
Luke 5:21-26 -- Forgiving sins and healing the paralytic.
5. 1 Peter 4:8 -- Love covers a multitude of sins.
6. Mark 14:9 -- Women anointing Jesus' body after the crucifixion as an act of devotion and gratitude.
7. Mark 14:3-9; Matthew 26:6-13 --A similar story of a woman anointing Jesus' feet in Bethany.
8. Luke 11:37; 14:1 -- Two other occasions when Jesus ate with Pharisees.
Content
Content of the Pericope
The pericope is made up of three components:
1. Luke 7:36-40 -- the meal with Simon the Pharisee where a woman shows up and begins to bathe Jesus' feet with her tears and to wipe them with her hair. Simon rebukes Jesus for allowing this kind of woman to perform such an act. Jesus responds by offering Simon a story.
2. Luke 7:41-50 -- Jesus tells the parable of the two debtors and applies it as a counter rebuke to Simon.
3. Luke 8:1-3 -- Luke reports the further itineration of Jesus with the twelve disciples and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities. The implication probably is that these women also showed devotion and love to Jesus.
Precis of the Parable
A man had two men who owed him money. One owed him $1,000 and the other owed $100. The debtors ran into trouble and could not repay their debts. The wealthy man forgave both of them and wrote off the debts. Jesus then posed the question as to which of them would be the more grateful and love the wealthy man the more.
Thesis: The greater the debt forgiven, the more grateful the debtor feels.
Theme: The greater our sense of being forgiven, the more deeply we should be committed to following Christ.
Key Words in the Passage
1. "A Woman in the City." (v. 37) The place is uncertain but the context suggests that it was in the neighborhood of Galilee and some speculate that it was at Nain. A later similar event (Mark 14:3-9; Matthew 26:6-13) occurred in Bethany in Judea.
2. "A Sinner." (vv. 37, 39) The obvious implication is that she was a prostitute.
3. "Stood Behind Him at His Feet." (v. 38) The custom at the time was for persons to recline on low couches at a table to eat. The meals were not private affairs. People who were not invited to eat would wander in and stand behind the persons reclining at the table. Beggars might hope for some handout from the persons eating or pick up scraps tossed to the floor by the invited guests. Jesus' feet would probably be extended behind the person to his right and so be available to the uninvited woman.
4. "Kissing His Feet." (v. 38) This act would signify both deep humility and gratitude. To be at a person's feet would also indicate subservience to the person.
5. "Anointing Them with the Ointment." (v. 38) The woman made a thank offering as an expression of gratitude. She probably experienced forgiveness as a consequence of his earlier preaching to the multitudes. Anointing was usually done on the head rather than on the feet. It was an expression of honor to a guest.
6. "Prophet ... Teacher." (vv. 39, 40) Simon probably used these titles with a touch of sarcasm. Such expressions were seen by the early church as ironic because they were considered by Christians as unconscious tributes to Jesus' true status.
7. "Five Hundred Denarii ... Fifty Denarii." (v. 41) A denarii was the equivalent of a day's wages for a common laborer. Today's equivalent would probably be the pay for eight hours times the minimum wage. Thus the total would be somewhere around $170-200 for fifty denarii and $1700-2000 for 500 denarii.
8. "Gave Me no Water for my Feet." (v. 44) Common courtesy for an honored guest would require the host to provide water to wash away the dust from the feet of the traveler. The fact that Simon did not extend the usual courtesies to Jesus would mean that he considered Jesus an inferior.
Contemplation
Issues and Insights
1. Is the Woman Mary Magdalene? In an article by Jane Schaberg ("How Mary Magdalene Became a Whore" in Bible Review, Volume VIII, No. 5 [October, 1992], pp. 30-37, 51-52) the identification of Mary Magdalene with the woman who was a prostitute is questioned. Mary Magdalene is one of the women whom Luke mentioned as cured of infirmities and evil spirits and then accompanies Jesus during his ministry. She shows up elsewhere, especially as the first person to witness the resurrection. Jane Schaberg believes that Mary Magdalene should not be identified as a whore.
2. Penitence and Gratitude. The story does not tell us clearly how and when the woman was forgiven. Her acts of anointing and kissing Jesus' feet are not interpreted as acts of penitence. Rather, they are reported as acts of love and gratitude to Jesus.
Forgiveness of sins does not require the payment of a debt. It is not a bookkeeping transaction. It is an act of grace. The obedience of a person to Christ as Lord is not that of a bound slave. It is a joyous response to the freedom from the guilt that we carry from the past. It is the status of freedom from those habits and motives that previously enslaved us in sin.
3. Can You Measure Forgiveness? The parable and the contrast between the woman who was a sinner and Simon the Pharisee seems to suggest that forgiveness can be quantified. Do persons have to engage in gross and grievous sinning to appreciate God's forgiveness fully?
Is it a question of how bad the sin is that is forgiven? Or is it rather a question of the degree to which we recognize our true condition? Was Simon so much better than the woman, or was it that he was too ready to assume that he deserved God's blessing because of his own goodness? Do persons lack the sense of gratitude because they do not recognize that they are forgiven by God's love and grace?
4. Simon's Evaluation of Jesus. Simon's assumption that Jesus would know what kind of a person the woman was may have hidden in it the assumption that he knew what kind of a person Jesus was. We need to examine our own assumptions about who we think Jesus was and who Christ is to us today.
Some see Jesus as an extraordinary human being. Some see him as a "trickster" who appeared to perform miracles but only knew how to manipulate certain psychological mechanisms that made him look like a magician. Some see him as so empowered by God that he was not really a human being. Therefore he is not a model for us since we do not have his unique powers as a Son of God.
How persons evaluate Jesus, what they assume about what they know about his nature will affect how they respond to him. It will also influence what they think of the nature of God and the possibilities of human nature.
5. The Role of Women. The participation of women in Jesus' retinue along with the twelve may indicate that they had a larger role in Jesus' mission and ministry than people generally think. They were not as prominent as the men who were with Jesus, but the term for what they did is the root word for deacons. Was their role restricted because of the particular culture of the time, or does their role represent a permanent state of subservience to a lesser role in the church and society? How definitive is the example of what women did as reported in the gospels? Does a changing understanding of the status and rights of women in today's world give us a truer understanding of their role in the church?
It is clear that the status of women as equal in the church was far better than was typical in the world generally when the church was born.
Homily Hints
1. Three Characters. (vv. 36-50) Trace the essential differences among the main persons in the pericope.
A. Simon -- The Accuser
B. The Woman -- A Grateful Sinner
C. Jesus -- The Forgiver
2. How To Define a Person? (vv. 36-50) How do we evaluate persons from the perspective of Christ?
A. Doing -- Simon defined the woman from what she did, a prostitute.
B. Being -- Jesus defined the woman according to her worth as a person needing forgiveness.
C. Becoming -- The woman responded in gratitude to Jesus' forgiveness and received a blessing of peace.
3. The Dimensions of Forgiveness. (vv. 41-50) Who is involved in the process of forgiveness?
A. Related to the Offended. Seek forgiveness from the one to whom debt is owed.
B. Related to Self. The debtor has to accept forgiveness for self before it is complete. Sometimes that is the hardest part of forgiveness.
C. Related to God. Ultimately persons need to confront and deal with a loving God.
4. Good News of the Kingdom. (vv. 1-3) What is the good news?
A. Grace Offered
B. Gratitude as Response
C. Ailments Healed
D. Resources Shared
5. The Role of Women. The unsung supporters of Jesus' ministry.
A. As Living Witnesses. They were walking examples of the power of Christ.
B. Courageous Companions. Note how the women stay at the cross and go to the tomb when the twelve betrayed and fled.
C. Forgiven and Giving. They shared their resources.
Contact
Points of Contact
1. With Whom Identify? Three sets of three may be noted in the pericope. The first is the three people at the meal: Jesus, Simon the Pharisee, and the woman of the city. The second set of three is the creditor, the large debtor, and the small debtor. The third is in the verses that talk about Jesus, the twelve, and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities.
People can look for themselves in any of the three in each set. If they have a depth encounter with Christ they may see their life as Jesus living in them. If they see themselves as Simon, the lesser debtor, or the twelve before the transforming power of the resurrection, they may tend to think they deserve privilege and place in the church and society. If they identify with the woman of the city, the greater debtor, or the women cured, they may be more likely to show love and devotion in their service to Christ and his church.
2. A Thank Offering. The woman of the city brought an alabaster box of anointment to pour over Jesus' feet. It was an expensive gift of love and devotion. Jesus did not require it of her. She did it as a spontaneous thank offering.
A response of offerings to the church may be viewed in many ways. A frequent complaint heard is that the church is always asking for money. A stale cliche about preachers is that they never pass up an opportunity to take an offering.
If the church is truly the body of Christ and persons have experienced the power of forgiveness and peace that the woman of the city experienced, offerings would not be given reluctantly and at times sullenly. They would come as joyous acts of love and devotion, a thank offering of the heart.
3. Love and Faith. The love of the woman for Jesus came from the experience of grace given. The devotion of the women who accompanied Jesus started with their healing. The love comes from some experience of the power of Christ in a life. Faith and following him came as a consequence. Love and faith are sequential but they are also inseparable. If love comes, faith should follow.
4. Internal and External Cleansing. The woman washed the feet of Jesus. That was an act of external cleansing. Simon was concerned that he or Jesus would be contaminated by contact with the woman who was a sinner in his estimation. People often expect that baptism will somehow accomplish a magical cleansing because of the external application of the water.
True cleansing of a life is not the result of external applications. It does not depend on what happens to the outside of a person. It depends on what happens internally. The real cleansing of life occurs when the Holy Spirit is active within to change motivation which leads to a change of behavior.
Jesus could be pure despite his contact with the woman who had been a sinner. Simon, who held himself detached from her, may have been less than pure because of his internal attitude. So persons are not dependent for purity by what is outside of them. They depend upon the life of Christ that is within them.
5. Walking with Jesus. Those who have had their sins forgiven and been cured of their evil spirits and infirmities will be ready to walk with Jesus. They may not have to go about itinerating as the twelve and the women did. They will seek to understand where he would go and what he would do if he were present in their place today. They will then seek to follow and walk with him as a real presence in daily life.
Illustrative Materials
1. Divinity and Forgiveness. To err is human, to forgive is divine. We need the imparting of the spirit of Christ to enable us to proffer the grace of forgiveness to others.
2. Forgive and Forget. People often ask how they can forget the wrong. We cannot induce a kind of amnesia for events that have happened. What is needed is a new relationship that acts as though the wrong done was forgotten.
3. The Measure of Gratitude. A person who held a prominent and responsible position recently retired. He has expressed the feeling that he did not receive the recognition due for his long period of service and accomplishments for a church-related organization. The failure to show gratitude to persons who have served us in the past often hurts in a way that is hard to ask for forgiveness. A student wrote to a faculty member years after benefiting from her teaching. That was worth more to the teacher than much of the meager salary she had earned during the depression years in a small church-related college.
4. Blame or Problem-Solving. An error in a mailing list offended some members of the organization. When the administrator went to talk to the person in charge of the mailing list, the person immediately became defensive. It was not the person's fault, but even if it was in part, the administrator suggested that he was not trying to assess the blame. What he was doing was looking for a way to correct the system so that the error was not likely to occur again. Immediately the person came up with some suggestions as to how to improve the system and then went to work to make the necessary changes. A lot of energy would have been lost if the attempt had been to place the blame rather than seeking the solution.
5. Bankruptcy and Forgiveness. The parable rests on a personal relationship between the creditor and debtors. How different from today when the relationship is impersonal and set by law and judicial decisions. Corporate raiders buy control of a company. They proceed to milk it of its financial resources. They then let the company go into bankruptcy without concern for who must pay the debts. The amounts are much larger than what is told in the parable. Not much forgiveness or gratitude is found in the legal as opposed to a personal relationship.
