The Fall of the Proud Pharisee

Yesterday I was in a class at St Mary’s. I was to talk with the class about the seven deadly sins. Remember them? Pride, Greed, Lust, Anger, Gluttony, Envy and Sloth. I started by asking why we should be talking about such negative things when maybe we should just know that God loves us. The answer came back that we needed to know that we had choices; we needed to know that bad choices would result in sin and a decrease in our happiness and freedom. Wow! All of a sudden, looking at sin went from being unhealthy navel gazing to a serious look at ourselves so that we could move forward as people of integrity.

St Luke presents us with a story of two people who have been offered forgiveness. As in many places in Luke’s Gospel, there is a triangular pattern at play.[i] Simon does not realise what is happening and remains proud in the denial of his sinfulness, whereas the woman fully realises and acknowledges what is happening with deep appreciation.  Jesus uses the whole scene to teach me and you.

It was a great honour to be invited to the distinguished person’s house, but Simon ‘violates all the rules of hospitality’. [ii] The Pharisee probably asked Jesus to his house to trap him, after all, since how many ‘sinful women’ (whatever that means) would be allowed to waltz into the dining room of a Pharisee who was not allowed to have the slightest contact with sin. She provides the hospitality the host refused to provide. The trap was sprung when Jesus allowed this woman to touch him, bathe his feet and dry them with her hair, something only done to one’s husband.[iii] The drama increased and Simon’s pride was appeased: If this man was a prophet he would have rebuked this woman. Therefore Simon had proved that Jesus was a fraud, or had he?

Jesus is a prophet and he knows that this woman is on the outer of society, but even more, he can see what is in Simon’s heart, and brings it out in the parable. Simon is so puffed with pride and wanting to score points that he can’t see what is in front of his face. His answer justifies the presence of the woman, yet he still cannot see even his own sinfulness: So Jesus takes it apart, stage by stage, gently allowing Simon to accept forgiveness. We are told that the woman accepted forgiveness. We are not told of Simon’s final reaction.

Simon and the woman both needed forgiveness, they both needed salvation. Simon did not realise this, and so remained aloof and superior. The woman has experienced the depths, where she has met God. The experience has led her to appreciate the total gift of God’s love and its transformative power. Simon was yet to experience this, and was poorer for it.

I can’t help thinking that it would have been good if Simon the Pharisee was in that class at St Mary’s listening to the Year Nine students. In studying the seven deadly sins, those students were being invited to be fearlessly open and honest in pursuing a life of integrity and justice.  Jesus invited the woman and the Pharisee to do the same, and today he invites you and me to do likewise. 

May he find in us willing and brave followers.

Homily, 16th June 2013 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time OLQP Broome.

[i] Brendan Byrne, The Hospitality of God: A Reading of Luke’s Gospel, (St Pauls, 2000), 74

[ii] Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke, (Sacra pagina series v.3) (Michael Glazier, 1991) , 129

[iii] Michael Fallon, The Gospel According to Saint Luke: An Introductory Commentary (Chevalier, 1997), 153