Re: Whose Home Was It? After hours of research and cross referencing, I just don’t see how you came to the conclusions you did about Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and their relationship to Simon the Leper. Could you let me know how you did, as I am most interested?
Also, for many reasons, I don’t believe the passage in Luke 7:37 are the same people either. The passage does not mention the woman by name and I don’t believe Jesus would have told Mary, at this stage, her sins were forgiven. Other reasons is this Pharisee didn’t show Jesus the courtesy or respect I believe those in above passage would have.
As I said, both Matt. 26:6 and Mark 14:3 place the dinner in question at the home of Simon the Leper. John 12:1 says it was where Lazarus lived. John 11:17-18 identifies Lazarus as the brother of Mary and Martha, and John 12:2 tells us Martha was serving the meal and Lazarus was reclining at the table when Mary anointed the Lord’s feet. While the Bible does not specifically say this, I think it’s reasonable to conclude that they were all in the home of their father.
Also, in Luke 10:38 we’re told that Jesus had been previously been invited into the home of Mary and Martha, which John 11:1 identified as being in Bethany. These two sisters would not be living together unless they were both unmarried, and if that was the case they would still be living with their father.
Since events surrounding Luke 7:37 took place in the region of the Galilee, it’s logical to assume the dinner at the Pharisee’s home did too. Bethany is just outside Jerusalem, almost 100 miles to the South. Also, because the Pharisees believed leprosy was a punishment for sin, Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:40) and Simon the leper (Matt. 26:6) could not have been the same person. Therefore the two events are not the same.
As for Jesus telling people their sins were forgiven, He began doing so from the very beginning of His ministry as Mark. 2:1-12 illustrates.