"Friendship at the Margins" - a Bible Study on Luke 7:36-50

Luke 7:36-50      (New Revised Standard Version)

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. 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.’

“FRIENDSHIP AT THE MARGINS”

Introduction:

Many people lack friends, which leaves them lonely and socially disconnected. Many people get trapped in lifestyles that they cannot easily escape, especially when left to their own devices. Many people would like to turn their lives around, but lack the social networks to find a way forward. This passage gives us a remarkable example of how Jesus dealt with the problem of desperate isolation and a desire for change.

Questions:

1)  What do you think is the key verse in understanding this passage?

·  Verse 39 – This is where Simon the Pharisee suggests that if Jesus was truly a prophet then he would know what sort of a woman this was and therefore he wouldn’t go anywhere near her. Ironic … as it is because Jesus knows exactly what this woman’s situation is, that he accepts her worship. This then exposes the Pharisee as one who does NOT understand the (reconciling/ /redeeming) ways of God. The Pharisee was NOT willing to accept that the connection (even friendship) between Jesus and this woman could be a Godly thing. We know from this passage, and from the Gospels generally, that Jesus was very keen to touch the lives of the friendless and those regarded as “sinners”. Jesus even called a “tax collector” to be a close disciple.

·  Verse 47 – This is where we see that those who have been open enough to know how far short they have lived and been sincerely repentant, have been so far transformed as to be wholly released in their love for Jesus and others; in comparison to those who just go through the motions and live in relational mediocrity. Two different mindsets with two very different outcomes.

2)  What can we know about the “woman”?

·  a “sinner” (v.37) – generally known and regarded as such

·  of “the city”, i.e. code for a prostitute or woman of low virtue

·  bad reputation – according to the Pharisee (v.39)

·  It is not clear whether this woman had met Jesus before and had made her confession and received her forgiveness previously, and now was demonstrating her love for Jesus; or whether all of this repentance is implicit in her behaviour right in the midst of the Pharisee’s gathering. Either way, this woman’s guilt and shame were met by such loving grace and by such a caring presence (in Jesus) that she was liberated into faith. I think we are being led to see that God was internally active in this woman’s life preparing for her upcoming personal contact with Jesus.

3)  What can we know about Simon the Pharisee?

·  generally Pharisees were renowned for their religious leadership, piety, knowledge

·  however here, he is exposed as judgmental, rigid, unkind (v.39); the formal religion of the Pharisees had no real answer to the problem of sin, and could only respond with disapproval and condemnation (Wilcock)

·  lacked the normal hospitality and respect for such a guest (v.44-46)

4) So, why did this Pharisee invite Jesus to his house?

·  Must have heard about what Jesus had been doing and teaching, and wanted to check him out personally! He was obviously interested in Jesus … to a point … maybe to the extent of what suited him. This was probably an intellectual pursuit – where the brain was engaged, but not necessarily the heart. He invited Jesus home for a meal, but to what end … to learn from him or to discredit him? Who was this Jesus? An interesting teacher? A miracle-worker? A prophet? Or, a fraud?

5)  Why did Jesus accept this invitation?

·  Jesus wanted to reach out to everyone, in the hope of bringing them closer to God (even Pharisees, who would seek to bring him undone). Sometimes Jesus would reach out with a loving touch, but sometimes circumstances would require a challenging word.

·  Even if Simon the Pharisee would never respond positively, there were always the other guests.

6) How did this notorious woman gain admittance to the dinner?

·  Was she a gate-crasher?

·  Some commentators suggest that this dinner must have been an open community event, as was common in this culture, with this Pharisee opening his home so that many could come to hear Jesus speak. Also, the poor were permitted to hang around the outskirts of such a gathering in the hope of getting their hands on some leftovers.

·  Or, was this a trap set for Jesus, where the woman was encouraged to attend in the hope of Jesus being embarrassed and discredited?

7) What did it take to enter as she did?

·  courage – in the face of many unwelcoming and disparaging looks

·  faith – that Jesus would accept her worship and respond to her positively

8) Why did the woman do the things she did (v.37-38)?

·  this was a very public acknowledgement and a beautiful act of service to the One who would do so much for her i.e. gratitude and witness

·  she probably had noticed that the customary acts of hospitality had not been offered to Jesus (refer v.44-46) … it would have been customary for Jesus to have been offered water to wash his dusty feet, kissed on the face in welcome and have oil applied to his head

·  in bathing Jesus’ feet with her tears (Jesus would have been reclining on a couch in front of a low table with his feet to the side and behind him) the woman would be emotionally signifying both repentance from sin and the joy of forgiveness

·  it was regarded as a shameful thing for a woman to let her hair down like this in public, so, in drying Jesus’ feet with her hair, this was a demonstration of how this woman’s previous feelings of shame had been dealt with

·  kissing Jesus’ feet and anointing them with the ointment was an act of humility, love and commitment [not clear what “the ointment” was, but it was likely far more elaborate than the basic ‘oil’ used for anointing, and probably the best quality the woman could afford]

·  this woman’s love and gratitude is evidence of how great her ‘debt’ has been, and how correspondingly great the Lord’s forgiveness is (Wilcock)

9) How do you think Jesus felt about this display of affection?

·  Jesus warmly received this woman’s ministry to him

·  received as a sincere display of repentance and worship

·  Jesus lifted up this woman as an example – “Do you see this woman?” (v.44) … wow! What a turnaround!!

·  this shows us that when we reach out to another with the hand of friendship, it is likely that our new friend has plenty to offer us in return

10) What do you think the host Pharisee is now thinking / feeling?

·  embarrassed – that he himself hadn’t offered this hospitality or sign of respect

·  angry – that his woman had upstaged him (in his own home) in front of his guests

·  ‘nose out of joint’ – that Jesus had accepted this service from such a notorious person … would he change his attitude at all?!? … could this Pharisee ever be able or willing to look beyond sinfulness and see a person in need of help?

·  perhaps revengeful when it came to Jesus

11) How did Jesus respond to the thoughts of the Pharisee?

·  told a little parable (v.41-42) and asked the Pharisee to interpret its meaning; thus hopefully setting the Pharisee on the path of honest reflection and self-discovery, and critiquing his negative attitude towards this woman and his self-satisfied attitude to his own life

·  Jesus connected the concepts of forgiveness and loving service – those that are most open to receiving forgiveness are best placed to respond lavishly in loving service; the Pharisee conceded the point … albeit a bit reluctantly – “I suppose…” (v.43)

·  showed that at the very least he was a prophet in being able to know the Pharisee’s thoughts (“he said to himself” – v.39); laying the foundation for challenging all those gathered that he was very much more than this (“Your sins are forgiven” – v.48)

·  the most shocking thing of all for the Pharisee to come to terms with (if he ever could) was that Jesus befriending this woman was the most natural thing for him to be doing (and Jesus drew joy from this)

12) How were the two characters now being viewed?

·  The Pharisee – lacking the necessary perspective to really experience God; had probably never really opened his heart toward a spiritual awakening. He was probably trying his best to live a decent life – but only in his own strength. Because of this, he was not able to lavishly respond in worship to Jesus as Saviour & Lord, but rather only doubt & analyze him! This Pharisee’s life was not really open to Jesus, and therefore he was at a ‘stalemate’!!

·  The Woman – when she became aware of her lostness and need, and the wasteful way in which she was living, she did something positive about it. When she heard about Jesus, how he had helped and healed others, and how his teaching was transforming people’s whole outlook on life … she was willing to throw herself on his mercy. Instantly her life began to change for the better! Jesus did not ignore this woman’s sin, as sin is far too destructive to be taken lightly, rather he utilizes all the positive power of God’s grace to reverse the strangle hold that sin can have on a person’s life. For this woman, God’s forgiveness was not just a theological proposition, but something very real, very personal – to be enjoyed and expressed … expressed in unrestrained worship of Jesus.

13) How do you think the woman now feels?

·  accepted, valued, grateful, renewed

14) Which character do we wish to emulate?

·  Jesus in his offer of friendship, compassion and grace? If we make ourselves vulnerable in travelling outside our comfort zones and in offering friendship to those on the margins of our community, this is likely to be where we can be at our strongest … for here we are totally reliant on the Holy Spirit. Community members, who we don’t yet know, are fellow life travelers, and potential friends, and even potential co-workers in the Kingdom of God. Jesus shared himself with others, cultivated trust and faith, and drew people together into a bigger vision (where each of their particular contributions would be valued). “Putting ourselves in places where people on the margins can find us involves slowing down, taking time to be where people can befriend us …” (Heuertz & Pohl in: Friendship at the Margins, p.130-1).

·  The woman in her willingness to receive grace, change and respond so enthusiastically? She truly understood and appreciated all that she had gained.

·  NOT Simon the Pharisee at all I trust!

15) What were the other guests now thinking (v.49)?

·  they were absolutely right to be thinking that only God could ultimately forgive sins – that this indeed was a Divine prerogative! Would they be able to come to accept Jesus as Son of God?

16) How can we all hear the words of Jesus in verse 50 (“Go in peace”)?

·  Having exercised faith that has led to our salvation through forgiveness, we should walk in God’s Spirit offering this great gift of grace to others

·  Peacemakers are reconcilers – making friends for God!