The first thing about this passage is that one of the Pharisees invited Jesus into his home and he went. Jesus did not spend all his time with sinners, but also with those who had theological training and were seeking righteousness. Those who did not think they were broken, but counted themselves as righteous.
And then a whore enters the room and starts kissing his feet.
And Jesus uses this to teach the Pharisee. The woman knew she was broken. She knew she had been cast out of society. And she was acting in devotion to Jesus — worshipping him, rather that seeing him as a theological colleague.
In the church we still have problems handling the mad, the drug addled, the bad, and the notorious — they are smelly, unkempt, have lice (sometimes literally). We hesitate in welcoming them into our house. But when they repent, they are fervent, for they have been to hell, and have chosen not to live there. The Broken get the need for salvation because they know the path that they were on destroys.
36One 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.”
1Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, 2as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.
In this passage Jesus shamed Simon the Pharisee for not doing his duty as a host. Perhaps he was treating Jesus as some lower form of teacher. One can speculate. But the use of shame is instructive. For shame can be good. We should be ashamed of what we have done that is wrong, not flaunt it, not say that everyone does this (and so it’s OK). Morality is not relative: you should not go to the coliseum and watch the gladiators in any culture. (And there will be a parallel in almost every culture — the public hangings were one such in Georgian England, and the glorification of gladiatorial bouts by Hollywood and Pay TV have similar drives behind them).
The whore did not need to be told the be ashamed. She was ashamed. Her very actions said this. Shame is needed for repentance. You cannot preach the gospel without shame.
And this is why self esteem is so pernicious. It encourages us to believe we are whole, when we are not. To believer we are not wounded, when we are being held together by twine and duct tape. To believe we are as Gods, when we are frail, mortal, limited, and Broken.
But the good news of the Gospel is that the Broken get it. The women who followed Jesus — and we now call saints, Joanna, Mary Magdeline and Suzanna — were all broken before Christ. Christ healed them, and in Christ we will be healed.
