During the meal, a woman entered the room. It was common for uninvited guests, even
beggars, to sit along the periphery of a room, listening to conversation and
hoping for leftovers. However, this
woman’s entrance seemed to grab everyone’s attention because she had a
notorious reputation.
Some scholars
speculate that she may’ve been a prostitute, in financial debt, the wife of
someone with a dishonorable career, or a woman who’d committed adultery. We don’t know the reason for her shame, but
the community did-they knew her background, talked about her, and looked down
on her.
The uninvited, sinful woman shockingly broke cultural
taboos. She dared to approach Jesus, an
honored religious teacher. Then, taking
on the job of a servant, she cleaned and anointed His feet. In a culture of strict gender segregation,
she dared to touch Jesus’ feet-with her tears, her hair, and even her
lips.
Jesus’ reaction was equally shocking: He didn’t recoil from
her touch or publicly reproach her.
Instead He accepted her worshipful expression of devotion, love,
intimacy, and gratitude. He defended
her. He used her as an example of one who “loved much” (Luke 7:47).
The woman didn’t care about what people said or thought
about her-she just wanted to serve Jesus.
She was unashamed to show her love for Him. She understood the deep forgiveness of Christ
and wanted to serve Him.
Who are you in this
story?
The judgmental, uptight onlookers?
Simon? Who pretends to have it all together and know it all,
but is missing the big picture?
Or the sinful woman that sees her deep need for a Savior and
is willing to give extravagantly and humbly draw near to the Forgiver?
