We see in any case that Luke broaches the motif of money, but in a different way than Matthew or Mark. Matthew and Mark looked at the idea of money from the angle of waste and the potential of helping the poor. Luke drives the real message home by seeing it in terms of gratitude for our own immense debt to God for all our sins; a debt we cannot repay ourselves. Hence, Luke is asserting that the message of the parable is not so much concern or lack thereof for the poor as it is our need to come to terms in our actions with the immense debt we owe to God for our sins. The Greek word in this regard that serves to center the paper is ὤφειλεν, which as used in Luke 7:41 means “owed,” from the infinitive “to owe.” It refers to the circumstance of the two debtors in the Parable of the Two Debtors. They both owed (ὤφειλεν) the creditor amounts they could not repay, like every human person owes God an incredible amount because of our sins. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
Luke tries to stress that those who feel more convicted of sin tend to depend on God more, and are capable of greater love for God, whereas those, like the Pharisee, who feel they are already righteous and have no need for God consequently love him less. A similar teaching is contained in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. It is interesting to note in any case that both parables are contained in Luke. And so he confirms that the woman’s sins are forgiven. This gesture makes the people there wonder who Jesus is to forgive sins. Jesus in any case insists that the woman’s faith has saved her, and recommends that she go in peace.
John’s account of the event is contained in the twelfth chapter of the Gospel. It begins by saying that Jesus went visiting with Lazarus, Martha and Mary. This was the same Lazarus that Jesus had raised from the dead. Martha and Mary had also entertained Jesus in chapter 10 of John’s Gospel, where Martha had complained about her sister Mary’s not helping out with the chores, and in response to her request of Jesus to ask Mary to help her, Jesus had told Martha that the better part which Mary had chosen was not to be taken away from her.
The second verse of John 12 states like Mark does that Jesus reclined at table. It also states that Martha served, which is no surprise. She served in chapter 10 as well. The latter part of verse 2, and verse 3 states that Mary “took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” Hence we see that the nameless woman in the three gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, the one Luke specifically calls sinful, is named as Mary, the sister of Lazarus, in John’s Gospel. Notice as well that John describes the ointment as being genuine aromatic nard; this hints at the fact that it was costly, and so we see that all four gospel writers agree that the oil or perfume or ointment – whatever it was called – was expensive.
John states that it was Judas who was indignant at Mary. It was not the disciples, as in Matthew, or the people at the house as in Mark, or Simon the Pharisee as in Luke, that complained, but Judas. And Judas complained not because he loved the poor, but because he was a thief. This assertion by John probably prefigures Judas’ acceptance of money in order to betray Jesus. Jesus, as in Mark and Matthew, defends Mary, by saying that the poor would be around for much longer than he would. He also states that Mary’s anointing was to prepare him for his burial, just like Mark and Matthew state (John 12:7-8).
Luke tries to stress that those who feel more convicted of sin tend to depend on God more, and are capable of greater love for God, whereas those, like the Pharisee, who feel they are already righteous and have no need for God consequently love him less. A similar teaching is contained in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. It is interesting to note in any case that both parables are contained in Luke. And so he confirms that the woman’s sins are forgiven. This gesture makes the people there wonder who Jesus is to forgive sins. Jesus in any case insists that the woman’s faith has saved her, and recommends that she go in peace.
John’s account of the event is contained in the twelfth chapter of the Gospel. It begins by saying that Jesus went visiting with Lazarus, Martha and Mary. This was the same Lazarus that Jesus had raised from the dead. Martha and Mary had also entertained Jesus in chapter 10 of John’s Gospel, where Martha had complained about her sister Mary’s not helping out with the chores, and in response to her request of Jesus to ask Mary to help her, Jesus had told Martha that the better part which Mary had chosen was not to be taken away from her.
The second verse of John 12 states like Mark does that Jesus reclined at table. It also states that Martha served, which is no surprise. She served in chapter 10 as well. The latter part of verse 2, and verse 3 states that Mary “took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” Hence we see that the nameless woman in the three gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, the one Luke specifically calls sinful, is named as Mary, the sister of Lazarus, in John’s Gospel. Notice as well that John describes the ointment as being genuine aromatic nard; this hints at the fact that it was costly, and so we see that all four gospel writers agree that the oil or perfume or ointment – whatever it was called – was expensive.
John states that it was Judas who was indignant at Mary. It was not the disciples, as in Matthew, or the people at the house as in Mark, or Simon the Pharisee as in Luke, that complained, but Judas. And Judas complained not because he loved the poor, but because he was a thief. This assertion by John probably prefigures Judas’ acceptance of money in order to betray Jesus. Jesus, as in Mark and Matthew, defends Mary, by saying that the poor would be around for much longer than he would. He also states that Mary’s anointing was to prepare him for his burial, just like Mark and Matthew state (John 12:7-8).
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