One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
I
love this story in Luke 7. In fact, it’s one of my favorites in the entire
Bible. The way Jesus interacts with both Simon and the woman is fascinating on
many levels and the way the woman interacts with Jesus is beautiful. What
stands out to me about the woman is her boldness, her faith, and her reaction
of love.
The
boldness of this woman who walks into a dinner and starts wiping the feet of
Jesus with her flask of ointment and her hair is – to put it super spiritually,
soooo cool. The cultural context in which
this took place would have looked down upon women - never mind the fact that
she is also a prostitute (“a woman of the city”). Something for which she would
even more so be judged and shamed.
But
in she walks. And the contrast of her behavior and Simon the Pharisee’s behavior
is immediately evident. Simon’s reason for inviting Jesus over for dinner is
not made clear, but a couple clues tell us that his intentions were definitely
not because he wanted a deeper friendship with Jesus or that he wanted to
follow Him in faith. Rather, it seems he’s invited Jesus over to challenge Him
and question Him. He even skips over the typical hospitality “basics” of the
day – for example, providing water for washing feet or kissing the visitor on
the cheeks (v. 44).
But
the woman washes His feet with her tears and wipes them with her hair. She
kisses his feet repeatedly and anoints them with her oil. Jesus responds to
this by turning toward her while he is talking to Simon and you can almost see
the reproach in His giving Simon the cold shoulder, and the welcome he gives
the woman.
Her
faith is evident in that she comes to Jesus, obviously knowing He can help her
and give her peace. I love that she has faith that Jesus will not deny her or
rebuke her in front of the table of men. Even when Simon the Pharisee begins
his discussion with Jesus, she stays at the feet of Jesus. Jesus responds to
her faith with the beautiful phrase, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Her
reaction of love toward Jesus is evident in how she approaches Him and serves
Him willingly. And His love for her is evident in how He responds without
reproach and with forgiveness of her sins (v. 48).
This
woman’s boldness, her faith and her reaction of love are a beautiful
encouragement to those of us who have been forgiven of our sins. How are we
responding in love and how are we serving the Lord Jesus Christ who redeemed
us? Are we responding in boldness, in faith, and with love?
Kelli Wick, Guest Blogger
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