Detail of St Luke altarpiece by Andrea Mantegna, 1453-54

Luke: a Man With An Eye for the Ladies (Part seven)

Monday August 18 2014

A weekly series of reflections by the Rev Billy McMillan on the women in Luke's Gospel

Part seven

The Sinful Woman: Saving Faith (Luke 7.36-50)

The story of the woman who encountered Jesus in the home of Simon the Pharisee is difficult because in it there appears to be a conflict between morality and forgiveness.

Twice in the story, (verses 37 and 39) the statement is made that this woman is living a sinful life. Yet once explicitly, (verse 46) and once implicitly, (verse 42), Jesus says that her sins have been forgiven. We cannot attempt to deal with these difficulties here but will focus on the pronouncement which Jesus makes that the woman's faith has saved her
 
As such it tells us of the nature of saving faith:
 
1. Saving faith brings us into a new relationship with Jesus.
 
The picture we have of this woman in verse 38 is of someone who loved Jesus.  This is supported by the story of the two debtors (verse 42). When we put our trust in Jesus our relationship with Him is changed.  Guilt and fear of judgement are removed and replaced with love and gratitude.
 
2. It delivers us from bondage to the past.
 
Because of her sinful life, the woman was hopelessly in debt to God and had no way of paying the debt. Yet because of her faith in Jesus, the debt was cancelled and the slate wiped clean.
 
So for ourselves. When we put our trust in Jesus, we are delivered from bondage to the past. We can say with Charles Wesley: "No condemnation, now I dread."
 
3.  It enables us to use our belongings in a different way.
 
This woman washes the feet of  Jesus with her tears, dries His feet with her hair and pours perfume on them.
As Christians, we will find new opportunities of using our belongings in the service of Jesus and for the good of others.
 
4  It benefits the community in which we live.
 
What happened in the home of Simon that day benefited the community.
 
Jesus spoke of His followers as the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). Through our faith in Jesus we are called upon to have a preserving and enlightening influence on our community.
 
Such is saving faith.

This was the last in the series

Part six

Part five

Part four

Part three

Part two

Part one