Emmaus Notes; Week beginning Sunday, January 9

Luke 7.1-10

7After had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered . 2A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. 3When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. 4When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, „He is worthy of having you do this for him, 5for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.‟ 6And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, „Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; 7therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. 8For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.‟ 9When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, „I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.‟ 10When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

Luke 7.36-50

36 One 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 cancelled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?‟ 43Simon answered, „I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the greater debt.‟ And Jesus said to him, „You have judged rightly.‟ 44Then turning towards 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.‟

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Welcome Back! Welcome back, everybody. We return to the Gospel According to Luke.

Where We’ve Been: We spent seven weeks in October and November going through the first six chapters of the Gospel According to Luke. We finished with (the calling of the first disciples) and (the . The teaching on the plain is now finished, and we return to Jesus‟ public ministry.

There are four separate stories in Luke 7. 1-10: The Centurion and his servant 11-17: The Widow of Nain 18-35: The inquiry of and his disciples, and the pronouncements about John and those in the Kingdom. (We studied Matthew‟s version of this story in December. See the notes for December 5.) 36-50: The woman at Simon the Pharisee‟s dinner party We‟ll be reading the first and the fourth in worship, but it may be you want to take a moment to read all of Luke 7. These four stories go together. There are common themes…themes of faith, and acceptance. Joseph Fitzmyer, one of the world‟s leading experts on the Gospel According to Luke, describes Luke 7 thus: “Though leaders of Israel do not flock gladly to him, Jesus begins to attract Gentiles and sinners— those who will become part of the people of God.”

Reading the Stories: It may be that you want to divide your study into two parts. You may want to spend 15-20 minutes with the first story, then 15-20 minutes with the second story. I suggest you read them out loud, slowly, and more than once. Remember that these are stories. Read them as stories. Use your imagination. We‟re supposed to. What‟s above gives a general context. What‟s below offers some specifics. And then at the end, there are some thoughts and questions. But don‟t get lost in all these words. Let the story take you where it takes you, and enter in. In both cases, these are stories of people who give themselves over to Jesus; not for the same reason; not necessarily knowing where it will lead. But they enter in…in one case, hoping to receive; in the other case, because she has. May we, too, enter in.

Luke 7:1-10 Some things to note in this story: 1. The location is Capernaum, the adopted home town of Jesus (see :23, 31). 2. A centurion with a gravely ill slave hears about Jesus, and sends some of the Jewish elders to appeal to him on behalf of the man‟s slave. a. He‟s a centurion. That means he‟s Roman, which also means he‟s Gentile. He is not part of the “Chosen People.” b. Something worth considering…why does the centurion not approach Jesus directly? Why does he send the Jewish elders? Humility? Reverence? 3. What the Jewish elders say is telling: that the centurion is a good man; he loves “our people;” even, that he has built their synagogue. Imagine! A Roman centurion building a Jewish synagogue? a. We can rightly call this centurion what the Jewish people called a “God-fearer.” A God- fearer was a Gentile who acknowledged that there was one God; prayed to this God; gave alms; did acts of kindness and service; but had not been circumcised or converted to Judaism. They weren‟t Jewish, but understood and accepted the essentials of the Hebrew faith. b. Clearly, this story foreshadows the God-fearer Cornelius (Acts 10:1-11:18), another centurion who becomes the first Gentile of Jesus. 4. The Jewish elders begin to lead Jesus to the centurion‟s home. (Unstated in the story is that Jesus was willing to go, apparently “no questions asked.”) 5. When the centurion discovers that Jesus is on his way, he sends a message: He, too, is one set under authority; he is a soldier, who knows what it is like to give orders; he says, and they do. Therefore (and these are these words come earlier), “…only speak the word, and let my servant be healed.”

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6. Jesus expresses amazement at the man‟s faith; he has seen it nowhere among his own people. It is not uncommon in the scriptures that what Jesus says or does prompts amazement. It is unusual, however, to find those places where what others do amazes Jesus. 7. When they return to the house, they discover the servant has been healed. We can say that this is a healing story, but the healing is not the real action. Luke mentions it almost as an afterthought. The action is what happens between Jesus and the centurion; the Jewish elders acting as a conduit between them.

Luke 7:36-50 This is one of Luke‟s most artfully drawn stories. As such, it is best taken as a whole rather than broken down into “observations.” Nevertheless, some things to note in this story: 1. We are still in Capernaum. 2. The story takes place at dinner in the home of one of the Pharisees. There is a theme we best pay attention to in Luke…how often Jesus shares meals with people; in this case, even a Pharisee. As well, if we have chosen to read all of Luke 7 we have seen how Luke has set the stage for this meal. In 7:1-10, Jesus juxtaposes the great faith of the centurion over and against the faith found in Israel (“…not even in Israel have I found such faith…”); and in the verses that immediately precede what we read here he has decried this “generation” that would accept neither him nor John the Baptist. 3. The woman who enters the house is described as a “sinner.” What her sin might be is unknown. But she is a woman, and a sinner, and has entered the house of the Pharisee, walked into a room full of men. Though the understanding of private space is a modern notion, it would be a highly unusual act for a woman to enter a room full of Pharisees except, possibly, to serve the meal. Even more unusual would be to weep, and bathe the feet of a rabbi with one‟s tears, and anoint them with oil. This is a story to place one’s self in the middle of; it is an intense scene. Imagine this happening at a dinner party in your house; what our reaction would be. 4. Simon the Pharisee objects to this woman‟s presence. This is not the kind of person who should be there; and besides, if Jesus were a prophet he would know what kind of woman she is. 5. The parable has an obvious meaning: the one who is forgiven more has a greater affection for the one who has done the forgiving. 6. Apparently, Simon has not shown Jesus the kind of courtesy a host would normally show a guest. He has not provided for the washing of feet; offered no kiss of welcome; no anointing for his head (did not allow Jesus to “freshen his face”). Yet the woman has done all three…even, more than all three. Her declaration of love is greater. 7. Her love for Jesus is a sign of her forgiveness; which Jesus then declares to the woman to the outrage of the other Pharisees.

Some Places for Reflection These are both stories about people going to Jesus; getting up, going, seeking. Not for exactly the same reasons, but still…going. There is a part of the story Luke does not tell. In each case, he does not tell how the centurion or the woman heard about Jesus. The presumption is that they have not met him; have not heard him teach; instead, have merely heard about him. And they seek him. To do so, they both have to do something different, and take a chance. Even, they both risk rejection. There is a sense in the first story that the centurion is unsure that Jesus will accept his plea. And in the second, there is the possibility that the woman will not even get her foot in the door. In my own reflection, it causes me to wonder…is there something for me to do differently to seek the presence of Jesus in my life more fully? More ardently? Are there costs to such seeking? The centurion‟s faith is inspiring. And, in fact, his faith in Jesus, his trust in Jesus, is the point of the story. The healing provides the context, but it‟s less about the healing than it is about the centurion‟s faith. We know from the story that he is a good man, a worthy man. We can surmise that if he has helped to build the synagogue, he has some level of faith…faith at a distance, one might say. But now it becomes active, and Jesus praises him for it. In my own reflection, it causes me to wonder…what is the part of my life I need to bring to Jesus in faith? We know from our study of Luke that healing is part of what Jesus does; an important part. In the case of the centurion, the “place” in need of healing is his slave. What is it for me? For you?

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On one level, the sense of the second story is relatively simple. Repentance (turning), forgiveness, and salvation have come to one of the despised persons (the sinful woman) of Israel. She is welcomed in; given a seat at the table. She is not removed from the house, but given a seat at Jesus‟ feet. But if you read the story carefully, it may raise some provocative questions. What is the relationship between forgiveness, love, and faith? Has she been forgiven and saved because of her love and faith? Or is her love and faith a sign of her being forgiven? This is a question people ponder as they reflect upon this story. For me, I think it‟s the latter…that there is an untold part to this story; that because of Jesus, this woman has already experienced forgiveness from God; already knows she has been made right and clean; that the acceptance of this rightness and forgiveness is her act of faith. She has, therefore, come to declare her love for Jesus. Jesus‟ declaration that her sins are forgiven is a declaration of something that has already happened, before she entered the room. (Which is not how the Pharisees understand it. They understand it as a statement of present action; something Jesus has just done; hence, their objection to him.) But I wonder here whether all this is too distant. A question is around the relationship between forgiveness, love, and faith. It‟s a good question, but way too antiseptic considering the power of this story. This woman is a person who has experienced deep in her being the forgiveness that comes from God. Whatever the sin, she has been given release, and knows it. God has made her life new. And so, she comes to declare her love. And is welcomed. The Pharisees keep their distance. She bathes Jesus‟ feet with her tears. Like the centurion, she has come to Jesus because of her faith. There is little in life more freeing than the conviction that one has been released, and made free… Something to consider in both stories, maybe going back to the notion of “risk:” In both stories, the main characters abandon the veneer of respectability, and are willing to be vulnerable with Jesus. The centurion, a man of power, is willing to put himself in the hands not only of Jesus, but of the Jewish elders. The woman is willing to enter among people who would not welcome her, and weep and bathe Jesus‟ feet. Social conventions are thrown out the window. Both are willing to “get real” with Jesus and themselves. May we be open to Jesus‟ healing power. May we accept that Jesus accepts our faith; our trust. May we be willing to trust him. May we be willing to run to him. May we be willing to be real with him; to confess our needs (the centurion), convinced he will respond; to confess our sin (the woman), convinced he will make us clean. Both the slave and woman are given new life. May we accept the new life he wants to give us. May we live with the deep knowledge that our sins are forgiven. (I wonder if Luke intentionally does not reveal what the woman‟s sin is so that we can each make it our own?) The same forgiveness given her is given us. A theme of these stories is, again, the breadth of God‟s Kingdom. Centurion‟s and their slaves; women who otherwise would not be welcome; sinners…are all invited into the Kingdom of God initiated by Jesus. The Pharisees…the ones who should have gotten it…didn‟t. (But still, Jesus enters their house, too.) But the unexpected ones…they are as welcome as the expected. What does that mean for you? May we live with open eyes; may we see that God invites our neighbors into the Kingdom fully. It‟s the unexpected who fill out the Kingdom of God.

A Treat: Try this. Franco Zefferelli made an excellent television movie of the life of Jesus called “Jesus of .” In the movie there is a compelling rendering of the woman at Simon‟s house. Look it up here: 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33kHKK6tVFQ Begin at about 8:15 of the clip. 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5g8wk70O7c&NR=1&feature=fvwp This is where the scene continues; most of the story is shown here. Maybe someone can bring a lap top to your gathering, and you can watch it together. It is a rendering that conflates more than one story, more than one saying of Jesus. Nevertheless, it may make what we‟ve read a more powerful experience.

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