Notes for Luke 7:36-50

Key Verse: Luke 7:47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”

Of all the Gospels, Luke’s account most troubles those of us who consider ourselves to be among the privileged/blessed caste of society. When young Mary sings her “Magnificat” to her cousin, Elizabeth, she celebrates that with the birth of Jesus (and God’s calling to her to give birth to the Messiah), God “has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent away the rich empty-handed” (Luke 1:51-53). He has Jesus preaching not on a Mount, as in Matthew 5-8, but on a level plain—where Luke includes not only the blessings for the poor but a series of woes (curses) for the rich, well-fed and comfortable (Luke 6:17 and 24-26).

Luke surprises us. Where Matthew (5:32) allows men to divorce their wives in cases of sexual immorality, Luke (16:18) makes no allowance for such an exception. Only Luke includes women among the disciples of Jesus—and names them (8:1-3). Matthew repeats Mark’s story of Jesus’ invitation to the young man to “go, and sell your possessions and give to the poor” in order to inherit/obtain eternal life (Mark 10:21; Matthew 19:21). But in Luke, Jesus invites the disciples and everyone in his “little flock” to do this (Luke 12:33). And in Acts 2:44-45, Doctor Luke reports that the post-resurrection followers did not think that Jesus was merely speaking metaphorically!

Luke records more parables (28—compared to 23 in Matthew and 9 in Mark)—and more parables not found in the other Gospels (15!). These include challenging teachings of Jesus that stretch self-proclaimed insiders to comprehend a larger and more inclusive Kingdom of Heaven: the Good Samaritan (10:30-37), the Rich Fool (12:16-21), the Great Banquet (14:16-24), the Lost (prodigal) Son (15:11-32), the Rich Man and Lazarus (16:19-31), and the Pharisee and tax collector (18:10-14).

Luke alone begins Jesus’ ministry with his rejection in Nazareth, when he read from the scroll of Isaiah and proclaimed the ancient prophecy that “the Spirit of the Lord had anointed me to proclaim Good News to the poor... freedom for the prisoners (and oppressed), and recovery of sight for the blind” had been fulfilled as they heard him read it (Luke 4:14-21). And in chapter 24, the Gentile doctor Luke, who traveled with Paul on his missionary journey, concludes his Gospel with a post-resurrection story of how two unknown disciples encountered the risen Lord Jesus when they invited a stranger to join them for supper (Luke 24).

In 7:36-50, Luke profoundly edits the story of Jesus’ anointing found in Mark 14:3-9, Matthew 26:6-13, and John 12:1-8. He completely alters the location, time, and characters, retaining a bare skeleton (reclined, woman, alabaster vial of perfume, Jesus, denarii, and anointed), into which Luke inserts a story similar to a parable found in Matthew (18:23-24) but not Mark, the theme of which (in Matthew) is: “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”.

Luke’s version compares the reception Jesus receives from his Pharisee host and a “woman in the city who was a sinner” who crashes the party with perfume and tears (in a story that parallels the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector in Luke 18:10-14. Jesus reproves the Pharisee for the inhospitality that reveals the poverty of his love, and blesses the woman whose faith (and grateful response to God’s forgiveness) has saved her.

The Pharisee mocks Jesus as a poor prophet for refusing to treat the woman with contempt. Yet Jesus, who has in the previous passage commented on the character of the prophet John, proves by his interpretation of what their respective actions demonstrate about the state of their hearts that he is indeed a true prophet, worthy of our welcome (see Luke 4:24) with water, a kiss, and anointing oil.

Questions for Reflection
If you invited Jesus to your home for dinner, what kind of welcome would you give the Son of God? Who would you have the most difficult time accepting as a party crasher in desperate love with Jesus?

What sin in your life can you offer to God for forgiveness and healing? Can you imagine what your life would be like if you accepted God’s invitation to be free? What do you think Jesus would prophecy about you? About Skyline Church?

Luke loves to tell stories about dinner parties that bring together unlikely guests and nourish them all with blessings. When have you attended such a dinner? What happened? How did you encounter Jesus?