Jesus Treatment of Women

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Jesus Treatment of Women
In the beginning of Luke 7, according to the NRSV, Jesus enters Capernaum. He has just finished his Sermon on the Plain, and upon his arrival to Capernaum he encounters a Centurion. The Centurion becomes the fleshed-out version of the sermon and he becomes the ironic match for a person of faith. Jesus proceeds to a town called Nain with a great procession, his disciples and a large crowd of followers. As he approached the town a dead man was being taken out. He was the son of a widow and he was her only child. Jesus felt compassion for her and touched the man and commanded him to rise. Once the boy sat up and began to speak, the word about Jesus began to spread all throughout Judea. The people glorified God saying “A great prophet has risen among us!” John hears of Jesus and summons his disciples to speak to the Lord. Jesus vindicates John and some time thereafter in Luke 7: 36-50 Jesus is asked by Simon a Pharisee to eat with him. Jesus obliges and joins Simon for a dinner banquet (Keener 208).
After taking his place at the dinner table a woman from the city brought a jar of ointment and stood behind Jesus’ feet. She began to bathe Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. As she continued kissing and anointing the feet of Jesus, Simon the Pharisee, probably among many others, began to ask 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 (NSRV).”
Jesus tells Simon a parable about a creditor who canceled the debts of two debtors whom couldn’t pay, one who owed 500 denarii and the other who owed 50. Jesus asks Simon which debtor will love the creditor more. Simon replies, “I suppose the one with the greater debt (NRSV).” After judging rightly Jesus turns to the woman and reminds Simon that he didn’t give him water for his feet, he didn’t offer him a kiss, and didn’...