Question about woman with the alabaster jar of ointment

[panther]

I was reading Luke 7:36-50 today, and was thinking about the circumstances of the event.

Here’s the partial story:

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

As I was reading that, I wondered why the Pharisee invited/allowed the woman to be there. It doesn’t seem like she was prevented in any way from ministering to Jesus, but it seemed odd that that a Pharisee would have approved of her being in his home.

Does anyone have any insights into this part of the story?

Thanks!

 

[LilyM]

I was reading Luke 7:36-50 today, and was thinking about the circumstances of the event.

Here’s the partial story:

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

As I was reading that, I wondered why the Pharisee invited/allowed the woman to be there. It doesn’t seem like she was prevented in any way from ministering to Jesus, but it seemed odd that that a Pharisee would have approved of her being in his home.

Does anyone have any insights into this part of the story?

Thanks!

Who says he approved? People have been known to gatecrash parties before!

And possibly she was a family member of the person holding the dinner - not like you’d be likely to refuse your own mother, sister or daughter to come into your house even if they were sinners.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Who says he approved? People have been known to gatecrash parties before!

And possibly she was a family member of the person holding the dinner - not like you’d be likely to refuse your own mother, sister or daughter to come into your house even if they were sinners.

And possibly she was a frequent visitor to the house;so the servants were accustomed to admitting her. Maybe that is why the Pharisee knew what kind of woman she was.