Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her

Ancient glass alabastron (perfume bottle), likely Phoenician ca. 625-600 BC.  Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."  Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."

And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.  But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?  For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor."  But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.  So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

- Matthew 26:1-16

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us what is called the Judgment of the Nations, or the parable of the Sheep and Goats, an illustration of judgment at His Second Coming:   "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

  Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."  Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."  My study bible comments that while Jesus is delivered up to His Passion by His accusers, He goes willingly.  Unless He had willed to go, His accusers could never have taken Him.  After His Resurrection, a note reads, many saints imitated Christ by willingly going to martyrdom.  Let us note also the fear of the religious leadership regarding the people, who believe Christ to be a holy man.

And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.  But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?  For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor."  But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."   Simon the leper was likely a man healed earlier by Christ, as lepers were forbidden to live in towns.  My study bible comments that Jesus accepts this honor from the woman in her newly found faith.  Specifically, as He says, He accepts it as a sign of His coming burial.  In this sense, it is an anointing for His death, in preparation for His Passion.  According to St. John Chrysostom, the disciples weren't wrong in principle:  mercy shown to the poor, he says, is more fitting than outward signs shown even to God (25:40; James 1:27).  But they did not understand that once the gift had been given, it was a greater mercy to accept it with love.  My study bible quotes St. Chrysostom:  "If anyone had asked Christ before the woman did this, He would not have approved it.  But after she had done it, He looks only to the gift itself.  For after the fragrant oil had been poured, what good was a rebuke?  Likewise, if you should see anyone providing a sacred vessel or ornament for the walls of the church, do not spoil his zeal.  But if beforehand he asks about it, command him to give instead to the poor."  Nevertheless, Jesus explicitly behaves with compassion to the woman -- an understanding of the heart in the deepest place of the personal.  He recognizes her profound gift to Him in His own hour of approaching darkness.  My study bible comments that because of her fervent faith, Jesus promises perpetual public memory of this woman.  It adds that there is no consensus among patristic writers as to her identity in relation to similar accounts found in Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:36-38, and John 12:1-8.  Some say that there were three different women in these four accounts, others state that there were only two.

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.  So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.   A note in my study bible states that Judas on his own initiative seeks to betray Jesus.  His motives have always been debated historically, but patristic writers and liturgical hymns state that greed was his primary motive.  We can read this in John 12:4-6, where Judas was upset about the "waste" of myrrh (by the woman who anointed Christ) because he was a thief (see also 1 Titus 6:10).  The phrase one of the twelve is used specifically in order to emphasize the depth of betrayal involved (for the earliest hearers of the Gospel already knew who Judas was) -- as His betrayer was one of Christ's closest followers.

In these different stories which focus on various characters all playing roles in Christ's Passion, we are given a glimpse of the competing narratives or motivations that can underlie an event, even one so well-known as this which took place 2,000 years ago.  This chapter begins with Jesus' flat statement to the disciples that He will be delivered to be crucified -- a blunt expression of His foreknowledge.  He knows what is going to happen.  What must the disciples make of such frightening news?  After that is given to us in today's reading the perspective of the Jewish religious leadership in the temple.  They wish to be rid of Jesus.  They have not managed to out-debate Him in front of the crowds at the temple during this Passover festival, at which pilgrims from all over the Jewish world of Israel and the Jewish diaspora are in attendance.  Among the people, Jesus is highly regarded, but also a subject of intense debate.  Clearly, the leaders are afraid to openly seize Him for fear of the crowds, as the text says.  They gather to plot at the home of the high priest.  Then there is the gathering at the home of Simon the leper, in Bethany.  Some suggest that this woman who anoints Christ with the oil is Mary of Bethany, sister of Lazarus, who is named in John's Gospel (see John 12:1-6).  But, as my study bible notes, patristic understanding through the centuries has never determined the specific people involved in each incident as reported in all the Gospels:  whether they are all separate or not.  But one thing is clear:  there is a depth of bond of compassion between Christ and this woman whom He proclaims anoints Him for His burial, and that she has done a good work for Him.  We must not forget the personal in all of these stories, for ultimately faith in Christ is a matter of heart-to-heart understanding.  Ours is a saving, personal faith, and not simply an abstract set of rules to follow, nor pure intellectual theory or philosophy.  Our God became incarnate and one of us in order to proclaim the depth of love for us, God's deep desire to be with us, and compassion expressed in sharing our lives.  God's passion for us becomes a matter of the heart, for as Christ proclaimed, Father, Son, and Spirit make their dwelling with us after His Resurrection (John 14:15-24).  And finally we come to Judas, possibly incensed at the presumed expense of luxury through the woman's action, and Christ's acceptance of it.  He is possibly also motivated by greed, as John's Gospel teaches he was a thief who stole from the monies of Christ's ministry (John 12:4-6).  Perhaps Judas was incensed when Christ responded to his criticism of Mary with a rebuke to himself.  All sorts of motivations have been attributed to Judas.  But one thing is clear, and it is the depth of betrayal involved, as Christ emphasizes more than once (see also John 6:70).  We might also contrast the expressive love of the woman who anoints Christ with the behavior of Judas:  the woman expresses gratitude and love, while Judas -- in one way or another -- seems to express a sense of disappointed expectation, an agenda of his own, and an unwillingness to truly follow the Master to the end.  In each of these cases, we're given profiles of character and of motivations, all centering around Jesus Himself.   And here is the true issue of the personal:  so much depends upon our relationship, or lack of it, to Christ.  The Gospels to not hesitate to show the world in its varied aspects of faith or lack of it:  from outright hatred and enmity to love and to betrayal.  We can imagine the states of each of the twelve disciples may vary according to what they understand or what will terrify and confuse them.  But each will make his own choice according to the state of the heart and the personal depth of communion with Christ.  The same can be said of the women who traveled with Christ and aided in His ministry, ministering themselves to the disciples.  This Gospel gives us a picture of ourselves, for each of us also is understood within a perspective of the state of the heart, and of the personal depth of encounter with Christ, and indeed, the Trinity.  This is a fluid state, subject to change, through experience, repentance, and especially prayer and that deepening personal communion and understanding that is open and possible for us, and also within the context of the entire Church, including the grand communion of the saints and the mystical reality that embraces as well as our brothers and sisters we encounter in our lifetimes.  Let us understand the picture the Gospel gives us:  Christ is set to face His accusers and to endure His Passion.  He knows where He goes.  But how do the rest of us respond?  How do we know our own lives in this light, and especially in our internal connection of the heart with Christ?  Can we also embrace and receive and understand the kind of love expressed by the woman who anoints Him?  Do we understand Judas and his castigation of this woman?  Where does the personal -- and the expression of love and compassion -- come into it for us?

Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little

 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him.  And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.  And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.  Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  So he said, "Teacher, say it."

"There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"  Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."  Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."  Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace." 

- Luke 7:36-50

On Saturday, we read that the disciples of John reported to him concerning all the things Jesus was doing.  And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'"  And that very hour He cured many of their infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard:  that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  This is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'  For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.  And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:  'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not weep.' For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by all her children."

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him.  And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.  And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.  Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  So he said, "Teacher, say it."    My study bible says that this Pharisee was intrigued by Christ, as evidenced by his invitation, but he clearly doesn't have faith in Him, as shown by his reaction to Christ's mercy, and also by his lack even of what was common hospitality (as noted in Jesus' comments further down, verses 44-46).  The encounter with the sinful woman is "an icon of grace," a note reads, which is found only in the Church.  St. Ambrose of Milan writes that through this woman, "the Church is justified as being greater than the Law, for the Law does not know the forgiveness of sins, nor the mystery in which secret sins are cleansed; therefore, what is lacking in the Law is perfected in the Gospel." 

"There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"  Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."  Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."  Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."   Here is a question of what the Law allowed, and what Jesus does.  That anyone could forgive sins was beyond the bounds of the Law as understood by the Pharisees (see 5:21).  Yet Christ wasn't simply a man, but rather the very Lawgiver Himself.  St. Cyril of Alexandria comments, "Who could declare things that were above the Law, except the One who ordained the Law?"

This particular story in the Gospels centers on forgiveness.  We read of the power of God to forgive, the power of Christ as Son at work in the world.  The point of view of the Law, however, demands restitution of some sort for sin.  That this woman would simply be forgiven is not a sense in the Law (and that is beside the fact that only God can forgive sins).   The new covenant, however, would seem to indicate something new here, a different equation, and that equation includes love.  It's not simply about Jesus' love for others, God's love for us, in forgiveness.   But what we read about here is the love of this woman for Christ.  Her repentance is great, that is a given.  But the love she expresses is something tremendously great here, as told in the text.   It is an act of extravagance, not simply for the great value of the oil, but rather of the great love that is expressed by the woman.  Jesus frequently expresses the notion of sin as "debt," and this is in keeping with the Law.  In the prayer He has given us to our Father (Matthew 6:8-15), we pray that our debts may be forgiven, as we forgive our debtors (verse 12).  But forgiveness, in Jesus' teaching, seems to set up an entirely different sort of equation -- or rather, it sets the equation on a different footing.  God's love is extravagant, gracious, merciful, overflowing for us.  The love of this woman as expressed to Jesus is also extravagant and overflowing.  We go one step beyond debt and payment here, and into the Kingdom of heaven where love becomes the currency of all things (see 1 John 4:8). This woman knows what that Kingdom is, and she travels in this love as she is expressing it here.  Jesus tells everyone present that she knows what it is to be forgiven, and she has taken up the dwelling place in the Kingdom that she is able to live in this life.  Her tears teach us about repentance, but also they  express the great joy of forgiveness at the same time, the participation in God's love.  Jesus says, "To whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."   And there is not only a great truth which we can observe in human relationships, but rather again a description of a state of being, a place where we know and live within a kind of currency of love, where love may be like the air we breathe.  It teaches us about a new kind of exchange that goes beyond the Law.  There is an important understanding here about debt:  to forgive is to let go or to release.   Love allows us to release debt, to let it go.   We may consider this reading to be a great teaching on the power of prayer, the expression of love within the grace of God and our capacity for living the life of the Kingdom in the world.  To pray for others is to express love, and to pray to Christ whom we love may also be an extravagant outpouring of love.   There are times, we may find, when all we can do is express love for someone through prayer, even when we can't have dialogue or contact in person.   In this communion, love becomes language, communication.  She doesn't say a word, but her every gesture is an act of love.  This passage is read in the Orthodox Church on the days commemorating holy nuns.  As in Saturday's reading, it teaches us a great deal about holiness, even the lives of the saints.  So many were those who were former sinners, even notoriously so, but within the love of God they lived lives of holiness and participation in the Kingdom.  And like Saturday's reading, in which Jesus taught that "wisdom is justified by her children," so we may also see in the actions and love of this woman, whom Jesus tells, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."

Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me

 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

- Mark 14:1-11

"Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.  Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning -- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.  And what I say to you, I say to all:  Watch!"

 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."  My study bible explains that the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins with the Passover meal on the evening of 15 Nisan (on the Jewish calendar) and lasts seven days (Exodus 12:12-20).  These two feasts together commemorate Israel's liberation from slavery in Egypt.  The word Passover is used in connection with the "passing over" of Hebrew homes by the angel of death when killing the firstborn of the Egyptians, because the Jews had put lamb's blood on their doorposts (Exodus 12:13).  Unleavened bread as the tradition reminds all of the haste with which the Hebrews left Egypt (Exodus 12:39).  My study bible adds that this Passover was fulfilled in Christ, the Lamb whose blood was shed to free humanity from bondage to sin and death.

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."   My study bible says that Simon the leper must have been healed earlier by Jesus, because lepers were forbidden to live in towns.   It explains that because of her fervent faith, Jesus promises perpetual public memory of this woman who anointed Him for His burial.  There is no traditional consensus of opinion on her identity -- there are similar events reported in Matthew 26:6-13, Luke 7:36-38, and John 12:1-8.  Some commentators say there were three different women in the four accounts, but others say there were only two.

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.   A note tells us that Judas seeks on his own initiative to betray Jesus.  While his motives have been debated, traditional commentary tends to agree that greed was the primary motive.  It is the opinion given in John 12:4-6, where it is stated that Judas was upset by the "waste" of myrrh in the story of the woman with the alabaster flask because he was a thief.  The fact that Judas was one of the Twelve serves as emphasis on the great depth of betrayal here.  Interestingly, one of the Greek texts calls Judas the son of Simon in this passage in John.  Perhaps we might speculate that the betrayal is linked to a rebuke given inside of his family home. 

This story appears in all four Gospels, in one form and another.  As stated above,  the identity of the woman is debated in each story, and how many separate events are really incorporated here.  In John's Gospel, she's certainly identified with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus and Martha.  But the really powerful story is of the love that is expressed, and a kind of split in the way in which we might think of things.  Its great importance to the whole of the New Testament is noted simply because of the accounts that appear in all four Gospels.  My study bible notes that John Chrysostom says that the disciples aren't necessarily all wrong in their criticism -- he says that mercy shown to the poor is more fitting than outward signs shown even to God (Matthew 25:40, James 1:27).  But once the gift was given, it was a greater mercy to accept it with love.  Had Christ known of it in advance, says St. Chrysostom, He surely would have directed her otherwise.  But once the gift was given, the only thing to do was to look to the gift itself.  What good would be a rebuke?  The same could be said of  a gift made to a Church of a beautiful ornament.  While the point is well-taken, I think there's something more here.  It's linked to the passage in which Jesus stated that it was harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.  When Jesus teaches him to sell all he has and give it to the poor, it's not an instruction specifically for the poor, it's an instruction given specifically to the rich man for a particular reason.  It teaches us that nothing should keep us back from the fullness of love for God (like attachment to our possessions).  What we can see in this story of the anointing is the depth of simple and straightforward love in the heart of the woman for Christ.  Love trumps everything.  One commentary (Pulpit Commentary) refers to this act (in John's Gospel) as one of "royal self-forgetting love."  The loosening of a woman's hair would have been an act of a depth of humility before Christ, and those at this very public dinner.  What Jesus praises is not the gift, but the depth of love involved.  It's a true gift of anointing for burial, an act of grief and love, like the closest family member, a statement of His central importance to her.  He goes to her defense, really, against all of His disciples; it's not only Judas who criticizes.  His statement about her is a kind of grace we associate with Christ's love for each of us, in His knowledge of our own hearts.  We note Jesus' statement that "she has done what she could."  We are almost at the Cross, and the theme here is given again:  formal observance of the commandments is not enough, there's a deeper level in which faith rests that He seeks.  It rests in love, and it's in the name of this kind of love expressed by this woman that true kindness to the poor is an extension of the love we have for God.  Let us keep in mind that "poor" applies to any kind of poor in any situation; the poor are also "the least of these," the ones with less clout or currency, or even importance, just as she herself may be "poor" among the disciples and the others at dinner here in today's reading, and it is Christ who comes to her defense.  Do we doubt that such a deeply loving heart would deny any help to the poor (particularly in the name of Christ), or lack in kindness and compassion?  Let us remember the power of love and its transcendent power to trump all things.  It's this kind of love that is linked to the fact that with God all things are possible.  In another way, this woman exemplifies what Jesus taught to the lawyer who asked, "Who is my neighbor?"  This is an active love, one that doesn't wait for others to love first or with a motive for gain.  Her anointing of Christ is like a symbolic anointing of grace, imitating God, loving as He has loved us.

Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And he went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner." And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it." "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "I suppose the one he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

- Luke 7:36-50

On Saturday we read about the disciples of John the Baptist -- they came to ask if Jesus was the Coming One, or if they should look for another. Jesus performed His healing work in their presence, and instructed them to tell John that "the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed..." -- all events related to the prophecy about the Coming One, the Messiah. John the Baptist is in prison, and Jesus goes on to proclaim to the crowds after his disciples leave, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?" Jesus teaches that John is the greatest of the prophets -- but that even the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John. He disparagingly refers to those who have criticized both John and Himself; they are like children playing a game, with spite. They criticize John for his austerity and Jesus and His followers for drinking and eating. "But," Jesus adds, "wisdom is justified by all her children."

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And he went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. My study bible points out that some Pharisees were open to Jesus' mission, as we can see from this gesture of hospitality. At least this Pharisee was interested -- but we will see from the story what limitations perspective may make to full acceptance. My study bible says about the Pharisees, "They could not entirely free themselves from their suspicions and prejudices."

And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. This gesture of love is similar to that of other stories in the Gospels, most notably about Mary of Bethany. But it is not in isolation -- however, the lesson taught here is similar.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner." And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it." "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "I suppose the one he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." Simon, the Pharisee, exposes his own prejudices and beliefs here: Jesus should know about the woman, and what kind of sinner she is. But Jesus tells His own story that lets us know the following: He's quite aware not only of what the woman is, but also what Simon is thinking. So He tells a parable to open up Simon's understanding. Simon is clearly capable of the discernment to understand the parable, and therefore perhaps to grasp what Jesus has to teach and to reveal through the interaction with the woman. It is Simon who needs to open up his eyes and his understanding.

Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." Jesus rightly points out the great love expressed by this woman -- and it is a championing of love, ultimately, that characterizes Jesus' teaching here. This is not about the lavishness with which one greets a guest or treats a person of honor; it is about the strength of love (and eventually, we read, of faith) that is in a person. It is about relationship. And the link between forgiveness and love is indelible, treated here as indistinguishable one from the other. Love is the currency of the kingdom, we see once again in this Gospel. Love leads to forgiveness and forgiveness leads to love.

Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." While others at the table are questioning Jesus' authority to forgive sins, He responds by dismissing the matter entirely with His statement to the woman: "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." A great and tremendous reconciling, all in the love between Himself and the woman, Creator and creature, forgiveness through faith and love. My study bible says, "In the mercy of God, a sinful past is not a hopeless liability. Forgiveness comes to those who truly love Christ." And personal faith is inextricable from love as well: this is the relationship He seeks, and rewards. Love sets the captives free.

I am always astounded at this story, because we can just imagine similar circumstances today. I have seen at churches incidents of tremendous snobbery: who will sit with whom (for example, at a social hour after church), who is acceptable and who is not. We're all familiar with the social context of the company we keep. Jesus' story comes to us therefore not as a prosaic one we've heard many times before, but as one we need to view with fresh eyes to an understanding of what happens in a social context all too often. Not only does He allow this woman to approach Him, but she lavishes a tremendous act of love and care upon Him, perhaps beyond anything that we have seen at a social gathering. A woman touches Him -- and so much more. All of this is out of bounds socially, this tremendous expression of affection. But worse, she is a great sinner, a scandal. Let us think about the acts of love God welcomes, and sees for what they are. They trump everything else, and must be valued for their true meaning and power. How often can we say we do that?