Luke 7:36-49
Summary for Luke 7:36-50: 7:36-50 a Jesus’ comment in 7:35 b is now illustrated by one of “wisdom’s children” (see study note on 7:35), a repentant sinner who shows gratitude for the forgiveness she has received. 7:36 c One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him: Jesus has more positive contact with the Pharisees in Luke than in the other Gospels. He was a respected teacher and healer, so it is not surprising that this Pharisee invited him to dinner. Not all Pharisees were antagonistic—some were interested in his teaching or merely curious.7:37 d a certain immoral woman: The implication is that she was a prostitute.
• Alabaster is a soft marble—white, yellow, or red—that was often used to make expensive containers like this beautiful ... jar.
7:38 e she knelt behind him at his feet: At a banquet, guests reclined around a low table with their feet extended outward. The woman could not reach Jesus’ head to anoint him, so she poured the perfume on his feet.
• wiped them off with her hair: Letting down her hair in public was scandalous and could have constituted grounds for her husband to divorce her; kissing his feet connoted reverence. She discarded propriety due to her gratitude.
7:40 f Then Jesus answered his thoughts: See study note on 5:22.
7:41 g 500 pieces of silver (denarii) was almost two years’ wages for a day laborer. The poor were often heavily indebted to the wealthy in first-century Galilee.
7:43 h the one for whom he canceled the larger debt: Those who had been forgiven the most responded with greater gratitude and love. The woman did her extraordinary act of sacrificial love because Jesus had forgiven her sins.
Summary for Luke 7:44-46: 7:44-46 i Simon had neglected to show Jesus the common courtesies of hospitality. Since roads were dusty, a servant would wash the dust from a guest’s feet. Greeting a guest with a kiss on both cheeks is normal in the Middle East even today. Anointing the head with olive oil was a way to honor a respected guest.
7:47 j so she has shown me much love: This is a better translation than the traditional “because she loved much.” It was not that her great love for Jesus caused him to forgive her, but that the forgiveness she had already received from Jesus prompted her love.
Copyright information for
TNotes