It is the temptation of preachers everywhere to take the scripture and to interpret it leaving at the end of it a nice package that you will take home to ponder.
This week, that is not my intent or my purpose. My purpose is not to interpret the text for you, but instead to ask questions. You see, the text for this week is a complex, dynamic, mysterious and frankly beautiful text. I think I would do the story for this week a dis-favour by interpreting it for you because I would be sure to miss out on some of the beautiful nuances and powerful imagery evoked by this text. If you think I’m joking about asking the questions, I’m not. There are 150 questions I’m going to ask you now. I also have printed a few copies of this text for those people whose lives have not yet been infected by the insidious Internet. For the rest of us, I’ll post the text, and the audio file in the next day for you to follow along.
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him:
- Why does this Pharisee want to eat with Jesus?
- Is he in awe of the man from Galilee?
- Or, is this man full of questions and doubts, so he invites Jesus to the privacy of his own home so he can ask outside the public eye?
- Or, does this man want to make a mockery of Jesus by feigning hospitality only to ambush him?
and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table.
- Why does Jesus accept his invitation?
- Has Jesus ever met this man before?
- Does Jesus know something about this Pharisee that we do not know?
- And what was Jesus’ place at the table?
- Was he seated in a place of honour, or did he sit with the servants?
- What was atmosphere of that room like?
- Was it boisterous and like a party, or was it solemn and serious or was it anxious with anticipation?
- Was the room where the table was ostentatious or was it austere?
And a woman in the city, who was a sinner.
- Who is this woman?
- Why does the writer not give her a name?
- Is it obvious she is a sinner?
- And I know we all like a good tidbit of gossip so we ask the inventible question – what did she do wrong?
- Are you guilty, like I am, of assuming that this woman has committed some sort of sexual sin?
- Why do our thoughts always go there?
- Maybe she is a sinner for other reasons. Has this woman broken out of cultural norms and so her actions are seen as sinful?
- Has she not abided by some set of rules she didn’t know about?
- Who makes the judgement on whether she is a sinner?
Having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment
- How did she hear that Jesus was eating at the house of the Pharisee?
- Did she have an invitation or did she simply show up?
- Why did she want to come to the house while Jesus was there?
- Did she know this Pharisee whose house she was in?
- What did she think was going to happen when she arrived at the house?
- What is an alabaster jar and what kind of ointment is in the jar?
- Did she bring the jar for a purpose or did she just have it with her?
She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair.
- Why is this woman crying?
- Is she overcome with gratitude?
- Is she in awe of the person at whose feet she sits?
- How powerful is this ointment that she is bathing his feet in?
- Is the smell filling the house to the point of being overwhelming?
- What are the other guests thinking?
- What are the other guests feeling as they watch this event?
- What is Jesus thinking as this woman bathes his feet, and cries as she dries them with her hair?
- Does he have compassion on her?
- Is he uncomfortable, or at peace, or concerned?
- Does he look at her with confusion, ot hope, or love or some other expression?
- Does she realize how intimate her actions are?
Now 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.”
- What is this, of all things, running through the Pharisee’s mind?
- What is he feeling?
- Is he jealous, or confused, or angry, or something else?
- Why does he ask the question to just himself, and not to the room, or to Jesus, or to one of his friends?
- Does he think that Jesus doesn’t know who this woman is?
- Has he not heard the reputation of Jesus for being friends with downtrodden?
- Doesn’t he know that Jesus is often hanging out with the people labelled “sinners”?
- Does the willingness of Jesus to remain there discount this man as a prophet, in his eye?
- What does the Pharisee think of Jesus now that he has witnessed this?
- Does it matter?
- How often am I, how are often are we, concerned about what other people think of us?
- How often do we fail to care for someone because we know that other people are watching and might judge us for our actions?
- How often do we do something only because other people are watching?
Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
- Why does the Pharisee’s name get said now?
- Why doesn’t Jesus just come right out at say what needs to be said?
- Has he heard the mind of Simon, or has he simply read the facial expressions of this fellow teacher?
- Does Simon feel like he’s being put on the spot?
“Teacher,” he replied, “speak.”
- He responds openly, but does Simon really want to hear what Jesus has to say?
- Does Simon have a choice but to say yes?
- Does he recognize Jesus as a teacher, or is he saying it out of social custom?
- Am I open to hearing what Jesus might have to tell me?
- Are we as a church open to hearing what Jesus has to say to us?
“A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?”
- Why does Jesus use a parable here?
- Why would a creditor want to cancel debts?
- What happens when our debts can never be repaid?
- Am I more like the creditor in the story, or the debtor?
- Are we, in wealthy North America, more like creditors, or the debtors?
- What debts are we currently racking up?
- Have you ever been forgiven of a debt?
- Have you ever been forgiven of a debt you couldn’t possibly repay?
- Is the creditor buying love in this story because apparently one debtor will love them more?
- Are there varying degrees of love here?
- Does Simon realize that the question is about him?
- What does Simon feel that Jesus has asked him this provocative question in his own house, in front of all his guests and servants?
Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the greater debt.”
- Is Simon reluctant to answer the question?
- Did he have to think about it for a long time or did he know answer right away?
- When Simon answers this question, does a light bulb go off in his head?
- Or, is he embarrassed by this question?
- Or, is Simon furious about the question that Jesus has asked him?
- Would you and I have the courage to answer the question?
- Is that the answer you would have given to the question?
And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
- When Jesus hears his answer does he think that this Pharisee is on board or reluctant?
Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?
- Is this the first time Simon has looked at the woman in a serious manner?
- Does he realize what is about to happen?
- Does he feel like he is about to be trapped again?
- What is going through his mind?
- Has he missed something?
- Has he mistaken this woman for someone else?
- Has Simon ever really seen 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. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
- As Jesus unleashes these words, what is going through Simon’s head?
- What is going through the woman mind?
- Has she stopped washing his feet and crying or does this question just provoke the situation more?
- Why didn’t Simon have the feet of Jesus washed?
- What is with the anointing of oil?
- What is Jesus implying about the actions of the woman?
- Is Jesus simply calling out the lack of hospitality on the part of Simon?
- Can the contrast between Simon and this woman be any more stark?
Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love.
- I’ve always been taught the forgiveness of sins was a cross-centred action, but here Jesus is offering forgiveness – how can he do that?
- It doesn’t seem like she has wronged Jesus, so is the forgiveness his to offer?
- What is the significance of the fact that Jesus acknowledges her “many” sins?
- Don’t we all have many sins that need to be forgiven?
- Have you ever been forgiven?
- What was that like?
- Do you need to be forgiven for anything now?
- Do you need to offer forgiveness to anyone?
- What are the many sins of our community that need forgiveness?
- Would this woman have show such great love if she wasn’t forgiven?
- Do you think that she was expecting the forgiveness Jesus is offering or was it simply an unexpected consequence?
- At one point are the sins forgiven – when she walks in the room, or when she cries, or when she anoints his feet, or when she kisses his feet, or at the moment he utters these words?
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
- Are people ever only forgiven a little?
- Or, are we only forgiven for the things we acknowledge are sinful?
- Why am I so uncomfortable with the word sin.
- Is love tied so closely to forgiveness?
- Does forgiveness drive love?
- Shouldn’t we just want love for love’s sake?
- Do you need a lot, or a little forgiveness?
Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
- Why does he say this now if he said her sins were already forgiven?
- Does this woman feel relief or is she feel filled with joy?
- Does she feel like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders?
- Is she joyful?
- Or is she fearful that there will retribution for her actions?
- Does she actually feel forgiven?
- Do these works spark more tears from her or does she crack a smile?
- What is the crowd feeling –skepticism, awe, beauty, rage?
- Do they need the grace this woman has just experienced?
- Is the tone of their question curiosity or indignation, or hope or disdain?
- Do they feel blessed by having witnessed this moment or are they filled with rage?
- Will they think about this moment for the rest of their lives or will they forget about it the next day?
- Will Simon’s house forever be remembered for the actions of the woman?
And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
- Why does the story end with this line?
- How is her faith at work here?
- How has her faith saved her?
- What will she tell her friends?
- Will she continue to be known as a sinner?
- Will this interaction cause her to choose a new path?
- Will the town she lives in see her in a new way?
- What will it mean for her to leave in peace?
- Have you ever had an encounter with Jesus like this?
- Have you ever had an encounter in a person or in a community like this?
- How did it change you?
- How might we make Chemainus United Church a place where this can happen?
- How might you leave this place in peace?