Luke

7:36-50

The mission of the Messiah, 1:5-9:50

4. The acts of Messiah, 6:12-7:50

vi] The churchman and a prostitute

Jesus is invited for a meal at the home of a prominent Pharisee. At the meal, a prostitute, who has obviously heard and responded to the gospel, draws near to Jesus, washes his feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, and anoints them with ointment. Simon, the Pharisee, is shocked that Jesus is unaware of what type of woman this is. Jesus responds with a teaching parable and then reaffirms the woman's forgiveness.

In the messianic age of the kingdom, faith, even the faith of a prostitute, serves to access the grace of God for forgiveness and thus, covenant inclusion, and it is God's grace that makes us gracious, not law - the person who is forgiven much, loves much.

i] Context: See 6:12-16. The story of the churchman and the prostitute serves as the sixth and final episode of the fourth section of Luke's gospel, The dawning of the kingdom in the acts of Messiah, 6:12-7:50.

ii] Structure: The forgiveness of a sinful woman:

iii] Interpretation:

iv] Synoptics:

v] Exposition: A simple exposition of this passage may be found in the linked pew-level Sermon Notes.

The story of a forgiven woman, v36-50: i] The anointing, v36-38: The scene is very typical of a Sabbath meal following a morning synagogue service. The visiting speaker, in this case Jesus, is invited to lunch at the home of a key religious member of the community. The meal would be served on the patio (verandah) with uninvited village locals gathering beside the patio to hear anything the important guest had to say. The poor and outcast could also be present and would be allowed to eat anything that remained. The woman is described as an "evil liver" ("a sinner"), probably a prostitute. While Jesus is reclining on a cushion beside a low table, the woman steps forward and begins wiping his feet with her tears and hair, and anointed them with perfume.

de "now / when" - but/and. Transitional, indicating a step in the narrative.

twn Farisaiwn (oV) gen. "of the Pharisees" - [a certain] of the pharisees. The genitive is adjectival, partitive.

hrwta (erwtew) imperf. "invited" - was asking, inviting. The extended time between the asking and the accepting may have prompted the imperfect tense, although an imperfect is often used for background information, and also for speech, particularly "asking" (a durative action). Only Luke records such invitations by Pharisees and of Jesus' willingness to share table fellowship with them.

iJna + subj. "to [have dinner]" - that [he might eat]. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement, indirect speech, expressing what he asked.

met (meta) + acc. "with" - with [him]. Expressing association.

eiselqwn (eisercomai) aor. part. "so he went" - [and] having entered [into the house of the pharisee he reclined at table]. The participle is probably attendant circumstance expressing action accompanying the verb "reclined"; "he went .... and sat down ....."

gunh (h) "a woman" - [and behold] a woman. The nominative subject of a sentence covering v37-38.

aJmartwloV adj. "who had lived a sinful life" - [who was in the city,] a sinner. The adjective serves as a substantive, best treated as standing in apposition to the nominative subject, "a woman"; "a woman, who lived in the city, a sinner." "In the city" = she was a local resident. "A sinner" = an evil living woman = a well-known prostitute. Jesus was probably anointed by different women on a number of different occasions, but certainly this one, and the anointing at the point of his arrest and execution, would be well remembered.

epignousa (epiginwskw) part. "learned" - [and] having known. This participle is best treated as adverbial, probably temporal; "when she found out that Jesus was at table in the house of the Pharisee", Moffatt.

oJti "that" - that [he reclines at table in the house of the pharisee]. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement of perception expressing what she found out. "She had discovered that Jesus was having a meal at the Pharisees home."

komisasa (komizw) part. "she brought" - having brought [an alabaster jar]. This participle, along with "having stood" (v38), are attendant circumstance expressing action accompanying the main verb "she began" with its complementary infinitive "to wet", v38; "She brought ...... and stood ...... and began to .....". Probably a scented rubbing oil, anointing oil, rather than a more concentrated oil for embalming. Alabaster was used for expensive scents as it was believed that it preserved the perfume.

murou (oV) gen. "of perfume" - of ointment. The genitive is adjectival, of content; "full of / containing perfumed oil."

stasa (iJsthmi) aor. part. "she stood" - [and] having stood]. Attendant circumstance participle; see komisasa above.

opisw para "behind him, at [his feet]" - back beside, at [the feet of him]. Spatial; "as Jesus was reclining, she stood behind him, adjacent to his feet." Simon probably served the meal for his special guests on the verandah facing the inside courtyard where members of the local community had gathered to watch on. Jesus would be lying on his side with his feet out behind him, so it was easy for the woman to step forward and tend Jesus' feet. Of course, convention would have demanded that "a sinner" not be present, but this woman is no wallflower.

klaiousa (klaiw) pres. part. "weeping" - crying. The participle is adverbial, possibly temporal, "while she wept", but more likely modal, expressing the manner of her standing, "she stood weeping." The crucial question here is what has prompted her outburst. Commentators divide: either she is expressing repentance in seeking forgiveness, or gratitude for her forgiveness. The second view seems best, although both imply a previous hearing of the gospel.

brecein (brecw) inf. "to wet [his feet]" - [in = with tears she began] to drench, wet [the feet of him]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the verb "to begin." The dative "the tears", as with "the hairs", is adverbial, instrumental, expressing means, "with, by means of." Her tears wet his feet.

thV kafalhV (h) gen. "-" - [and with the hairs] of the head [of her]. The genitive is either adjectival, possessive, the hair belonging to her heard, or ablative, source / origin, "the hairs from her head."

hleifen (aleifw) imperf. "poured [perfume] on [them]" - [she was wiping and was kissing the feet of him and] was anointing [with the ointment, perfumed oil]. This, and the other imperfect verbs, are probably used to indicate the durative nature of the action. The dative tw/ murw/, "with the ointment", is instrumental, expressing means; "And massaged his feet with the scented oil." Anointing is done on the forehead, not the feet, so anointing the feet implies humility on the woman's part. It is doubtful whether this is an embalming image. So, what we have here is a forgiven sinner lovingly cleaning Jesus' feet with her own tears and hair and massaging them with an expensive rubbing oil. It is an act of affectionate gratitude.

ii] The reaction of Simon, v39: Simon, a Pharisee, concludes that Jesus can't be a prophet because he has inadvertently allowed this unclean woman to touch him. Of course, what follows shows that Jesus does know who she is and therefore, is at least a prophet.

idwn (eidon) aor. part. "when ...... saw" - [and] having seen. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal, as NIV.

oJ kalesaV (kalew) aor. part. "who had invited" - [the pharisee] having invited [him]. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "Pharisee", as NIV.

en + dat. "to [himself]" - [said] in himself. The dative is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of his speech - it was inward; "he began to think about the matter", Cassirer.

legwn (legw) pres. part. "-" - saying. Usually treated as an attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to say", redundant and therefore not translated, but see legwn, 4:35.

ei + imperf. ind. with a]n in the apodosis. "if" - if, as is not the case, [this one was a prophet, then]. Introducing a 2nd class conditional clause, contrary to fact, where the proposed condition is assumed not to be true. As far as the Pharisee is concerned, Jesus is anything but a prophet (although the reader knows he is more than a prophet), since, if Jesus were a prophet, he would know who this woman was and never let her touch him.

autou gen. pro. "him" - [he would have known who and what sort of woman was touching] him. Genitive of direct object after the verb aJptomai, "touch".

oJti "that" - that / because [she is a sinner]. Either introducing an object clause, epexegetic, "he would have known ..... that she was a sinner", or a causal clause explaining why Jesus is not a prophet, as far as Simon is concerned, "he would have known who and what this woman who is touching him is, for she is a notoriously bad character", Barclay.

iii] Jesus speaks to Simon on the issue of forgiveness, v40-43. Jesus then relates a teaching parable to Simon. This woman is no longer the person Simon once knew. She has been forgiven much and therefore loves much. We are not told how she came to understand the offer of forgiveness in Christ. All we can say is that she has obviously heard the gospel, responded to it, and now she is overflowing with gratitude.

apokriqeiV (apokrinomai) aor. pas. part. "answered" - [and] having answered [jesus said]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "said", "Jesus said", "Jesus spoke up and said"; see apokriqeiV, 1:19.

proV + acc. "[him]" - toward [him]. Used to introduce the indirect object "him"; see proV, 1:61.

eipein (eipon) aor. inf. "to tell" - [i have certain = something] to say. The infinitive with its accusative subject forms a nominal phrase, "something to say", object of the verb ecw, "I have." Note that the content of what Jesus has to say, ti, "something", and the dative indirect object, soi, "to you", is placed before the infinitive. See Culy for this interesting word order which is thought to "bring out the importance of the following statement of Jesus, especially v44-46, where Jesus is making a comparison between the woman and Simon", Kwong.

soi dat. pro. "you" - to you. Dative of indirect object.

oJ de "-" - but/and he. Transitional, indicating a step in the narrative, here to a change in subject from Jesus to Simon.

didaskale (oV) voc. "teacher" - [he says,] teacher, [speak]. Vocative. Probably equivalent to rabbi. The title is "indicative of Jesus' appearance to non-disciple and is ultimately inadequate as a description of him", Marshall.

Jesus makes his point with a teaching parable.

creofeiletai (hV ou) "owed money" - [there were two] debtors, persons who were in debt. Note that Luke uses the nominative case, as distinct from the dative, which is often used where a comparison is being drawn, "it is like / may be compared with the situation where two people ......."

danisth/ tini dat. "to a certain moneylender" - to a [certain] creditor. Dative complement of the noun "debtors", or possible a possessive dative; "a certain moneylender had two debtors", ESV.

dhnaria (on) "denarii" - [the one was owing five hundred] denari [and the other fifty]. Accusative direct object of the verb "to be obligated to, owe." The daily wage of a labourer was one denarius, although the point here has to do with the disparity in the debts, not the size of the debts.

econtwn (ecw) pres. part. "[neither of them] had the money" - [them not] having. The genitive participle with its genitive subject autwn, "they", serves to form a genitive absolute construction, either temporal, eg., ESV, or causal, eg., CEV; "when / since they were unable to settle the debt."

apodounai (apodidwmi) aor. inf. "to pay him back" - to pay, give back. The infinitive is complementary, completing the participle econtwn, "having", "not having to pay" = "when they could not pay", ESV.

ecarisato (carizomai) aor. "he cancelled the debts of / he forgave the debts of" - he forgave. This is probably the only colourful word in the parable, but in the context it means little more than the remission of a debt. The bland nature of the parable serves to draw out the point Jesus wishes to make, namely that there was a great disparity in the debts and both were cancelled.

amfoteroiV dat. adj. "both" - all, both. Dative of direct object after the verb ecarisato, "to forgive"; "he cancelled the debt they owed him."

oun "now" - therefore. Inferential / drawing a logical conclusion.

tivV pro. "which" - which. Interrogative pronoun. Jesus carries the debate to the churchman by what is known as "Socratic interrogation" - a question leading to counter questions, followed by applied teaching.

autwn gen. pro. "of them" - of them [will love him more]? The genitive is adjectival, partitive. The clause draws a comparison due to the presence of the comparative adverb pleion; "of these two men, which will love him more?" This is surely the punch line, rather than a secondary comment on the part of Jesus. The parable is not about the kind mercy of God, ie. that God can forgive big and small sins alike. The point of the parable is that the person who is forgiven much will love much. In the context, the love Jesus is speaking of is gratitude, a gratitude, which in the life of the prostitute finds outward expression in grateful affection. The word "love" is used since there is no actual word for "gratitude" in Aramaic.

apokriqeiV (apokrinomai) aor. pas. part. "[Simon] replied" - having answered [simon said]. Attendant circumstance participle, redundant, see v40.

uJpolambanw "I suppose" - i suppose, imagine (regard something as presumably true, but without particular certainty*). Simon is cautious, either because he isn't quite sure that the obvious conclusion is true, or because he isn't sure where Jesus is taking him in the discussion.

oJti "-" - that. Introducing a dependent statement of perception expressing what Simon supposed.

wJ/ dat. rel. pro. "the one who" - to whom [the more he forgave]. Dative of interest, advantage; "for the one who was forgiven the greater debt", although, as a matter of form, the verb "to forgive" takes a dative of direct object. "I suppose it will be the one who has been more generously treated", Phillips.

oJ de "-" - but/and he. Transitional, indicating a change in subject from Simon to Jesus.

orqwV adv. "correctly" - [he said to him, you judged] rightly. Adverb of manner; "'Exactly', Jesus replied", Phillips.

iv] A lesson on forgiveness, v44-47: Jesus compares the devotion of the woman to that of the churchman. Simon didn't wash Jesus' feet on entering his home; such was actually an insult. He didn't greet Jesus with the kiss of peace; another insult. He didn't touch Jesus' hair with olive oil to tidy him up for the meal; again, another insult. The woman did all these things, but with Jesus' feet. Such love!

Verses 44 to 46 seem like a diversion. What has Simon's lack of hospitality got to do with the woman's affectionate gratitude? It seems likely that Simon represents those who have not been forgiven much (there can be no forgiveness without repentance!), and therefore shows little gratitude toward Jesus (the polite acts of hospitality were lacking) and little understanding of the woman's, or Jesus' actions. The woman has been given much; she is forgiven, and therefore her gratitude overflows. Simon, on the other hand, the one who judges, is condemned, not for his lack of gratitude, but for the missing ingredient that would prompt gratitude, namely, divine forgiveness accessed by repentance. But of course, Simon thinks he stands with the righteous and has no need of forgiveness.

kai "-"- and. Linking the discourse to what follows.

strefeiV (strefw) aor. pas. part. "then he turned" - having turned [toward the woman]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the main verb "said", "turned .... and said", but possibly adverbial, temporal, as NIV. The phrase is used by Luke when he wants to emphasise Jesus words or actions.

tw/ Simwni (wn) dat. "to Simon" - [he said] to simon. Dative of indirect object.

tauthn thn gunaika "this woman" - [do you see] this woman? The presence of the article thn indicates that the demonstrative pronoun "this, tauthn, is functioning attributively, so Thompson. The question indicates that the parable applies to the woman and Simon." You see this woman here, don't you?"

eishlqon (eisercomai) aor. ind. "I came" - i entered [into the house of you]. "I came as a guest into your home and accepted your hospitality."

ouk edwkaV (didwmi) aor. ind. "you did not give" - you did not give. Following proper custom, Simon should have provided water for Jesus to wash his feet before inviting him into his home. Often, servants would provide a bowl of water and towel and assist. Simon's failure to do this is actually an insult to Jesus. It indicates what he thinks of Jesus.

moi dat. pro. "for my" - to me. Dative of interest, advantage.

epi + acc. "-" - [water] upon [the feet]. Spatial.

toiV dakrusin (on) "with her tears" - [but/and she] in = with tears [drenched the feet of me and in = with the hairs of her wiped them]. This dative, as with taiV qrixin, "the hairs", is instrumental, expressing means.

Simon's lack of hospitality is again identified. He did not give Jesus the greeting of peace.

moi dat. pro. "me" - [you did not give a kiss of greeting] to me. Dative of indirect object.

af (apo) + gen. "from the time" - [but/and she], from the time [which i entered the house]. Temporal use of the preposition; "from the moment I entered / since I entered." With h|V, as here, or ou|, is idiomatic of a point of time from which something begins, BAGD. The trouble is that the woman has entered after Jesus, but Jesus is emphasising her hospitality in comparison with the lack of hospitality offered by Simon.

katafilousa (katafilew) pres. part. "kissing" - [did not cease] kissing [the feet of me]. The participle is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "to cease". "She ... never ceased covering my feet with kisses", Cassirer.

elaiw/ (on) dat. "oil" - [you did not anoint the head of me] with olive oil [but/and she with perfumed oil anointed the feet of me]. The dative is instrumental, expressing means. Again, anointing is an act of courtesy toward a guest. As with the other "courtesies", it was not expected of a host, but again Simon's failure to do it exposes his attitude toward Jesus. The two words for "oil" in this verse emphasise the point. Simon didn't even use "olive oil", but the woman used muron , a strong aromatic oil.

Jesus now delivers his punch line. The NIV, "her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved much", is very misleading and so is corrected in NIV11, "her many sins have been forgiven - as her love has shown." Forgiveness on the basis of good works / love is contrary to the teaching of the New Testament - a salvation by works approach. Jesus' point is simple: she loves much because she was forgiven much.

ouJ carin "therefore, [I tell you]" - which, because of / on account of, [i say to you]. The neuter relative pronoun "which" has an external referent, namely, the principle formed in v43 (a person who is forgiven much loves much), and the demonstration of this in the woman's gratitude shown toward Jesus, v44-46. On account of which (ie. the evidence of the demonstrative love shown by this woman) Jesus is able to say (confirm / witness) that her sins have been forgiven. She loves much because she has been forgiven much. It is of course grammatically possibly to link "therefore" (because of / on account of) with "her many sins have been forgiven", which then implies that on the basis of her love, her affectionate gratitude, she is forgiven. This is, of course, a salvation by works statement and is opposed to the point Jesus has drawn out in v43. Given that the more literal translations are highly misleading, we are best to re-craft the sentence eg., "And so, I tell you, her great love proves that her many sins have been forgiven", NEB. cf., 1Jn.4:7ff. "Proves" may be a touch strong, so possibly "evidences."

outhV gen. pro. "her" - [the sins] of her [which are many]. The genitive is adjectival, possessive, but possible, verbal, subjective. The "her many" is emphatic in form. She is a big sinner, which is why she expresses big love; "her sins, her many sins", JB.

afewntai (afihmi) perf. pas. "have been forgiven" - have been forgiven. The perfect passive indicates that Jesus is not declaring forgiveness, but affirming her already forgiven state. This doesn't necessarily mean that Jesus has previously met her and forgiven her, but rather that at least she has heard the gospel of God's infinite mercy in Christ for those who repent, and having availed herself of this mercy, is now responding with grateful affection to the instrument of God's mercy, namely, Jesus.

oJti "for [she loved much] / as [her great love has shown]" - that [she loved much]. Taken with the verb in the indicative mood, the conjunction may introduce a causal clause explaining why her sins are forgiven. Yet, as noted above, although grammatically correct, it is very unlikely that this is the intended sense, given the final clause "whoever has been forgiven little loves little". So, more reason than cause, such that Jesus is providing the reason why he can make the bold claim that her sins are forgiven; the evidence of Jesus' claim is her great love. As Nolland puts it, the use of oJti here is logical. The clause identifies the basis for Jesus' claim that her sins have been forgiven, namely, the evidence of her loving response toward him. The fact that her sins have been forgiven is evidenced by her great love. "her sins, which were many, have been forgiven, hence she has shown great love", NRSV.

w|/ dat. pro. "he who / whoever" - [but/and] to whom [little is forgiven, little he loves]. Dative of direct object of the passive verb afietai, "is forgiven"; "whoever is forgiven little." The present tense of "forgiven" pushes the sense of Jesus' words toward a general principle rather than a direct application to Simon. A pious person who is blinded to the seriousness of their sin by religious conventions, birth-rite, or their own moral rectitude, will not be driven to seek forgiveness and therefore will not experience divine mercy. Such a person will not be bubbling over with affectionate gratitude.

v] Jesus pronounces forgiveness, v48: Jesus confirms her present state in the words "your sins are forgiven", and in doing so, declares to all present his authority to forgive sins. Jesus' words are probably intended for the wider audience.

auth/ dat. pro. " to her" - [but/and jesus said] to her. Dative of indirect object.

sou gen. "your" - [the sins] of you. The genitive is adjectival, possessive, or verbal, subjective, "the sins committed by you."

afewntai (afihmi) perf. pas. ind. "are forgiven" - have been forgiven. The seemingly unnecessary addition of v48, 49, has prompted some commentators to discard the verses, or view them as a secondary expansion of the text. Even more concerning, there is the implication that Jesus may now be actually declaring forgiveness consequent upon the woman's exuberant affection, or even bestowing a second forgiveness. Both views are theologically untenable. The simple way through this maize is to view Jesus' words as a confirmation of her forgiveness, but confirmation to whom? Verse 50 is surely the woman's confirmation, while v48, backed up by v49, serves as a self-disclosure by Jesus to the unbelieving spectators.

vi] Response of the guests, v49: The official guests are startled by the statement, but their reaction is not presented in a negative light. "Who indeed is this who takes upon himself the authority to forgive sins?"

oiJ sunanakeimenoi (sunanakeimai) "the other guests" - [and] the ones reclining with him. The participle serves as a substantive, nominative subject of the verb "to begin"; "those at the table with him."

legein (legw) pres. inf. "to say" - [began] to say. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "began".

en "among" - in [themselves]. Here the preposition is either local, distributive, "among themselves" (they discussed what had happened), or adverbial, expressing manner, "to themselves", Culy (they thought about what had happened).

tivV pro, "who" - who [is this who and = even forgives sins]? Predicate nominative interrogative pronoun. "What kind of person is this who acts with the authority to forgive sins?" A similar reference in 5:21 carries a negative sense, here it is more likely positive. There is no indication that Jesus' words are taken as blasphemy, nor is it Simon, or a "Pharisee", who makes / thinks this comment. Obviously, in recording this comment, Luke is indicating something of Jesus' character, although it is really not central to the story.

vii] Jesus' pronouncement, v50: Jesus goes on to underline the basis of the woman's forgiveness and confirm it for her - "Your faith has saved you." She accepted God's offer of forgiveness in Christ (she believed in / had faith in / relied on, the offer) and thus was forgiven and saved from the wrath to come.

hJ pistiV "faith" - [but/and he said toward the woman] the faith [of you]. Nominative subject of the verb "to save." The genitive "of you", is adjectival, possessive, or verbal, subjective, "the faith exercised by you." Given the context, it is often argued that genuine faith is expressed in a public response of gratitude toward God in Christ. Had this woman not come to the dinner and publicly acted toward Jesus as she did, her response to the gospel would not have been saving faith. This, and similar narrow interpretations, are way off the mark. Faith is reliance, a firm dependence on the revealed will of God in Christ. It entails nothing more than a reliance on Christ for one's salvation - a coming to Christ to access the mercy of God. This woman had obviously heard the gospel and relied on Christ for the forgiveness of her sins, She did not have to act out her gratitude to validate her faith and so confirm her salvation, but thankfully for our sake, she did.

seswken (swzw) perf. "has saved" - has saved, preserved [you]. On a number of occasions, Jesus has made this statement in relation to a healing and so the clause is often translated "your faith has made you well." Here, given that the context is the forgiveness of sins, "saved", in the sense of rescued for eternity from eschatological judgment, is obviously what is intended. Does Jesus intend the same meaning when used in relation to a healing?

eiV + acc. "in" - [go, depart] into [peace]. Heb. "to", "to God's peace" = "May God's peace be yours", so, for the Hebrew "Farewell". Given that this is a very common farewell formula, it is not possible to argue convincingly that Jesus is here bestowing the peace of God on a new believer.

Luke Introduction

Exposition

Exegetical Commentaries

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