Proper 6 - II Samuel 11: 26 - 12: 10, 13–15; Psalm 32; Galatians
2: 15–21; Luke 7: 36 – 8: 3
The following is a
homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, given at St. John’s Church in Huntingdon,
Pennsylvania on Sunday, June 12, 2016.
“THE
SALVATION PROCESS”
(Homily text: Luke 7: 36 – 8: 3)
As I
read and study today’s Gospel account, which describes a dinner party to which
the Lord had been invited, it occurs to me that what we have before us is a
summary of the salvation process, that process by which we come into a saving
relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
In
our Gospel account, we see two approaches we human beings often take toward
God. In essence, there are three approaches, two of which we hear this morning.
The three approaches/reactions to God’s existence and call to us are:
- Pride, arrogance, and a confidence on our own actions and achievements,
- Indifference/ignorance,
- Deep need, unworthiness of God’s love and grace, and a sense of our own sinfulness.
Let’s
unpack all of this a little.
But
before we do, we would do well to notice some details of the dinner party to
which Jesus had been invited:
The conduct of dinner parties: In Jesus’ day, dinner parties were not only
for the invited guests, but onlookers could come and watch the progress of the
evening. They were also able to hear the conversations that took place. Since
dinner parties were usually outside, these onlookers could make contact with
the guests, which would explain how the unnamed woman had access to Jesus.
Eating practices: Diners usually lay on a pillow (or pillows),
on their left sides, with their heads toward a low table which was placed in
the middle of the guests. So the diners’ feet were extended outward toward the
edge of the gathering. This aspect, too, would explain the woman’s ability to
bathe Jesus’ feet with her tears.
Now,
let’s consider the event itself.
In
the culture of Jesus’ day, expectations of proper behavior were well defined.
Certain actions conveyed messages that were widely understood. In this context,
then, the woman’s actions in making contact with Jesus’ feet conveyed erotic
connotations. In addition, letting down her hair in public was taken to
indicate that she was not behaving in a proper manner (such actions were usually
associated with sexual and moral laxity).
But
the Pharisee, Simon (notice that the host is named…usually, the Pharisees, who
were among Jesus’ chief enemies, are not named personally in the Gospel
accounts) broke societal conventions by not having Jesus’ feet washed, and by
not greeting him with the customary ceremonial kiss (was this
passive-aggressive behavior?).
Whenever
we study or hear a Gospel account, it’s beneficial if we remember that the
world Jesus had come into was a world in which the issues of who was clean or
unclean were of paramount importance. And so it is that Simon says 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.” Simon has deduced, from
the woman’s actions (and perhaps because he knew who she was in the community)
that she was a sinner, an unclean person.
In
the context of who is clean and who is not, Jesus becomes unclean by virtue of
the woman’s contact with Him. In the world of the first century, to come into
contact with something or someone who is unclean is to become unclean onesself.
Of
course, the pattern of Jesus’ willingness to make contact with unclean persons
is one we see again and again in the Gospel accounts: He touches lepers, He heals the sick, He
hangs out with the tax collectors, the prostitutes and the other “sinners” of
His day.
Now
that we’ve noticed some aspects of the conventions of Jesus’ culture and time,
and have looked at some of the aspects of the dinner party itself, let’s turn
to the actions of the unnamed woman and at the actions/attitudes of Simon, the
Pharisee:
The woman:
This unnamed person, who – by the estimation of the “clean” persons
(like Simon the Pharisee) – is an unclean person, a sinner. She has no merit by
which to approach God, for she is unclean. So she comes, casting aside societal
convention, throwing aside her pride (for she has no basis to claim any pride).
She comes in abject need, in a deep sense of her unworthiness before God. She comes
to be restored to a right relationship with God.
Simon the Pharisee: We see the exact opposite in the actions and
attitudes of Simon, the Pharisee. Here we have a self-made man, a person who’s
proud of his actions and of his rightness before God, for Simon has done all
the “right things”. So the Lord tells Simon that he has been forgiven for
little, for he, Simon, has failed to love with generosity.
Today’s
Gospel calls us to self-assessment and introspection.
What
is our posture toward God?
Are
we proud of our achievements, or of the “good things” we do (even in God’s
name)? Are we resting comfortably in our status as a baptized person?
(Understand that our reliance on God’s promises, made to us in baptism,
constitute the bedrock of our relationship with God, so this isn’t an attempt
to undercut the centrality of that essential step we must take as part of our
walk with God.) If so, then perhaps we’re behaving a bit like Simon, the
Pharisee.
On
the other hand, are we painfully aware that – apart from Christ’s atoning
sacrifice on the cross – we have nothing of worth or value to offer God? Do we turn, like the unnamed woman in today’s
Gospel, to the Lord, seeking forgiveness and restoration? Being able to set aside
any basis for acceptance before God is the essential first step in our walk
with God. Coming with such empty hands must be done regularly as we allow
ourselves to see ourselves as God sees us, as sinners who have been redeemed by
Christ.
And,
of course, the third approach to God is one of indifference. This is the
attitude taken by many on our culture today. And sometimes, an attitude of
indifference is closely associated with an attitude of pride, an attitude that
says, in effect, “What do I need God for, I’m pretty good just as I am?”.
Today’s
Gospel calls us to account for our posture and behavior toward God. May the
Holy Spirit enable our introspection.
AMEN.
