3 - Women and the Deeds of Jesus

Summary

Considerable space is devoted in the Gospels to Jesus' interactions with women from all walks of life. In some instances, a healing of a woman is involved; in others, Jesus helps certain women by revealing their sins, forgiving their sins, or healing their relatives. After a review of seven pericopes dealing with specific women in the Gospels, we can evaluate Jesus' attitude toward women as reflected in His actions toward them.

Stories of Help and Healing

The Lucan Anointing – Lk. 7.36–50

Martin Dibelius in his brief discussion of Lk. 7.36–50 contends that this narrative is a product of pious curiosity concerning secondary figures in the Gospel tradition. He believes that, ‘the legendary character of the narrative cannot be disputed’. Nevertheless, most scholars have been willing to dispute this judgment at least in regard to a portion of Lk. 7.36–50, and thus its character requires closer scrutiny. One of the minor difficulties this text presents is whether or not it may be pronounced a unified whole or a combination of various traditions and, if it is the latter, which of these traditions is the core to which later additions were made. Bultmann claims that the parable (verses 41–3 with 47a) was the original nucleus to which the remainder has been added at a later date. Essentially the opposite view has been maintained also – that the story was original to which was added the two debtors parable.