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One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's home and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's home, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. 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. 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 a woman this is who is touching him -- that she is a sinner." Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he replied, "Speak." "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." "You have answered rightly." Then turning toward the women, 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. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 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." Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." But those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Theme


The book of Genesis says that men and women were created in the image and likeness of God. A moment's reflection reveals the overpowering nature of this statement. We were created in God's likeness through absolutely no effort on our own or any merit that we possessed or would one day gain. God created us in his image, though incomplete, through his unbounded love. Since God first loved us, there is in the human psyche a need to return at least something to God. Our response to God's love, forgiveness, and action in our lives is integral to the Christian life and forms the framework within which we live our common vocation to holiness. Through our actions God is manifest to a world sorely in need of the divine presence.

Spiritual Food For The Journey


At holiday times, such as Christmas and Easter, it is quite common to send out cards to family members, friends, neighbors, and colleagues at work. Sometimes we are invited to someone's home for a party or another festive event. Often people make out lists to assure that no one is left off the card or invitation list. It seems, however, that no matter how hard we try it is inevitable that people are omitted by accident. Some are intentionally not part of our list, for a host of reasons. Then, as surely as the sun rises each day, we receive cards and/or invitations from those not on our list. How do we respond? The reactions of people to this situation will vary, but many people almost instinctively want to respond. We can send a spare card or, if necessary, go to the store and purchase one. We make certain that the person who invited us receives an invitation in return.

Responding to the kindness of others is a natural human reaction. When people have been good to us we want to be good to them in return. This is true not only in the exchange of greeting cards and invitations; people desire to respond in kind on all levels and in all situations. If we have been visited by a neighbor in the hospital we feel a strong pull to reciprocate should the situation present itself. If we have been assisted by an individual, social service agency, or church group it seems only natural to want to give back, whether it be volunteer service, monetary contributions, or simply our presence or prayers. Humans have a need to respond in love when they are first loved.

Since we are made in God's image this desire to respond to the goodness and kindness of others is instilled in us by God. It should be no surprise, therefore, that we have a burning need to give some of what we have been given to others, including God. Obviously there is nothing we can give God that the Lord does not already possess, but we need to respond to God. The Lord has provided all we have in a material sense and many intangible gifts, such as faith, love, mercy, and forgiveness, as well. We must return through service, prayer, time, or talent something to God and God's people. The privilege of bearing the name Christian comes with the price tag of responsibility. Let us consider our response to God's manifest love, which was first shared with us and now seeks to return to its source, the Father of us all.

Application Of The Parable To Contemporary Life

Sermon Openings
1. Traveling along Massachusetts Route 24, which connects Fall River to Boston, you will pass a blue water tower that proclaims Brockton, Massachusetts, "The City of Champions." The sign refers to an earlier period in the city's history when it proudly boasted boxing champions Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler as favorite native sons. Like many cities, Brockton has recently suffered setbacks to its downtown district. The problems of urban America are no stranger to Brockton, but the city still is a place of champions, only the name and focus have changed.

Brockton is the home base for "My Brother's Keeper" a service organization which aides the poor, distressed, and marginalized in society. Social service agencies are common in our land due to the legions of problems that exist, but there is something special about "My Brother's Keeper" that makes it a true champion, a true patron of the human spirit. The main function of this agency, organized a decade ago by Jim and Terry Orcutt, is to provide used but serviceable furniture to those who have a need. Over the years "My Brothers Keeper" has expanded its operation from a family garage to a full warehouse and from furniture to household necessities and food.

Why is "My Brothers Keeper" a champion among social service agencies? Many organizations provide similar service and assist those in need. "My Brothers Keeper" is a champion not so much for what it does, although that is significant and noteworthy of itself, but how it performs its ministry to God's people. Totally volunteer, even the president receives no compensation, and run completely on donations, "My Brother's Keeper" delivers furniture, household items, and food in the name of Christ. When a delivery is made the individual or family serviced receives a crucifix. The volunteer presents the crucifix and says, "This is the man who gave you the furniture. We are only the delivery people."

The message of "My Brother's Keeper" is powerful and the response it elicits is equally significant. The Orcutts organized this ministry in response to what God had given to them. Now after ten years of service to others, the message of giving back is reaching those who have been touched by this agency of faith. "My Brother's Keeper" has hundreds of volunteers, many of whom were previously assisted by the organization. The need to return time, service, expertise, or material possession is clearly present in these people. The goodness of the Lord, manifest in the kindness and ministry of God's people, has now come full circle and been returned to its source.

The ministry and especially the attitude present in "My Brother's Keeper" makes it a champion. This same attitude of giving back to the Lord was in the mind of the woman who washed Jesus' feet and anointed them. She had been forgiven much and thus responded with an act of love. We are challenged to do likewise.

2. From all observable signs Simon Burch had little to offer the world. When he was born he was so small that doctors were amazed that he survived, but Simon Burch would spend his life amazing others. He never fully matured physically, standing just over three feet tall as a young teenager. Simon's parents rejected him; his father considered him an embarrassment. He was not allowed to participate with other children in much of anything. His small size kept him a spectator for most sports and when he was allowed to join a team he "rode the bench" as the substitute who never played. He was ridiculed by all, even his Sunday school teacher.

Simon did not receive a fair shake in life by the standards of most people. His small stature, uncaring parents, and the almost constant torment he received from his peers would have been the ruin of most, but not Simon Burch. Simon believed that he had been blessed by God. He had faith and believed that one day God would allow him to do something great, to give back to the God who had given him his life, as difficult as it was. Simon did not look on life as a negative, despite all the obstacles that he was forced to negotiate. He believed life and the faith he had received were great privileges that required his response. He communicated his belief to his best friend and his mother, the only two who believed that Simon was special.

Simon found the opportunity to give back, to respond to the world which most might have thought so cruel to him, but which Simon, using his eyes of faith, found so beautiful. One winter weekend Simon went with his classmates to a church retreat held in a rural countryside cabin. On the way home from the event the bus carrying the children went out of control, ran off the road, down a hill, and plunged into the icy waters of a large pond. The children panicked and began to scream, but Simon kept calm and ordered their silence. Simon instantly commanded the children's attention. His small size allowed him to swim through an open window, reach the rear of the bus and open its emergency door. One by one the children were brought to safety, but Simon Burch, exhausted by this great ordeal and the frigid waters, was overcome by the elements. It was too late by the time he was pulled from the waters. He was hospitalized for a day, but his spirit was gone. Simon Burch had given back all that he had -- his whole life.

The movie Simon Burch, a film version of the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, is a story of one little boy's courage in negotiating the hurdles of rejection and insensitivity that the world placed upon him. In a similar way the woman whom Jesus encountered at the Pharisee's home rejected convention and overcame her outcast status to give back to the Lord something from what she had received. We are challenged to act in similar ways in our lives.

Points Of Challenge And Questions To Ponder

1. Can we accept the loving embrace of the Lord or do we run away unsure of what God wants of us? Do we believe that God's love is given to aid us and eventually bring us to salvation?

2. God pursues our souls like the "Hound of Heaven" in Francis Thompson's immortal poem. Can we believe that God's search for us is relentless? Do we believe that God never sleeps in working to bring us home?

3. What response have we given to our neighbors' acts of kindness toward us? Have we made every attempt to show God's face to others?

4. Have we made the effort to initiate kindness to others or do we always find ourselves responding to the goodness shown to us? Are we somewhat lazy and feel comfortable allowing others to make the first move and then judge if we are ready to reciprocate?

5. What can we do today to answer the call of God? Is there someone who can use our assistance, time, or monetary assistance immediately? How can we respond to the need God presents to us?

Exegesis And Explanation Of The Parable


Luke 7:36-50 presents the culminating story to a chapter dedicated to the rewards given by God for faith and reconciliation. The evangelist opens the chapter with the story of the faith of the centurion (7:1-10). The example of a gentile is used to illustrate God's response to those who exhibit faith in Jesus' presence, ability, and power. After describing the return to life of the son of the widow of Nain, Luke, using the ministry of John the Baptist as background, presents Jesus' castigation of those in the present generation who do not believe (7:18-35). The chapter closes with the story of how a fallen woman has responded to the forgiveness given her by Christ (7:36-50). This pericope demonstrates the proper response to the love and mercy of God. The woman has ignored convention and proper etiquette in a powerful demonstration of love.

Most biblical scholars believe this pericope is a conflation of a pronouncement story (vv. 36-40, 44-47) and a parable (vv. 41-43). The whole passage can be broken down into parts. Verse 36 is an introductory statement that presents the reader with the physical context and an introduction of the principal characters. Next, in verses 37-39, there is an episode which gives rise to the Pharisee's problem, followed by Jesus' response to the situation (vv. 40-47). Here the short parable of the two debtors (vv. 41-42) and its interpretation in terms of the woman's response (v. 43) is contrasted with the failure of the Pharisee to respond (vv. 44-47). Lastly, (verses 48-50) Jesus responds directly to the woman and in the process raises questions about his identity.

The conduct of the Pharisee and the woman present an interesting contrast that challenges contemporary ideas and convention. There is no direct evidence that tells us why Jesus was invited to Simon's home. The more public nature of Sabbath meals in Jesus' day could lead one to conclude that there was a general invitation extended, but this is not likely. Since it was a meritorious act to invite traveling teachers to a Sabbath meal (Mark 1:29-31), especially if they had preached in the synagogue, it may be inferred that before this episode Jesus had preached a sermon, possibly on the subject of forgiveness, which had impressed all present. We learn from Luke that Simon has not provided Jesus the customary forms of hospitality for the period. He has furnished no water to wash his feet (Genesis 18:4, 19:2; Judges 19:21; 1 Samuel 25:41; John 13:35), given no greeting of a kiss (2 Samuel 15:5; Luke 15:50, 22:42-48), and provided no oil for anointing (Psalm 23:5; 133:2, Mark 14:3). In contrast the woman has provided all these courtesies at great personal risk. Her expression of love and gratitude violated many of the social conventions of the time. Touching or caressing a man's feet could have sexual overtones. Additionally, it was contrary to all social practice for a woman to loose her hair in public, especially in the presence of men. Moreover, the woman's reputation as a sinner made her actions even more problematic.

From the Pharisee's point of view the woman's actions were an embarrassing incident. If she had purchased the perfume from her earnings as a prostitute the gift was tainted. According to Deuteronomy 23:18 God detested such earnings, which could not be brought into a respectable person's house. Such gifts were considered immoral and unacceptable. The woman's actions of touch and the loosening of her hair to dry Jesus' feet made all present conclude, blinded by their fears and their own personal failures, that this woman was a sinner. In Simon's mind the woman represents a challenge to his honor and the honor of Jesus.

The woman's actions necessitate closer reflection. Luke does not tell us the cause of her tears; all that is disclosed is boundless gratitude expressed through her rendering the ritual customs of greeting that Simon has failed to provide. There is no reason to conclude that Jesus had ever spoken with the woman. Most probably she had seen and/or heard him at some earlier time and in the process her heart was softened leading her back to the road of self-respect. Christian tradition has identified this woman as Mary Magdalene on the evidence that immediately after this passage (8:2) Luke mentions her, but this is pure speculation. Because the social convention of the day proscribed such actions, many Scripture scholars suggest that the woman's kindness to Jesus was an uncontrollable and unselfconscious response.

The parable of the two debtors, situated at the heart of this passage, carries not only its own message about the relation between forgiveness and love, but also allegorizes the whole narrative. In this short passage (vv. 41-42), Jesus responds to Simon's unspoken criticism of him and the woman, answering why a woman, known to be a sinner, was allowed to touch him. In the parable concern is not directed to the creditor or the love which might have inspired his cancellation of the debts. Rather, it is clear from Jesus' questions to Simon that the focus must be placed on the two whose debt is forgiven and how the degree of their love corresponds to the amount of debt forgiven them. When one remembers that for Luke the word love generally means thankful love or gratitude, Jesus' question to Simon might be posed "Which of them would be more grateful?" The message of the parable is thus quite clear: sinners, such as the woman, often manifest to God greater gratitude than those who consider themselves upright, such as the Pharisee. Allegorically the parable tells us that repentance for the woman's sins has made her more open to God's mercy than the Pharisee, whose unwillingness to honor Jesus is readily apparent.

The great question of this pericope is found in verse 47 -- did the woman love because she had been forgiven or was she forgiven because she had loved Jesus? In this verse Jesus draws together the riddle of the parable and the two responses of Simon and the woman, demonstrating that the Pharisee has responded as one who has been forgiven little, while the woman has acted as one who has been forgiven much. The phrase "hence she has shown great love" is at the center of the meaning of Jesus' teaching. Some have taken this phrase to mean that the woman was forgiven much because she loved greatly, but the logic of the riddle, its application to the woman's actions, and the declaration in verse 47b, "But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little," each dictate that the woman's loving act is evidence that she has already been forgiven much. Thus, by implication the woman's preparation in bringing the alabaster flask to the house suggests that she has experienced acceptance and forgiveness prior to the event. Because the woman had experienced the forgiving grace of God, she wanted to express her thankfulness by presenting Jesus a precious gift. Forgiveness requires no work on the sinner's part. Luke's common theme that presents Jesus as a "friend of sinners" is dramatically demonstrated in this context.

Simon's problem was not his conduct, but his attitude and self-understanding. Because he believed himself to be pious and righteous, he had no idea what it meant to be forgiven and no awareness of his own need for forgiveness. He loved little because he had experienced so little of God's love. Simon's inability to recognize his need for forgiveness and reconciliation excluded him from God's grace. The woman, on the other hand, because she knew she was a sinner, could receive God's forgiveness. Knowing her sinfulness allowed her to experience what it meant to be forgiven.

The overall purpose of this pericope serves the evangelist in two ways. First, Luke uses this passage to raise the question of Jesus' identity. In relation to the earlier sections of chapter seven, Jesus is here portrayed as one greater than a prophet. Jesus' response to Simon's inner thought that if Jesus was a prophet he would know the character of the woman who touched him confirms that he is a prophet. But when he goes further and forgives the woman's sin it is clear that he is greater than a prophet, but his exact identity is not known. The pursuit of an answer to this question dominates the next two chapters of Luke's Gospel. Second, Luke wants the reader to receive the message that since repentance, forgiveness, and salvation have been granted to one of the reprobates of Israel, so all can experience these magnificent gifts from God. The scene is one of the great episodes of Luke's Gospel for it depicts Jesus not merely defending a sinful woman against the criticism of a Pharisee, but drives home in a special way the relationship between the forgiveness of sins by God and the place of human love and the giving of oneself in that whole process. Luke portrays Jesus as more than one who preaches the Kingdom of God, but also as an agent of the declaration of God's forgiveness for sinful humanity.

Context Of The Parable

Context In The Church Year

The conclusion of the Easter season and the resumption of Pentecost or Ordinary Time presents the Church with an interesting challenge. The themes of resurrection, new life, and personal transformation which dominate the Easter period must be made more concrete through a return to basic Christian principles, ideas that come through clearly in the parable of the two debtors and its application to the woman whom Jesus encounters at the house of Simon the Pharisee. The need for each person to experience forgiveness is a simple yet profound and absolutely necessary message that must be heard time and time again. In its wisdom the Church tells us of God's great love and ever-present forgiveness and presents the challenge to respond in kind to the blessings we have received. The timeliness of the Easter message has given way to the timelessness of God's presence in our lives.

Context With Other Gospels

The parable of the two debtors has many parallels with the parable of the two sons of Matthew 21:28-32. First, it is based on the contrast between two characters who stand for repentant sinners and the self-righteous respectively. Second, it justifies the preaching of the good news to the poor while rebuking the officially religious. The lesson of both parables is the same -- it is repentant sinners and not the self-righteous who are near to God.

Luke's account of the anointing is similar to Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, and John 12:1-8. In all the accounts a woman known to be a sinner anoints Jesus in the house where the Lord has been invited for dinner. Luke's version seems to be closest to Mark, but there are several differences between the former and all other accounts. In Matthew, Mark, and John the anointing takes place in Bethany shortly before the Passover. In the versions of Matthew and Mark Jesus' head was anointed, not his feet; the action is related to his burial, not to the woman's love or repentance; and Simon is identified as a leper, not a Pharisee. In John the meal is held at the home of Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead, and the woman who anoints Jesus is not a fallen women, but Lazarus' sister Mary, who performs her deed of kindness in thanksgiving for Jesus' act in raising Lazarus to life. Some exegetes say that there is a shared tradition in all these accounts, but the many differences make it difficult to defend such a hypothesis. The distinctive feature in Luke, namely the development of the relationship between forgiveness and love and the power it evokes in the woman's response to Jesus, also refutes a shared tradition theory.

Context With First And Second Lessons
First Lesson: 2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15. The famous story told by Nathan to David of the ewe lamb speaks powerfully of sin and God's forgiveness. David had everything he could possibly have needed or wanted, but he desired more -- Bathsheba. His sinful act with her was compounded when he arranged for Uriah's death in battle, a move done to hide his sin. David had fallen from God's grace, but the prophet tells him that God has forgiven the sin. It is now incumbent on David to respond to the forgiveness granted him by God. Although this passage does not include David's response, we know that he became the preeminent King of Israel.

David's sin was great and his error in judgment severe, but God is still merciful. As God's mercy and forgiveness required David to act, so the responsibility of the Christian life demands all to respond to the God who first loved us. This is true for the notables in the world, those like David, and those whom the world recognizes of no account. All people in God's eyes are equal, in need of healing, and required to respond.

Second Lesson: Galatians 2:15-21. Justification by faith, sola fide, is a strong theme in Saint Paul's Letter to the Galatians. Paul exhorts the Christian community in Galatia to place its hope, trust, confidence, and most especially faith in Christ. Paul clearly indicates that we are justified in God's eyes, not by observance of the law, but by faith in Jesus. What we do will not win God's favor, as Luke indicates in the story of the fallen woman who anoints Jesus; her forgiveness came without a word or act on her part. Nevertheless, the rightful and demonstrable Christian response to God's action in our life is to love the Lord and others in all that we do and say.