02 May 2024
Bailey first lays out the biblical doctrine of sin and forgiveness inherent in the word choices. In both Old and New Testaments, the terms for the concepts of debt and sin overlap a great deal, as does forgiveness of both. There were two kinds of sins: (1) bad stuff that righteous folks shouldn't do ("trespasses") and (2) actions that leave you liable for consequences ("debts").
Chances are Jesus used here the Aramaic word hoba, as He surely did in the Model Prayer. The interlacing of concepts of both financial and moral accounting show up all over the place: Matthew 18 (the two servants), the Talents in Matthew 25 and Luke 19, and Colossians 2:13-14. Thus, the parable is obviously a matter of God the creditor and His subjects as the debtors. We note that Jesus is forgiving Simon of his rudeness, but it would seem small to him. To forgive this woman was obviously a huge weight removed from her soul.
Bailey notes that Jesus merged Himself with the image of God here. Jesus forgave both on behalf of God. It was subtle, and perhaps not noticed immediately. While far more gentle than ambitious rabbis normally used with each other, Jesus manages to corner Simon in his own errors. The Pharisee had judged the woman falsely, but then judged correctly her gratitude. At the same time, he defended the woman and called attention to Simon's sins. This is a shocking reversal of protocol, but roughly on par with Simon's insult.
In case it's not obvious, Jesus is saying her sins were already forgiven. It's quite likely she realized that Jesus had provoked the whole gathering, and would likely pay yet another price later for defending her. Adding fuel to the fire, Jesus dared to speak directly to the woman and reaffirm her forgiveness and salvation. This caused the assembled Pharisees to react silently within themselves in fury at what they considered blasphemy. They were quite wrong; the Covenant of Moses does not exclude announcing God's forgiveness appropriately.
We aren't told of Simon's final response, but we can guess that he and his cohort completely missed the most important statement: The woman's faith saved her -- her feudal submission to the Lord. This was always the core of Moses' teaching, and completely lost in the rabbinical traditions. This is how one gains and keeps peace with God.
Comments
Jay DiNitto
"actions that leave you liable for consequences ('debts')."
Do you think this includes generational curses? Those aren't really a declared thing any more in modern cultures, but that doesn't mean they're not there.
CatRez
Generational curses aren't due to commission, but omission. I wouldn't include them in this category because they require special handling.
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