Perspective: Do We See?

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Do We See?

When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw what was happening, he said to himself, If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him.  He would know that she is a sinner.

Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?"

Luke 7:39,44a (CEB)

Do you know who I am?

Do I know who you are?

See we one another clearly?

Do we know who we are?

From "Turn the World Around" by Harry Belafonte

Many memorable stories about Jesus involve some sort of disruption.  When Jesus returned to His hometown and delivered a very offensive sermon, the congregation disrupted the service when they dragged Him out of the synagogue and tried to throw Him off a cliff.¹  Not long after that, while Jesus was preaching in the synagogue in another town, a demon-possessed man made a scene, and Jesus stopped preaching so that He could send the demon packing.²  Then one day, while Jesus was teaching in someone's house, some people tore a hole in the roof and lowered their paralyzed friend into the room so that Jesus could heal him.³  Later on, Jesus disrupted a funeral procession by bringing the deceased back to life.⁴

And once, when Jesus was invited to a meal at the home of a wealthy Pharisee, someone who wouldn't have been on the guest list crashed the party and made a spectacle of herself.⁵

One day, a man named Simon invited Jesus to enjoy a meal with him at his house.  At this point, Jesus had already made a name for Himself because of His teachings and His miraculous healings, and Simon likely wanted to spend some time with Him and maybe even pick His brain regarding various issues.  Realize that this meal was not some intimate gathering among acquaintances.  High-society types like Simon would have served dinner in his house's courtyard, and famous teachers like Jesus would have attracted people from the city who hoped to glean some wisdom from the dinner conversation.  This meal was a very public event.⁶

Among the people gathered at Simon's house that evening was a woman from the city who was identified as "a sinner."  Eugene Peterson, in his translation of the Bible, The Message, identifies the woman as "the town harlot."⁷  This woman made her way to where Jesus was reclining at the table and stood behind Him, crying.  She then began to wash His feet with her tears and dry them with her hair.  Afterward, she began kissing His feet and anointing them with the jar of perfume she brought with her.

As this awkward spectacle was taking place, a chagrined Simon thought to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him.  He would know that she is a sinner."  Simon was part of a sect within Judaism known as the Pharisees.  The word Pharisee is derived from a word meaning "set apart" or "separated."  The Pharisees set themselves apart by dedicating their lives to the strict adherence to the rules of their religion.  They set the bar extremely high, and they looked down upon people who weren't as religious as they were.  They separated themselves from the people they considered unclean, people like the prostitute who was washing Jesus' feet.⁸

Sensing what Simon was thinking at the moment, Jesus told him a parable.  A creditor had two debtors, one who owed him fifty days' wages and another who owed him ten times as much.  Neither could pay off his debt, so the creditor forgave both of them.  Jesus then asked Simon, "Which of them will love him more?"

Simon, probably realizing that Jesus was stepping on his toes, so to speak, reluctantly answered, "I suppose the one who had the largest debt canceled."

Jesus affirmed Simon's answer and asked, "Do you see this woman?"  Jesus then pointed out that Simon had neglected the basic acts of hospitality for the day.  He had given Jesus no water for washing His feet, which was necessary in an age when people wore sandals and walked on dusty roads, and He did not greet Jesus with a kiss, which was the customary way to greet a rabbi.⁹  The "sinner," on the other hand, poured out all of her affection on Jesus, washing His feet with her tears, drying them with her hair, and anointing them with perfume and kisses.  It was obvious that she had more love to express than the Pharisee.

Consider again what Jesus asked Simon: "Do you see this woman?"  It was a rather ironic question.  First of all, considering what was going on, it was very unlikely that Simon would not have noticed the woman.  Secondly, it calls into question which of them could not see the woman clearly.  Moments earlier, the Pharisee was wondering whether or not Jesus had any idea what kind of woman was touching His feet.  The Pharisee thought that Jesus did not see the woman for who she really was, but Jesus revealed that the Pharisee was the one who did not see the woman for who she really was.¹⁰  Simon did not stop to think that maybe there was more to the woman than the way she put food on the table, nor did he consider what consequences might have brought the woman to where she was in life.

Perhaps this story is all about the way people see each other.

Pharisees like Simon often saw people in terms of their faults.  They saw the people Jesus befriended as tax-collectors, prostitutes, and sinners - as people to be avoided.  Jesus, on the other hand, saw them as children of God who needed love.

How do we see the people in our midst?

As their faults?

As the means to an end?

As an obstacle?

As a potential threat?

As part of the background?

As children loved by God?

It sounds inhuman to think of another person as merely an obstacle or a means to an end, but I've found that it is a lot easier than one might think.  Every now and then, while I'm on the way to work in the morning, I end up driving behind a front loader, a construction vehicle that moves significantly slower than the speed limit.  I'm typically not cognizant of the human being driving that front loader, as I am too busy being irritated that I cannot drive as fast as I want.  As you probably know, I spend a lot of time at coffee shops.  Rarely do I consider that the barista is someone who has hopes, dreams, and anxieties like myself, and not just someone who gives me coffee if I give her money.

In Insurrection, philosopher Peter Rollins writes,
While love cannot be directly seen, love in a very specific way enables us to see.  For in daily life we perceive others in much the same way as a cow gazes at cars.  We walk past thousands of people every week, not necessarily seeing any of them.¹¹
Rollins suggests that love is what enables us to truly see people, but I wonder if maybe learning to see people for who they are, as beloved children of God, is what enables us to love them.

This story also calls into question whether or not we see Jesus for who He is.  Scholar William Barclay suggests that Simon the Pharisee might have been a "collector of celebrities," in other words, someone who likes to hobnob with as many famous people as possible.¹²  Simon just saw Jesus as another great thinker and healer gracing his dinner table.  The woman, on the other hand, saw in Jesus compassion, forgiveness, and love.  She saw someone who accepted her when the rest of the world had given up on her.

I think this story also calls into question whether or not people are able to see Jesus in those who claim to follow Him.  Do people see in Christians the love and acceptance Jesus showed the woman at the dinner party?  Or do they see the judgment and contempt the Pharisee showed her?  I think that, in many ways, Christians have become the modern-day Pharisees.

How do we see the people in our midst, particularly those who are different from us?  How do we see Jesus?  How do people see those who claim to follow in His footsteps?  Remember that Jesus said the way we treat the sick, the needy, the lonely, the stranger, and the criminal is the way we treat Him.¹³  May God give us the eyes to see each other as God sees us, and may God give us the hearts to love the world as Christ loved us.


Notes:

1. Luke 4:16-30
2. Luke 4:31-37
3. Luke 5:17-26
4. Luke 7:11-17
5. This perspective is based primarily on Luke 7:36-50 (CEB).
6. William Barclay.  The Parables of Jesus.  1999, Westminster John Knox Press.  p. 188
7. Luke 7:37 (The Message)
8. Wikipedia: Pharisees
9. Barclay, p. 190
10. JRD Kirk and Bryan Berghoef.  "Do You See? with Bryan Berghoef."  Homebrewed Christianity's LectioCast, 06/06/16.
11. Peter Rollins.  Insurrection: To Believe is Human, to Doubt, Divine.  2011, Howard Books.  p. 120
12. Barclay, p. 189
13. Matthew 25:31-46

The painting featured in this blog post was painted by Frans Francken the Younger in 1637.  The image was cropped from the original.