NARRATIVE OF A SINFUL WOMAN REVISITED

Luke 7: 36-48
“36 One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him. Jesus went to the Pharisee’s house and was eating at the table.
37 A woman who lived a sinful life in that city found out that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she took a bottle of perfume 38 and knelt at his feet. She was crying and washed his feet with her tears. Then she dried his feet with her hair, kissed them over and over again, and poured the perfume on them.
39 The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and thought, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know what sort of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner.”
40 Jesus spoke up, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
Simon replied, “Teacher, you’re free to speak.”
41 ⌞So Jesus said,⌟ “Two men owed a moneylender some money. One owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. 42 When they couldn’t pay it back, he was kind enough to cancel their debts. Now, who do you think will love him the most?”
43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one who had the largest debt canceled.”Jesus said to him, “You’re right!”
44 Then, turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “You see this woman, don’t you? I came into your house. You didn’t wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You didn’t give me a kiss. But ever since I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You didn’t put any olive oil on my head. But she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 That’s why I’m telling you that her many sins have been forgiven[1]. Her great love proves that. But whoever receives little forgiveness loves very little.”[2]
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.[3]”[4]
 
According to Jesus, all the woman’s actions in attending to his feet arose out of great love for him after her sins having been forgiven.
 
As such, we can reasonably infer that her “many[5] sins” had been forgiven previously, but by whom, God or Jesus[6]?  Earlier in Luke 5:21, the Pharisees and teachers of the law were unequivocal in their thoughts of “Who can forgive sins but God alone?[7]”
 
It is therefore reasonable to infer that this woman’s sins, had at the very least, been forgiven by God. Whether it was God through the person of Jesus in particular, we are unable to determine. Yet her actions in attending to Jesus’ feet out of great love to Jesus, in having had her sins been forgiven, suggests that she viewed Jesus as God, Who has forgiven her of her many sins.
 
But that is not all in the narrative. Continuing in Luke 7: 49-50, there is mentioned of a third virtue, of faith, intricately interlinked to, and, in play with the other two virtues of forgiveness and love.
“49 The other guests thought, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace!””
 
What is faith?  In Hebrews 11:1, the writer wrote of faith as:
“Faith means being sure of the things we hope for. And faith means knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.”[8]
 
In the context of this woman, I can only surmise that it would have meant that she, in faith with great love, was sure that God had forgiven her of her many sins and that this person, Jesus, is God. She must have believed it with all of her being. Or else she could not have, out of great love, attended to the feet of Jesus, believing that her many sins have been forgiven.
 
Jesus’ comparison of her actions to Simon, the Pharisee, who invited him for a meal at his home, now becomes all the more telling.
 
For He said to Simon.
“I came to your house.”

1. You didn’t wash my feet. – (accorded me the common courtesy of an honoured guest as Simon had addressed Jesus as Master or Teacher[9])
2. You didn’t give me a kiss. ( accorded me the sign of affection[10], acknowledgement of deity[11])
3. You didn’t put any olive oil on my head. (accorded me the recognition as Messiah[12] – “the Anointed One”

This sinful woman, however, in faith and love:

1. washed my feet with her tears (‘of joy’[13], in awe, wonder and gratefulness,  in having had her many sins forgiven.)         and dried them with her hair. ( giving to him all her beauty and pride[14] and representative of keeping faith[15] with him)
2. has not stopped kissing my feet. (not stopped showing me affection and love and acknowledging me for Who I Am -God enfleshed (See 1 Kings 19:18) )
3. has poured perfume on my feet. ( expended on me that which means much, if not all, to her[16])

 
All these, Jesus said, were expressed and done in faith with an outpouring of great love. I believe, in recognition and admiration of who she is and what she has done, Jesus proclaimed to her: “Your faith has saved[17] you. Go in peace”.
 
A reference to a previous incident in the narrative recorded earlier in Luke 5:17-26 is instructive to enable us to appreciate a little bit more of what was happening here.
 
“17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.[18]”
21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy[19]? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven[20],’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive[21] sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said: “We have seen remarkable things today.”[22]
 
Forgiving of sins to the Jews has always been the prerogative of God. For a man to forgive sins, it is tantamount to that man claiming to be equal to God. To the Jews, that is blasphemy.
 
For Jesus to proclaim again that this sinful woman’s many sins have been forgiven is a proclamation again of his Divinity to the people and hearers around him. The response by the guests: “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” is similar to the response of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law previously: “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy[23]? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
 
Is it not reasonable to then infer that, drawn and revealed by Heavenly Father[24], this sinful woman, in faith, believed that Jesus is who he claimed to be, the only begotten Son of God enfleshed.[25]
 
This sinful woman of many sins must have had a revelation and experience of her many sins being forgiven, arising from God’s love for her, and, felt God’s love for her. Or else, how could she, in faith and great love, have attended to Jesus’s feet as she had done.
 
I believe that even as she had freely received God’s love she desired to freely love God in return[26]. She could now reciprocate authentic love because God had first truly and authentically loved her[27].
 
I believe that deep down in her being, she was touched by the length, breadth, height and depth of God’s love for her, enabling her to recognise Jesus for Who he is and claimed to be.
 
I believe that to be able to encounter and be in the presence of Jesus, her Messiah, the Son of the Living God enfleshed, was what caused her to profusely shed tears of joy. She was experiencing the present with, and in the very physical presence of, her Lord.
 
In John 17:3, it is recorded that Jesus stated that these moments in the present or ‘now’ is what eternal life is: “eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.”[28] The knowing is always in the present or “now moments.”
 
Another point to note is that the Greek word for “saved”  “σέσωκέν[29]- sesōken” connotes that this sinful woman was already saved by her faith before coming to attend to Jesus’ feet.
 
I also perceive her faith and love in Jesus being duly acknowledged and rewarded by Jesus when he affirmed, to her, ““Your sins have been forgiven” and “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace!”
 
After these words from Jesus, I believe, this woman would have been able to say that what she in faith previously believed, now she knows.
 
The apostle Paul in the later stage of his life expressed a similar sentiment in a phrase in 2 Timothy 1:12, “for I know who I have believed”[30]
 
This narrative has challenged me to re-evaluate anew, my understanding of Who Jesus is, and the import of his words and works as recorded in the New Testament.
 
There are still a whole plethora of questions to be asked and answered. There are many challenges yet to appear, to be met and solved.
 
But the faith and response of great love I see in this woman and that of God’s love and forgiveness, inspires and spurs me to press on, forge ahead, in the discovery of Triune God’s high calling in Christ. For me, this is the promise and reality of growing realisation of the mystery of love, in union and communion with Triune God and one another.
 
What about you?


[1]ἀφέωνται from root ἀφίημι aphiēmi
Speech: Verb   Tense: Perfect
Definition of "Perfect"
In Greek corresponds to the perfect tense in English, and describes an action which is viewed as having been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated. Jesus' last cry from the cross, TETELESTAI ("It is finished!") is a good example of the perfect tense used in this sense, namely "It [?], has been accomplished, completely, once and for all time." See Blue letter Bible in Luke 7:47
Voice: Passive        Mood: Indicative         Person: 3rd Person     Number: Singular
Many translations translate the word as “are forgiven” implying the action as if it happened in the present instead of having been completed in the past as the word ἀφέωνται expresses. See also Young’s Literal Translation

[2] GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

[3] See ἀφέωνται above

[4] GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

[5] πολλαί from root πολύς polys See Strong’s G4183 - of multitude, number, etc., many, numerous, great.

[6] Just a point to note. There is no express reference to the woman “having been forgiven” previously, by Jesus, in Luke or in the other gospels. All inferences are just that. They are not facts or truths but perspectives and viewpoints.

[7] NIV

[8] International Children’s Bible (ICB)

[9] Διδάσκαλε from root διδάσκαλος didaskalos See Strong’s G1320 –
1.teacher.  2. In the NT one who teaches concerning the things of God, and the duties of man

[10] Genesis 27:27, 33:4,   48:10,  50:1   Ruth 1:14,  1Samuel 20:41  Tobit 7:6

[11] I Kings 19:18

[12] See Strong’s H4899 מָשִׁיחַ mâshîyach, maw-shee'-akh; from H4886; anointed; usually a consecrated person (as a king, priest, or saint); specifically, the Messiah:—anointed, Messiah. See also Luke 4:18, Acts 10:38

[13] Isaiah 61:3 “He has sent me to the sorrowing people of Jerusalem. I will give them a crown to replace their ashes. I will give them the oil of gladness to replace their sorrow. I will give them clothes of praise to replace their spirit of sadness. Then they will be called Trees of Goodness. They will be like trees planted by the Lord and will show his greatness.” ICB

[14] Song’s of Solomon 4:1,  6:5,  7:5 

[15] See Jeremiah 7:29

[16] See Exodus 35:35, 37  Proverbs 27:9  See also Matthew 26:7 Mark 14:3 at the house of Simon the leper. I believe that the giving of the perfume suggest the giving of her life as a living sacrifice unto her Lord.

[17] σέσωκέν from root σῴζω- sōzō See Strong’s G4982Speech: Verb    Tense: Perfect    Voice: Active    Mood: Indicative 
Person: 3rd Person    Number: Singular
Definition of "Perfect"
In Greek corresponds to the perfect tense in English, and describes an action which is viewed as having been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated. See 2 above

[18] Same Greek word ἀφέωνται (Perfect Tense)is used here as in Luke 7:47,48 above. Literally ‘have been forgiven’ – See Young’s Literal Translation

[19] Greek word βλασφημίας  See Strong’s G988

[20] Same Greek word ἀφέωνται (Perfect Tense)is used here as in Luke 7:47,48 above. Literally ‘have been forgiven’ – See Young’s Literal Translation

[21] ἀφιέναι (Present Tense) also from root ἀφίημι aphiēmi   Speech: Verb   Tense: Present   Voice: Active   Mood: Infinitive
Note that here “to forgive” is in the present tense.

[22] NIV

[23] Greek word βλασφημίας  See Strong’s G988

[24] John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” ESV Matthew 16:16,17 “Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”ESV

[25] John 1:14 “ and the Word became flesh”

[26] Matthew 10:8 Jesus was later to command his disciples “Freely ye have received; freely give.”

[27] 1John 1:4 ““We love because he first loved us.

[28] Good News Translation

[29]  see 18  above

[30] ESV