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Gospel: Luke 7: 36-50
A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When 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 sinner.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
“Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;
hence, she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The others at table said to themselves,
“Who is this who even forgives sins?”
But he said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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When was the last time you had a good cry?
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Crying makes us vulnerable.
Certainly, we can cry tears of joy, but most often our tears reveal there is something broken inside of us.
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Such is the case of the woman in the Gospel.
She’s known for her “sinful behavior,” meaning she was likely a prostitute. But years of abuse have left her feeling broken inside.
This was why she was so receptive to Christ’s teachings of mercy and forgiveness, because Jesus offered her what no other man had before – a new beginning.
Jesus is now all she has.
And she’s so grateful for the love he’s shown her, that she breaks through the crowds without any fear of public embarrassment, falls at his feet, and before she can anoint them with her precious perfume, she breaks down and bathes them with her tears.
Then she gently dries his feet with her hair.
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Was this the first time they ever met? Did this woman hear Jesus preach before? Did she have a private, unrecorded conversation with him?
We’ll never know.
But her dramatic actions are evidence of a life forever changed.
Imagine how many times she will share her story in the years to come. Imagine how many lives she can change because of her faith. She’s a story of amazing grace, becoming an example for us all.
When Jesus changes our life, we cannot help but fall at his feet and then tell the world.
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Image credits: (1) She, Alison Dismore (2) A Disciples’ Guide to Common Sense (3) A-mused.
