THE ANOINTING WOMAN.

Reading: Luke 7:36-50.

This is another of the nameless women of the Gospel. We are never told her name, although some have identified her with other women who also anointed Jesus with oil or perfume. This woman, unlike the others, performed her act of love early in Jesus’ ministry while she was in the home of a Pharisee who despised her.

(BIBLE BACKGROUND: ANOINTING WOMEN.)

The chart at the end helps us tell apart between three women who anointed Jesus. While there are a number of match’s between the occasions there are also enough differences to enable us to tell apart between them. That three women performed this act suggests that such an act, while uncommon, was a culturally understood way of expressing devotion.

THE WOMAN’S ROLE IN SCRIPTURE.

A. What we know about the woman’s past Luke 7:37.

“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.”

The text tells us that she was “a sinner.” While the Pharisees tended to look down on those not of their own order, Luke’s use of the phrase “a sinner” and the Pharisee’s horror at the sight of her touching Jesus indicates she was a prostitute.

As the Pharisee would have considered himself ceremonially unclean if such a woman touched him, the Pharisee immediately concluded that Jesus could not be a prophet or He would “know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner” Luke 7:39.

B. What we know about the woman’s future Luke 7:39, 50.

“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.”

“Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

The Pharisee’s reaction tells us much about the woman’s forecast for the future.

Her past actions had so defined her in the eyes of decent society that there is no hope for redemption. She had been labelled a “sinner.” Nothing the woman could do in the future would remove the label as far as the Pharisee and his like were concerned.

At this point Jesus asked the Pharisee to solve a simple riddle. If a creditor were to forgive two debtors, one who owed ten times as much as the other, which would love the creditor more? The answer was obvious, but Christ’s point was thoughtful.

The Pharisee, who assumed he had not sinned, served God but did not love God. The woman, who knew the depths of her poverty and who had sensed Jesus’ forgiving love, had been transformed within and now loved God supremely.

Knowing this, Jesus told the woman, “Your sins are forgiven,” and added: “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace” Luke 7:48, 50. By these words the woman and her future were transformed. Her past was wiped out, and she was granted God’s own peace, a peace that would sustain her through the rest of her days on earth and on into eternity.

THE ANOINTING WOMAN: AN EXAMPLE FOR TODAY.

A. Our past is not as important as our present.

The woman who came to Jesus had a past that she now regretted. Yet society, represented by the Pharisee, would always identify her by what she had been and had done. How wonderful that Jesus is able to transform our hearts. What we were, we no longer need be. In time, even society will recognize our new identity and take notice that we have been with Jesus.

B. Similarly, our past does not determine our future.

Jesus accepted and appreciated the ministry of this woman who had been a sinner, even when His own disciples stood in judgment. Today, too, some seek to hinder others who are eager to serve for reasons that are no longer relevant in Christ. We need to listen to Him rather than to them as we set out to minister in His name.

CONCLUSION:

I do hope we have learnt something in looking at the life of this anointing woman.

	1st woman Luke 7:36-50 Un-named	2nd woman John 12:1-8 Mary	3rd woman Mark 14:1-9 Un-named
n	Jerusalem	Bethany	Bethany
Place	Home of Simon a Pharisee	Home of Lazarus	House of Simon the leper
Date		Six days before Passover	Two days before Passover
l	Alabaster jar of ointment	Pound of perfume made of nard	Alabaster jar of ointment of nard
Action	Bathed feet with tears, kissed feet, anointed them	Anointed feet and wiped with hair	Poured ointment on head
by	The Pharisee	Judas/the disciples	Some who were there
Respo	“If this man were a prophet.”	Why was not money given to the poor?	Why was not money given to the poor?
Jesus	Taught Simon	“Leave the woman alone.” “Always have the poor with you.”	“Leave the woman alone.” “The poor always with you.
woman	“Your sins are forgiven.”	“For the day of my burial.”	“Prepared me for burial.” “What she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”