Table Fellowship Research Articles

“Taken, Blessed, Broken, Given”: Lukan Table Practices in the Faith Formation of Christian Communities

Luke’s Eucharistic pattern not only serves as a Christological marker, but formative pattern for Christian faith communities. In this article, I appeal to Luke’s Eucharistic pattern to advance the claim that hospitable Eucharistic table practices are not only consistent with Luke’s Christology but also form faith that is capable of confronting and dismantling psychological disgust responses to outsiders. This motif is expanded in Luke–Acts, where acts of table fellowship become the places where socio-moral barriers are transgressed, signaling the good news of the gospel, especially for Gentiles. Drawing from biblical scholarship as well as recent work in psychology, I will advance the claim that hospitable Eucharistic practices not only expose disgust psychology in the faith formation of persons but also act as a potential balm, forming persons according to the good news proclaimed in Luke–Acts.

‘It is a good place to cum here though in it’: sharing food and the experience of belonging for people with intellectual disabilities

ABSTRACT People with intellectual disabilities, a largely marginalised group, need to know that there are places where they can experience true belonging through hospitality and friendship. They are not only looking for access, but acceptance and this acceptance needs to come from a place of understanding difference. My PhD research involved focus group discussions with people with intellectual disabilities speaking about their experiences of belonging in a local church. The value of friendship and enjoyment of sharing a weekly meal with other groups of people were key themes which emerged from the data. Based on reflections from my research findings, this paper considers theologically the significance of hospitality as well as the importance of sharing food and table fellowship. Hospitality is not just about providing food or a safe place, it includes recognising and valuing a person who may be perceived to be different. People with intellectual disabilities may need some extra support to do some things, but they also need to be respected as persons loved by God and given opportunities to develop their own unique gifts. An important aspect of hospitality is reciprocity which involves not only giving to but also receiving from the other. When there is fluidity between guest and host both parties can learn from each other and, among many other things, people with intellectual disabilities can teach the value of dependence, the acceptance of limitations, and the value of living in the moment. People with intellectual disabilities do not want to simply be ‘guests’ in our communities, they want to be involved in every aspect.

A missing meal of reconciliation: The consumption of food as deficient motif in the Joseph story and its resolution in Jubilees and Josephus

Food plays an important role in the Joseph story. Although other themes offer valuable insights as well, the theme of table fellowship is at the heart of the story’s main theme because sharing a table and what is on it shows mutual recognition and signifies thus much more than the mere consumption of food. In the Joseph story, we have two occurrences of joint meals: Gen 37:25 and Gen 43:31–34. Whereas the first is a clear sign of Joseph’s isolation and the rupture of the brothers’ relationship, the second meal cannot be understood as an actual meal of reconciliation as some do. In order to make table fellowship a coherent theme from isolation to inclusion, the Joseph story in Genesis lacks a third meal of peace and reconciliation at which the brothers are reunited. However, if we look across canonical boundaries, we find that Jubilees as well as Josephus’s Antiquities incorporate this third meal into the story. In this way, the biblical story is continued productively, and the theme of table fellowship, which is anticipated in Genesis, is expanded into a comprehensive motif.

Human Just Like Me: A Grounded Theory of Disrupting Dehumanization through Table Fellowship

This qualitative study proposes a grounded theory of Christian identity transformation based on the experiences of 100 undergraduate college students (in-group), reported in reflection papers, who attended a free community dinner with their neighbors who were experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness (out-group). The grounded theory that emerged from student reflection papers is that the experience of eating with an out-group in a setting that disrupts in-group/out-group social dynamics, within the context of Christian community and utilizing an action-reflection model of learning, leads to humanizing theological insights that disrupt previously held stereotypes of the out-group. Jack Mezirow’s theory of disorienting dilemmas as provoking adult learning is used to explain the transformative impact of the dinner. Extended attention is given to the theological significance of in-group/out-group boundary crossing as it relates to Karl Barth’s theological anthropology of mutuality as well as Delores Williams’ understanding of sin as invisibilization.

The Significant of God-Fearers for the Formation of Early Christians Identity in Acts 8-10

This article attempts to analyze the important role of God-fearers in informing the early Christian identity. Luke and Acts use an ethnic-reasoning to define the Christian community. Luke and Acts uses the words gentiles, unbeliever and other ethnic groups, such as Romans and Greeks, to describe outsiders. When outsiders join the Christian community, they need a new identity that contrasts with their former. This study employs ethnicity theory to understand how people from different groups accept each other while negotiating their differences, such as their cultures, beliefs, and social relationships. The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch and Cornelius in Acts 8-10 demonstrates how the early Christians began to develop a fluid identity. Meaning some exceptions may be allowed for Gentiles to retain their practices and customs while at the same time becoming a member of the Christian community. In this new group, God-fearers find a sense of solidarity and belonging as they enter into a table fellowship in the name of Jesus Christ, showing the uniqueness of the Christian identity.

Mark, a Pauline Theologian: A Re-reading of the Traditions of Jesus in the Light of Paul’s Theology.

Mark, a Pauline Theologian: A Re-reading of the Traditions of Jesus in the Light of Paul’s Theology.

Διακρίνειν als Leseaufgabe: Petrus und Kornelius zwischen ungeschriebenem Gesetz und unzuverlässiger Erzählung

The Cornelius incident (Acts 10.1–11.18) has traditionally been read as a narrative marking the abolition or transgression of Jewish food and purity laws in early Christianity. Strong halakic statements made by Peter himself and by some of his opponents in fact seem to claim that halakic norms have been abrogated or violated. The article suggests however that these statements should not be read as accurate descriptions of facts, but instead as examples of ‘unreliable narration’: using this technique, a narrator deliberately introduces misjudgements and distorted perceptions of reality on the side of his main character in order to temporarily mislead his readers, only to unmask the deception in the later course of his narrative. It turns out that Peter's refusal of food offered in a vision as well as his halakic judgements on the ‘impurity of gentiles’ and the prohibition of table fellowship are misconceptions, based not on biblical pretexts or Jewish halakah, but purely on social convention. The narrative therefore does not describe the abolition or transgression of halakic boundaries, but invites the reader to make a proper distinction between halakic boundaries (which are to be kept) and social conventions (which in this case need to be transgressed).

Interaktion mit dem Fremden. Grenzen und Möglichkeiten der Tischgemeinschaft anhand von Daniel und Ester

Abstract Most recent publications dealing with the question of table fellowship between Jews and gentiles in Early Judaism stake the assumption for granted that there is a common discourse behind the available sources. Thus, the relevant Jewish narratives (Dan, Est, Jdt, JosAs, Tob, Arist) are mutually used for explanation. In contrast, Ruben A. Bühner uses the Daniel and Ester narratives to exemplify that the texts present complex discourses that must be distinguished from one another and that testify to different lines of reasoning, which cannot be reduced to a uniform discourse.

Making mega-space for others: Towards theology of mega-friendship from the table fellowship story according to Luke 5:27–32

The purpose of the article is to interpret the story of the table fellowship in the Gospel of Luke 5:27–32 and construct the theology of mega-friendship with the Other in the context of a pluralistic society. What is happening in the present is that human communities should be living together and facing the fact of differences in the races, ethnic groups, cultural entities or religious communities. In this context, there is a kind of global fear of strangers, rejection of others and conflict or violence against those who differ. By interpreting the text, I argue that Christianity is called to participate in the mega-friendship created by God by making mega-space and befriending the Other. Mega-friendship in the table fellowship is to sustain life in love, equality, compassion, peace and transformation. The theology’s construction begins by explaining the socio-historical context of the table fellowship story, exposing the meaning of the story and constructing the theology of mega-friendship in the context of a pluralistic society.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This research has interdisciplinary implications. It departs from New Testament studies to constructive theology by using a pluralism perspective. By interpreting the table fellowship story in Luke 5:27–32, there is a meaning of the text on theology of friendship and its relevance as a sign of Christian presence in the pluralistic society of the Indonesian context.

Incorporating Queer, Housing Insecure Perspectives into Eucharistic Theology

This paper uses queer systematic theology and theological anthropology to argue that the Christian Eucharistic tradition is one of radical table fellowship rooted in desire for intimacy with the margins. Including queer people, the issues facing the community, and queer theory at the Eucharistic table therefore requires that we take homelessness seriously and consider alternative approaches to economic justice.

Feast as Resistance

This paper takes the concept of black joy as a corporate practice of resistance against evil and extends it to apply to liturgical feasting as resistance against evil— through ritualized corporate worship (Eucharist) and table fellowship (eating a meal together). The proposal connects current discussions in analytic theology and black theology to propose an account of how the Church can help resist evil. After demonstrating how feasting in both the Eucharist and table fellowship help resist evil, the paper names two challenges to liturgical feasting and presents solutions to both problems by drawing upon the understanding of the human gaze as presented by child psychologist Vasudevi Reddy and upon theologian Eleonore Stump’s work on shame. The paper demonstrates how liturgical feasting as Eucharist and table fellowship helps to anchor and reinforce each other and provides a setting for the sharing of gazes and stories, the defeating of shame, and the forming of a collective memory that helps a community in its resistance of evil.

Paul: An Outline of His Theology by Michael Wolter

Reviewed by: Paul: An Outline of His Theology by Michael Wolter Julien Smith michael wolter, Paul: An Outline of His Theology (trans. Robert L. Brawley; Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2015). Pp. xv + 476. Paper $79.95. Seasoned scholars as well as serious students of Paul will heartily welcome this noteworthy book, an able translation of Wolter’s Paulus: Ein Grundriss seiner Theologie (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 2011). The culmination of a life’s work from a pillar of Continental Pauline scholarship, it attempts neither to analyze Paul’s theology through the etic categories of systematic theology, nor to synthesize Paul’s occasional writings into a grand theological vision. Rather, the book endeavors to reconstruct historically the elements of Paul’s theology on the basis of his seven undisputed letters, ordering the discussion according to the organic and logical connections between such elements. The argument, sketched below, brings the reader full circle, from a Paul zealous for God’s people to a Paul convinced of God’s enduring love for Israel. Paul’s conversion and call represent neither a change of religion nor a solution to an existential crisis, but rather the replacement of his Pharisaic zeal for Torah as the exclusive marker of Israel’s sanctity with the conviction that God’s salvation had been made available to gentiles through Christ (chap. 2). As a result, Paul becomes convinced that the distinction between Jew and gentile is no longer relevant, in contradistinction to the paradigm of Jewish Christians. When his position is not recognized in the conflict over table fellowship at Antioch, the apostle strikes out on his own to proclaim the gospel to gentiles (chap. 3). This gospel is not only the proclamation of God’s salvation but also the power that brings about salvation, which requires faith (chap. 4). “Christ-faith,” W.’s translation of πίστις Χριστοῦ (understood as a genitive of quality), denotes assurance of God’s reality from the perspective of the “symbolic universe of faith” (p. 92) as well as an ethos that unites Pauline Christian communities and makes them distinct (chap. 5). Belief in the salvific efficacy of Jesus’s death, achievable only through “Christ-faith,” makes Christians “cognitive outsiders,” necessitating Paul’s theology of the cross, which serves as the “theological counterpoint against the disintegration of the community” (p. 120) (chap. 6). Although baptism functions both to create fellowship and mark conversion, [End Page 146] “Christ-faith” precedes baptism and endows it with the ability to bring about ontic transformation (chap. 7). The presence of the Holy Spirit, like the efficacy of baptism, follows from the reality of “Christ-faith,” conferring on gentiles the status of Israel, and on Christians generally the status of God’s son (chap. 8). Paul’s eschatology is retrospective, in that the “eschatic” intervention of God through Christ has already taken place; yet God’s eschatic salvation, “putting creation back into its divine order” (p. 210), is perceptible only through the mode of hope (chap. 9). Participatory terminology has no soteriological function in Paul’s theology, but rather fulfills various functions, one of which, albeit often neglected, is to indicate the symbolic universe in which God’s reality holds true (e.g., “in Christ”) (chap. 10). Worship constitutes Pauline congregations even as it transforms this symbolic universe into reality through the Lord’s Supper, a “reality symbol” that creates the unity it symbolizes (chap. 11). On the one hand, Paul’s ethical guidance endeavors to foster such unity through the principle of “egalitarian reciprocity,” while on the other, it aims to demonstrate the church’s distinctive identity; as Torah embodies Israel’s election, so Pauline paraenesis embodies “Christ-faith” (chap. 12). By insisting that God pronounces one righteous on the basis of this faith, “Paul thereby asserts that that which constitutes Christian identity, that is, ‘Christ-faith,’ also mediates belonging to the people of God elected in Abraham and bestows participation in God’s salvation” (p. 395; emphasis original) (chap. 13). Yet, if election through Abraham is now mediated through “Christ-faith,” then Israel’s present misery presents Paul with a problem defying full resolution; because the gospel only explains Israel’s present alienation and not its future salvation...

The Johannine Footwashing as the Sign for Perfect Love: An Exegetical Study of John 13:1–20

Originally presented as a doctoral dissertation to the Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Mathew’s study is an analysis of John 13:1–20. Following a brief introduction, she reviews the previous literature. The discussion of John 13:1–20 falls into two categories. Scholars such as Culpepper and Thompson conclude that the footwashing scene is non-sacramental, for the pericope develops theological themes found elsewhere in John. Others, such as Moloney and Thomas, interpret the passage sacramentally, perhaps reflecting the practice of the Johannine community itself.In ch. 2, Mathew provides a text-critical analysis of John 13:1–20. She gives particular attention to the long and short readings of 13:10. Mathew concludes that the longer reading, where Jesus announces that the one who has bathed (λελουμένος) need only wash (νίψασθαι) their feet, is most likely the authentic reading. The former term refers to receiving Jesus’s words, whereas the latter refers to physical washing; in 13:10, to washing one’s feet before a meal. Thus, νίψασθαι contains no reference to purification. A sacramental interpretation of John 13:1–20 is excluded.Chapter 3 contextualizes John 13:1–20 in light of biblical, ancient Near Eastern, and Greco-Roman literature. Footwashing was often performed before meals. Providing water for guests to wash their own feet was considered an important act of hospitality (Luke 7:44). In Exod 30:10–21, footwashing also featured as an element of ritual purity. In these instances, however, water was provided so individuals could wash their own feet. On certain occasions, servants washed the feet of guests, or a person of inferior social status washed the feet of an individual of higher status. There are no parallels to a teacher washing disciples’ feet during a meal.John 13:1–20 also has a specific literary purpose. This function is explored on macro and micro levels in chs. 4–5. The role of the footwashing scene as the introduction to John 13–17 is discussed in ch. 4. Mathew rejects source theories that separate all or part of 13:1–20 from 13:1–38. John 13:1–38 serves as an introduction to the final discourse in John 14–17. While possessing superficial similarities to departure narratives in Greco-Roman accounts of symposia, there are also significant differences between John 14–17 and accounts of symposia. The explanation is that John “bends” the symposium genre in service of his Christology.In ch. 5, Mathew proposes that John 13:1–20 is structured chiastically. Part A (13:1) is understood as describing Jesus’s identity and mission. The corresponding Part A1 (13:20) indicates the identity and mission of Jesus’s “own,” the disciples. Part B (13:2) is described as love denied, where Satan has placed into Judas’s heart the plan to betray Jesus. In conjunction, Part B1 (13:18–19) is understood as affirming love, where the Johannine Jesus expresses his love for all the disciples, despite Judas’s transgression of sacred table fellowship (Ps 41:10 as quoted in John 13:18). Part C (13:3) notes Jesus’s authority. Part C1 (13:16–17) describes the authority of those sent as Jesus’s agents in language reminiscent of Jesus’s own authority. Part D (13:4–11) describes Jesus’s act of life-giving love. In Part D1 (13:12–15) those at the meal are commanded to demonstrate the same love toward one another. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the impact of the language of the Synoptic Gospels on John’s presentation of Jesus’s words (pp. 218–29).Chapters 6–9 provide detailed exegesis of the chiasm. Particularly interesting is Mathew’s translation of the phrase “he loved them to the end” in 13:1 as “he loved them perfectly.” Jesus, who has knowledge of all things (3:3) provides an example of perfect love in the act of footwashing. In the same authority and humility, the disciples of the Johannine Jesus are sent on their mission (13:16–17). However, the recipients of Jesus’s love were all deeply flawed. They included the betrayer, Judas, the denier, Peter, and the remaining disciples who would desert Jesus in his hour of need. In light of these observations Mathew concludes that the Johannine love ideal is not restricted to the community but also extends to outside opponents. John 13:1–20 is, in short, an acted parable of the Synoptic command to love one’s enemies.Mathew advances our understanding of the footwashing scene of John 13. Whether her conclusions that 13:1 refers to Jesus’s perfect love, and that this love is inclusive, will need further investigation. Her observations do challenge those who conclude that the Johannine love ethic is exclusive of those outside the community. Perhaps John 13:1–20 provides a commentary on the tradition reflected in Matt 5:44–48. If so, scholars will need to continue their consideration of the relationship between John and the Synoptic or pre-Synoptic tradition.

Come and Eat: Table Fellowship as a Fundamental Form of Diakonia

One of the ways Jesus lived his message of the coming Kingdom was through table fellowship. In modern society, where religious and cultural diversity is growing, our daily bread can be a source of both separation and solidarity. Can table fellowship today be an adequate answer to the societal challenges diaconal practices are confronted with? This article explores the field of meal sharing from a diaconal-theological perspective. First, it describes a meal-sharing project in The Hague, the Table of Hope, as an example of the popular practice of meal sharing in diaconal contexts in The Netherlands. It then explores the hermeneutical relationship between the Eucharist and Diakonia, and between table fellowship and Diakonia, by drawing on the writings of Calvin and the discussion on Diakonia within the ecumenical movement. Thereafter, the question is raised how meal sharing in diaconal contexts might contribute to three current societal debates: food, social segregation, and religious and philosophical diversity. The article concludes that meal sharing deserves serious attention from diaconal theology, since it is a promising practice for engagement in society and enjoys support within different theological traditions. The nature of the triangular relationship of table fellowship, Diakonia, and the Eucharist needs further research. When searching for relevant diaconal practices of meal sharing in today’s changing world, recalling the passion of Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the longing for the coming Kingdom in the Eucharist can prove to be meaningful guides.

The Crucified Apostle: Essays on Peter and Paul

The Crucified Apostle: Essays on Peter and Paul

Sinners and Sinfulness in Luke: A Study of Direct and Indirect References in the Initial Episodes of Jesus’ Activity

This revised doctoral thesis examines the literary meaning and function of references to sin and sinners in Luke’s initial presentation of Jesus’s public ministry (Luke 5:1–6:11). Szkredka engages in a preliminary examination of Luke 1–4 and notes that this section of Luke prepares the reader for the fact that God’s intervention to address human sin is underway in the coming of God’s messianic agent. This messianic agent has the divine authority to challenge how others perceive their sinfulness and to provide release from sin.Szkredka examines five discrete pericopes that highlight sin and sinfulness. He notes that Jesus’s calling of Simon Peter models “the realization that sinfulness can be properly understood only on Jesus’s terms. Having asserted a distance between himself and Jesus on account of his own sinfulness, Simon ultimately submits to Jesus’s call, indirectly recognizing Jesus’s authority to cross and eliminate the alienation caused in Simon’s mind by his sin” (p. 64). While Luke narrates nothing directly about sin or sinfulness in the next scene, where Jesus heals a leper, Szkredka says that the leper “indirectly confessed his illness” when he, like Peter, falls at the feet of Jesus and so “the issues of sinfulness and alienating disease . . . become related and mutually illuminating” (p. 77). At the very least, the reader sees that Jesus is able to eliminate both sin (with Peter in 5:1–11) and illness (the leper in 5:12–16). Jesus’s healing of the paralytic (5:17–26) works well for Szkredka’s argument, as Jesus heals the man but also provides for his release from sin. Ironically, the Pharisees and scribes’ labeling of Jesus as a sinner demonstrates their inadequate understanding of sin and sinners. The story of Jesus’s calling of Levi and offer of release from sin (5:27–32) further expands on this theme when Israel’s leaders complain over Jesus’ table fellowship with sinners and tax collectors. Their “refusal to believe in Jesus is now indirectly characterized as something sinful. . . . Such a Christological expansion of the content of sinfulness makes faith in Jesus an act of the highest religious import, since the refusal of that faith amounts to sin” (p. 99, 105). The final pericopes Szkredka examines are the Sabbath disputes between Jesus and Israel’s leaders in 6:1–11. There are no direct references to sin in this episode, but Szkredka suggests that their refusal to submit to Jesus means they are characterized as foolish.Szkredka presents a helpful synthesis of his conclusion on pp. 128–31. He argues that Luke’s portrait of Jesus refocuses the question toward “who are the sinners in the eyes of Jesus?” Further, Luke’s view of sin is thoroughly relational, meaning that sinners are “depicted in relation to Jesus. Sinners are those whose sinfulness Jesus sees, whose recognition of sinfulness he triggers, whose recognition of sinfulness he invites, whose sins he forgives in response to faith in him” (p. 128). Therefore, the theme of sinners and sinfulness ultimately highlights the authority of Jesus and his mission.Szkredka makes a helpful contribution to an underappreciated theme in the Gospel of Luke. His argument that Luke uses strategies to align the reader with the perception of Jesus as the one who determines sin is persuasive but probably not too controversial (though I confess I am unsure whether it is appropriate to refer to “indirect” references to sin in Luke 5:12–16 and 6:1–11). The argument is, however, quite slender and at times underdeveloped. I understand his desire to focus on Luke’s literary themes and strategies, but a more robust interpretation would have gone further in situating this theme within the notion of sinfulness and sinners in Second Temple Judaism. This would allow the reader to appreciate Luke’s distinct contribution within his literary environment. Likewise, there is very little discussion of the actual meaning of sin—both in Luke’s Gospel and in the broader Jewish environment. Finally, a small quibble perhaps, but the author index contains only a very tiny fraction of the authors he engages throughout his study.

The Eucharist—Its Origins and Contexts: Sacred Meal, Communal Meal, Table Fellowship in Late Antiquity, Early Judaism, and Early Christianity. Vol. 1: Old Testament, Early Judaism, New Testament. Vol. 2: Patristic Traditions and Iconography. Vol. 3: Near Eastern and Greco-Roman Traditions, Archaeology

<i>The Eucharist—Its Origins and Contexts: Sacred Meal, Communal Meal, Table Fellowship in Late Antiquity, Early Judaism, and Early Christianity.</i> Vol. 1: <i>Old Testament, Early Judaism, New Testament</i>. Vol. 2: <i>Patristic Traditions and Iconography</i>. Vol. 3: <i>Near Eastern and Greco-Roman Traditions, Archaeology</i>

Between abstention and moderation: The example of the Jerusalem Council and the Italian Pentecostal holiness ethic

ABSTRACTItalian Pentecostalism was forged in the early twentieth century among displaced migrants in the urban centres of America. Fleeing the oppressive conditions introduced by the new Kingdom of Italy, Italians sought refuge and new beginning in America. Pentecostalism afforded Italian immigrants a way to endure marginalization and poor living standards in the urban enclaves, achieved by means of a strong communal identity expressed through a unique holiness ethic. This article examines the contours of the Italian Pentecostal holiness ethic in light of the precedent of table fellowship modelled in the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15.

Discerning the Signs of the Times

AbstractThis article offers a close reading of the six reports from the 4th Assembly of the WCC in Uppsala 1968. The assembly was keenly in tune with the worldwide upheavals of the year. It indeed sought to discern the signs of the time and produced a number of creative suggestions, for example by emphasizing the aspect of inclusiveness in catholicity, by stressing the multilateral dimension of mission, and not least by highlighting the churches' inherent responsibility to be agents of justice and peace in a fractured world. Uppsala 1968 proved to name in a prophetic way crucial issues that remain on the agenda for worldwide Christianity: class, economy, isolationism, racism, the arms race. But today the churches are also confronted with new and renewed issues such as post‐colonialism, migration, ecology, gender, and a theological grounding of the church‐s existence in the world. The article concludes by proposing table fellowship as a possibility for such theological grounding.

Hosting Jesus: Revisiting Luke’s ‘Sinful Woman’ (Luke 7.36-50) as a Tale of Two Hosts

The gospel narratives of Jesus’ table fellowship have attracted widespread attention, both as parables of divine generosity extended to the marginalized and as examples of radical inclusion, subverting social expectations and hierarchies. Offering a close reading of Lk. 7.36-50, this article uncovers an equally strong emphasis on mutuality and reciprocity, which is too often overlooked by exegetes. Drawing on anthropological insights about hospitality, this article argues that the pericope can be read as the forming, disturbing and re-creating of cycles of hospitality. The woman’s gestures are shown to be highly ambiguous; they were likely not deciphered as gestures of hospitality. It is only through Jesus’ intervention that the woman’s actions are reframed as expressions of generous hospitality. Jesus, who never leaves his role as guest, thus brings the woman into direct competition with Simon, the original host. The woman alone has properly hosted Jesus by approaching him lovingly as the divine saviour.