Today’s author is Prince of Peace member, Gary Olson.
Please read Luke 7:36-50.
There are three people in this story:
Simon, who was a Pharisee. Pharisee’s were a group of, mainly, laymen in Judaism who were concerned that the rites, rituals and traditions of the faith be kept. I think of them as the accountants of faith practices. Jesus and the Pharisees had much conflict. In this story, Simon invites Jesus to his home for a meal, so Simon might have been a Pharisee who was open to Jesus’ teachings but still unsure about him.
The Woman. She came uninvited because she wanted to be near Jesus. I’ve read that many houses in that day had patio-like entrances so it was easy for her to crash the party. The woman is called “a sinner.” We are not told what her sin or sins were. We tend to imagine they were of a sexual nature but it could also be she had not been faithful to the laws of Judaism—and there were many. We just don’t know why she was unacceptable to Simon and others. She is labeled a sinner which means she was separated, not welcome in the synagogue community.
Then there is Jesus whom I believe is the incarnate presence of God.
The Woman went behind Jesus at the level of his feet. She started washing his feet with her hair and using her hair like a towel to dry them. Then she took out a jar of ointment and anointed his feet with it. She was lavish, she went overboard to show her gratitude and love to Jesus. The washing of feet was a common practice of welcome to guests in Israel. Simon did not welcome Jesus in that way. The “sinner,” the woman, did and more.
The question becomes, “Who is acceptable in God’s community(God’s Kingdom)?”
I think of my Mother every time I read this story. Mom lived a troubled life. She was 18 and my Father was 17 when I was born. They weren’t ready for a child. Their “necessary” marriage lasted about four years. Circumstances and Mom’s poor decisions made her life difficult. I won’t go into detail. But you know how people say that in their youth they sowed their wild oats? Well, Mom sowed her wild oats into her fifties. She was not acceptable to some in my Father’s family. She was looked down upon by some in the small town in which we lived.
Then, something I don’t know happened. She became very involved in the church. She served on the Worship Planning Team for a long time. She was on a couple of Call Committees searching for pastors. She served for many years on a town committee which planned events and food drives for senior citizens. She was a teachers’ aid in the elementary school helping students read and learn their arithmetic. The kids called her “Grandma Lyla.” “The kids love her” one teacher told me.
You would have loved her too.
Mom never told me what happened to lead her into a new way of living except to say, “God loves me and Jesus helps me.”
In my mind’s ear I can almost hear Jesus saying, “Her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love.” And, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”
And also with us. Jesus’ words of acceptance in God’s family apply to us, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.” Also, go, let God’s love show through you.