Week 5 : Peace : A virtue to adopt

Read: Luke 7:36-50

One of the titles Isaiah assigned to Jesus in a prophecy was "Prince of Peace" and the heavenly host declared his birth brought "peace to men". Furthermore, peace was central to a promise Jesus made to his disciples. He said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you."

In Greek the word that is translated into English as "peace" is εἰρήνην. Replacing the Greek letters with English letters, its transliteration is "eirenen". This word "describes a condition of health, welfare, prosperity, [or] bliss". Jesus himself said you would remain untroubled and unafraid. The same word is used in Luke 7:50, where Jesus told the sinful woman who anointed him to peacefully move on.

What happened next cannot be said for certain because the sinful woman isn't named, but she might have been Mary Magdalene, who could also be identified as Mary of Bethany. Of course, this is speculation, because the New Testament is hazy on this point. However, if the sinful woman was either or both Marys, then long-term benefits of the peace flowing from Jesus might be known.

John said Mary of Bethany "was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair." This happened at a dinner in Bethany after Lazarus was raised from the dead and before the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. To confuse matters, Luke describes a dinner at the house of a Pharisee at which a sinful woman wiped the feet of Jesus "with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them." She did this soon after Jesus raised the son of a widow from the dead in Nain.

The two accounts are similar, anointing at a dinner after a resurrection, yet the locations are different. The map of the Holy Land (below) indicates Bethany was near Jerusalem, whereas Nain was near Nazareth. And Luke places Jesus, after his conversation with the Pharisee, near the Sea of Galilee. So the dinner might have taken place in Magdala, which has a lakeside location, and the woman in question could have been Mary Magdalene.


Source: http://www.bible-history.com/maps/palestine_nt_times.html

So if the sinful women was Mary of Bethany and/or Mary Magdalene, her fate can be known. Both Marys were wholly devoted to Jesus. Mary of Bethany sat in awe of him and Mary Magdalene was the first to see him raised from the dead. Both women are portrayed as being healthy and happy.

While true identity of the sinful woman cannot be known for certain, what Jesus said to her is certain. He said to her, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace." What a blessing! As a reward for being saved by your faith in Jesus, you can know the peace he offers. This peace is a sense of continual blessedness stemming from knowing all your sins have been forgiven.

Prayer: Jesus. You know the identity of the sinful woman you sent away healthy and happy, and you know me too. Please grant the same feeling of peace me. Amen.