“Do you see this woman?”

Pragmatic Function Lk 7:36–50

Abstract

The paper examines the revelation of the face of the God of mercy and love in Lk 7:36–50 in light of the contemporary exegetical–theological approach: an analysis of biblical texts from the communication perspective. In the first section , in her examination of the status in a broader literary context of the report in which Jesus reveals his Messianic identity to various marginalized persons, the author discovers the key to the interpretation of Jesus’ encounter with the adulteress. Following a breakdown of the structural, that is, narrative and syntactic features of Lk 7:36–50 in particular, the author approaches the central section, the exegetical–theological analysis, in which she demonstrates the path of transformation from the judgemental to the merciful gaze. The final section is devoted to the pragmatic function of Lk 7:36–50. “Do you see this woman?” is the focal question of the entire report which has a strong pragmatic function. As we do today, so too the community of Christians in Luke’s time strived to understand God and human righteousness, and similarly, it was confronted with the issue of the marginalization of specific vulnerable groups of people. Thus, in the cited question Luke invites readers of all time periods to alter their views: to make the transition from perfect righteousness to authentic love, believing, like the woman taken in adultery, in Love, and bearing witness to the God of mercy who forgives, elevates and saves.