Luke 7:36-50

³⁶ One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and He went into the Pharisee’s house [in the region of Galilee] and reclined at the table. ³⁷ Now there was a woman in the city who was [known as] a sinner; and when she found out that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume; ³⁸ and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began wetting His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and [respectfully] kissed His feet [as an act signifying both affection and submission] and anointed them with the perfume. ³⁹ Now when [Simon] the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this Man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him, that she is a [notorious] sinner [an outcast, devoted to sin].”

⁴⁰ Jesus, answering, said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Teacher, say it.” ⁴¹ “A certain moneylender had two debtors: one owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² When they had no means of repaying [the debts], he freely forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” ⁴³ Simon answered, “The one, I take it, for whom he forgave more.” Jesus said to him, “You have decided correctly.” ⁴⁴ Then turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house [but you failed to extend to Me the usual courtesies shown to a guest]; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair [demonstrating her love]. ⁴⁵ You gave Me no [welcoming] kiss, but from the moment I came in, she has not ceased to kiss My feet. ⁴⁶ You did not [even] anoint My head with [ordinary] oil, but she has anointed My feet with [costly and rare] perfume. ⁴⁷ Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸ Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹ Those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith [in Me] has saved you; go in peace [free from the distress experienced because of sin].”

As I read this story so many things stand out to me.

The first question that came to my mind while reading this story was: do we wash His feet or are we so casual with our relationship with Him we have stopped washing His feet? I think it is so easy to get lax in our relationship with Him and it is like any other relationship in our lives. If we don’t appreciate the other person, tell them how much we appreciate them, and spend time pouring into them the relationship can wax cold. Relationships take work and we can easily slip into the pattern of taking Him for granted. We can feel like no matter what we do He will be there to pick us up again, to forgive us, and to overlook our mistakes and failures. If we fall into that pattern we can slack on our reverence, gratitude, and adoration for Him. We can easily forget everything He has done for us and not treat Him with the respect He deserves.

Do we really remember and think about how much we owe Him? I don’t know about you, but for me He picked me up out of a mess I had made out of my life. He is my Healer, Savior, Deliverer, Friend, Father, Lord, Master, and the list goes on and on. He literally laid down His life so we can be made free. He poured out everything for us. He suffered shame, torment, beatings, rejection, and things we will never fully understand. He did that for you and He did that for me. We owe Him everything. We owe Him our most prized possessions. We owe Him pouring out our tears out on His feet. We are so unworthy, and He is perfect, and because of Him we can boldly approach the throne room of God. Because of Jesus we can be in a personal relationship with God. The relationship is not based on our worthiness, but instead it is based on the righteousness of Jesus. In the Old Testament very few people heard from God because the priest were the only ones who could approach the Holy of Holies. God did hand pick a few people that He talked to, but there were not many. When Jesus died and rose again the veil in the temple was torn to show us, through Jesus, we can go directly to God. We no longer have to have a middleman. Jesus is our Intercessor and because of Him we can go right into the throne room of God. His sacrifice gave us everything! He became the ultimate and perfect sacrifice for our sin, guilt, and shame.

I wonder if we would give Him our most prized possession, or do we hold our best back from Him? Are there things we refuse to surrender? Are there things we hold the best back for ourselves? Do we give our best to someone other than Jesus? I never want to hold anything back and I never want to forget how much I owe Him.

The woman in the story withstood the ridicule of the men in the house to pour her praise out on Him. She did not listen to all the negative, condescending voices, but instead she only focused on Jesus. She knew how important He was, she knew how much she owed to Him, and she didn’t care what others said about her. Her need to praise Him with everything inside her outweighed all the other voices. When I think about my life, I have to ask myself how I respond when others make fun of me, when they reject me, when they attack my walk with the Lord. Do I ignore them and continue my walk with Him, or do I allow those voices to quiet my praise and walk? Do I worry about what others say about me to the point of minimizing my voice, actions, and calling? When faced with opposition would I fade into the background so I do not ruffle feathers, or would I boldly continue doing what I know He has called me to do? Am I bold for Him? Do I fear the response of others over my dedication to Him? Do I fear what others might think and say about me?

Another lesson from this story that stands out to me is how it can be so easy to look at others and wonder why they worship the way they do, or why they are so “radical” for the Lord, but the truth is we don’t know the cost of their oil. We have no idea what He has pulled them out of and what kind of call He has placed on their lives. It is easy to judge, mock, and scorn, but the truth is maybe we should be looking at ourselves and evaluating our own lives. Maybe we should be asking why our level of praise is not as strong and bold as theirs. And I am not talking about praise in terms of being at a church service and singing, dancing, and praising. When I say praise, I mean as in lifestyle. A lifestyle that lives in surrender and worship to Him.

My last thought that came to mind with this story is the way the Bible is for our lives…right here and right now. The Word, in part, is for convicting our hearts and changing our lives. When we ask God to teach us His ways and we read His Word it comes alive, and we can apply the lessons to our daily lives. The Word is for direction, teaching, training, convicting, and growing us in our walk with Him. It is much more than a book about history. It is alive and active and if we allow it to seep into out very being it will change us.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Video teaching link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ccdy2gkTP0

Blessings,

Nichole Henson, Fullness of Joy Ministry