We have already shown how the commentaries we have been treating see Luke's Gospel as a tad different than the others in the way it renders the pericope under review. We have shown how Fitzmeyer explicitly states on page 684 of his Commentary that Luke's account was taken from “L.” We have also seen how both the Catholic Commentary on Scripture and the Jerome Biblical Commentaries similarly mark Luke's separately from the other accounts. So it is permissible to see 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 Jerome Biblical Commentary in this regard states exactly thus: “Our Lord goes further to add, 'but he to whom less is forgiven loves less,' with evident reference to the parable whereby he has shown Simon that the greater mercy calls forth the greater love of gratitude.” In turn, Fitzmeyer states: “Whereas the Marcan story has a certain intrinsic coherence and verisimilitude with its anointing of Jesus' head and the protest about the waster of the precious perfume, Luke's account [quarrels] with the conduct of the Pharisee, which is strange in that he does not show Jesus the customary hospitality; whereas the woman's sins are forgiven because of her (great) love.” So we see that both Fitzmeyer and Brown echo precisely this one point: the woman loves much in humble gratitude for her many sins having been forgiven. Simon on the other hand does not feel convicted enough to love as she does.
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.
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 Jerome Biblical Commentary in this regard states exactly thus: “Our Lord goes further to add, 'but he to whom less is forgiven loves less,' with evident reference to the parable whereby he has shown Simon that the greater mercy calls forth the greater love of gratitude.” In turn, Fitzmeyer states: “Whereas the Marcan story has a certain intrinsic coherence and verisimilitude with its anointing of Jesus' head and the protest about the waster of the precious perfume, Luke's account [quarrels] with the conduct of the Pharisee, which is strange in that he does not show Jesus the customary hospitality; whereas the woman's sins are forgiven because of her (great) love.” So we see that both Fitzmeyer and Brown echo precisely this one point: the woman loves much in humble gratitude for her many sins having been forgiven. Simon on the other hand does not feel convicted enough to love as she does.
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.
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