Sermon for February 19th, 2017

Luke 7:36-50

36 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." 44 Then 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.”

 

 The message

This story of the woman anointing Jesus is one of only a handful that is reported in all 4 Gospels (here and Matthew 26:12; Mark 14:8; John 12:7). Other stories in all 4 Gospels include Jesus feeding the crowds with very little food, Peter’s profession of faith, and events around Jesus trial, death and resurrection.     

Before looking at Luke’s telling of the story, I wanted to review some details about the different versions, All four Gospels have this meeting set in a house for a meal. Each involves a woman, and expensive perfume poured on Jesus, an act to which someone objects.  Mark, Matthew and John all locate this event in the town of Bethany. In Matthew and Mark, this meeting happens "in the home of Simon the Leper"; John does not identify a host or house; Luke says the house of a Pharisee named Simon.  John identifies the woman as Mary of Bethany, Luke simply says she’s "a woman in that town who lived a sinful life" and Matthew and Mark just say "a woman". In the Gospels of Mark and Matthew the oil is poured over Jesus head (which would have been the traditional custom at the time).  According to Luke and John, the oil is poured on Jesus feet (an odd break in tradition for which we get no explanation).  

In Matthew, Mark, and John, Jesus response to this woman’s act of compassion and thanksgiving is very similar.  Once challenged about the waste of this expensive perfume, which could have used in other ways, Jesus responds with slightly different wordings of  "The poor you will always have with you" and "She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial".

In Luke, this story goes in a different direction.  Unlike the other 3 Gospels, Luke does not mention wastefulness as the sin or this act as the preparation of Jesus body for burial (an event only the woman appears to anticipate).  For Luke, this story is about hospitality and forgiveness.   

As we look at this story in Luke, we have to remember, this is not reality TV. This was not a show, a performance or staged event to give Jesus something to talk about.  This was not pre-planned for maximum drama.  This was an act of joy and thanksgiving. It was deeply personal, physical and public.  The woman’s act of hospitality is placed in contrast with the host.  For some reason, Simon, the Pharisee who invited Jesus neglects even the most basic customs of welcome, the offering of foot washing, kiss of greeting and anointing with oil (today those things  would be like offering someone a drink, taking their coat or pointing them to a seat).   

It is not only basic social rules that are broken in this story.  The Pharisees believed in a strict separation between clean and unclean people, the sinful and the okay were not to be in contact or association with each other.  Simon believed that any person of faith, let alone a prophet, should not look or be near this woman who lived a sinful life (more than likely as a prostitute).   There  are only 2 explanations Simon can come up with  for why a prophet would allow such a thing to happen. The only possibilities for Jesus to be touched, cleaned and anointed by a sinner so publically were 1- he didn’t know her history (which would make him a poor prophet) or 2- Jesus was no prophet at all.

Simon is not certain though.  After all, the other possibility, that God celebrates the good and casts out or ignores the bad, might be wrong, must be on him mind.  Luke mentions this small detail, that Simon “said these things to himself”.  Today, we do not think much of this detail.  It’s a common element in our story telling, plays, and literature.  At the time of this story though, it was highly unusual.  It was rarely used and meant to indicate a great deal of inner-conflict or confusion.  (after all Simon had to reconcile Jesus miracles, signs of power, teaching with authority, healing the sick, even raising the dead with this nasty, indecent public display)

Jesus senses or somehow knows what Simon is thinking (not a big stretch, Jesus knows the beliefs of the Pharisees about the separation of sinners and okay people and Jesus knows the history of this woman, he knows what Simon is thinking).  Jesus responds with a simple, direct story about forgiving debts and declares that the woman’s many sins are forgiven. (In this case, her faith has saved her). Along with forgiveness, the woman is directed to go in peace, to be restored, to not look back on her past and not be kept separate anymore.                 

I cannot really think or talk about this story of the woman anointing Jesus without mentioning a time when it happened. When I started at Seminary, several students in their last year of studies would tell the story of one student who actually did this.  There was a woman in their class who had lived a sinful life.  She was part of a special program for students from non-traditional backgrounds (no prior college, no long history of being a good Lutheran, no financial means) which meant she could just do a few classes and start ministry.  She chose to complete the whole program instead.  From what I understand one professor encouraged, welcomed and helped her get it all done.   During a Holy Thursday service as part of their liturgy class, they had foot-washing.  At that time, she anointed the teacher’s feet with oil and tears and wiped them with her hair. 

It was a profound act of thanksgiving and public recognition of someone’s faith.  It was also bizarre even for a seminary class. Over my time in school and as a pastor, no one ever suggested this should be part of a church service and I have never heard another story about it happening.  

Today, this story invites us to respond to God’s presence, gifts and love in deeply personal, physical and public ways.  To not be limited, refined or intellectual in our faith.  Your faith has saved you, go in peace.