In Luke 7: 36-50 an unnamed woman described as" a sinner in the city" weeps on Jesus' feet, wipes them with her hair, kisses them, and anoints them with oil from an alabaster flask. My purpose here is to clarify the social meaning of the woman's gestures with her hair in this story. 1 A first step is to set forth the stated and implied elements of the woman's actions. She enters Simon's house, carrying an alabaster flask of ointment, and walks over to where Jesus is reclining at table. She positions herself behind him near his feet. In view of what she does next, she must have either bent over or knelt to reach his feet. She begins to weep profusely onto his feet and to dry them with her hair. Her hair must be loose at this point to serve as a makeshift towel. For the time being, we will leave open the question of when she unbinds her hair. Kissing his feet, she anoints them with ointment. How would Luke and his readers have interpreted this scene of a woman crouched or kneeling at Jesus' feet, with her hair undone, weeping, kissing his feet, and pouring ointment over them?