Luke 7:36–50 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

A young couple invited their elderly pastor over for Sunday dinner. While they were in the kitchen preparing the meal, the preacher asked their son what they were having. The little boy replied, “Goat!” The preacher said, “Goat? Are you sure about that?” The boy said, “Yep! This morning I heard Dad say to Mom, ‘Today is just as good as any to have the old goat for dinner.'”

Today and tomorrow I want to share some thoughts about the passage above. Scripture  has many accounts of Jesus eating with people. It doesn’t take a lot of insight to realize that there was more going on here than simply filling bellies or social interaction. Meals were fellowship, sharing yourself and your life with someone. Eating a meal with someone implied an intimacy of sorts.  And meals often had a spiritual significance. That is why the Pharisees had a problem with some of the people Jesus ate with. The verses just prior to the passage above say this:

 Luke 7:33–34 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ’

We shouldn’t be surprised that Jesus ate with sinners. He came into the world to save them. Why wouldn’t he associate with them?

But you just couldn’t win with the Pharisees. No one seemed to measure up in their eyes. Yet that doesn’t keep one of them, a fellow named Simon, from inviting Jesus to dine in his home. We don’t really know his motivation. Maybe he was curious. Perhaps he wanted to be popular, to be seen with the right people. Many think that his reason for inviting Jesus was to set a trap for him. But he invites Jesus to his home for a meal. There would have been others there, too, reclining at the table together. There would have been people serving the meal coming in and out of the room.

Maybe that is how she slipped in unnoticed, this intruder. Everyone in town knew about her. She had a reputation, and I don’t mean that in a good sense. She would not be mentioned in polite company. Others would tell rude and crude jokes about her. What was she doing here? How did SHE get in?

Try to put yourself in Jesus’ position for a minute. How would you judge Simon, your host? He was an upright citizen, successful, a religious man, and he did invite you to dinner. How would you judge him? And what about this woman with the bad reputation? Would your judgment be the same as the rest of the town’s?

More on this tomorrow.