Luke 7:36—8:3
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. 37 And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. 38 She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner." 40 Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he replied, "speak." 41 "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?" 43 Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly." 44 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 bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." 48 Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" 50 And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Luke 8
1 Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, 2 as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.
Reflection
Jesus was invited to a meal. Some say it may have been after a service. In that day and place it wasn't shocking for an uninvited guest to be present also, as we see in the woman. This woman was well known as a prostitute. It could be that she earned the ointment which she used on Jesus' feet as a result of her prostitution. The woman anoints Jesus' feet with the ointment and with her tears. This woman was in the depths of her sin and in the midst of repentance it seems to me. I can empathize with her feelings as she turns to Jesus, falling to his feet with an offering and tears, seeking repentance from God. She knows who to turn to in her sin.
But as viewed by the Pharisee host, Jesus is wrong in accepting such actions. This is an unclean woman. Her touching and crying at Jesus' feet makes him unclean as well. Jesus should know better! From the Pharisee's point of view this display was an embarrassment to him and to all his company at the meal. Jesus is wrong!
So, Jesus tells a story. I wish I could do this when accused. Be calm and not go on attack in the defensive. I wish I could stay calm and tell a story that punctuates an eternal truth. But, I'm not Jesus either. So, I read, I listen and I learn from Jesus. Jesus tells a story.
Jesus tells a story of love. Love and repentance and forgiveness. The more a person is forgiven, the more that person will love. You would think anyway. But I have seen some who don't care. I have seen some that are forgiven yet the repentance doesn't exist, so the response of love is missing. If one doesn't feel the need to repent and takes advantage of another by boldly taking, the love is missing.
We first must smell the stench of our sin. We must know that we are sinful and need forgiveness. The Law points us to that need. When we are selfish, when we hurt, when we take what its not ours to take but have no remorse we remain in our sin. Where is the point when we come to our senses and know that we have sinned and need forgiveness? What drives us to the knowledge of our sin and our need to run to God with our tears and our offering of ointment? Did the woman or you or I come to Jesus because of our love for Jesus? I'm not so sure about that. How do we even know to love Jesus if we haven't been introduced to him? How are we introduced to Jesus in order to learn to love him? How does this coming to Jesus relate to the forgiveness of the greater debt and the result of the greater love?
I think this woman came to Jesus through faith. She came as a result of someone introducing her to Jesus in conversation. This woman, prior to the feast, must have heard about Jesus and what he could do by someone who had faith in Jesus as well.
We tell each other the Gospel in words and in our actions. We tell those what God gives to us and confess our lives with God through our trust and faith and hope of what God has done in our lives. We tell each other about Jesus. We profess the forgiveness of sin. We tell and encourage one another to see Jesus and to run to Jesus for forgiveness. We tell one another because we have experienced the love in the forgiveness of sin that Jesus grants to sinners. We tell of the love of Jesus.
So the woman comes to the meal. She comes to the meal with her tears and her offering. The woman and you and I come to the meal seeking forgiveness from God in Jesus. We come and Jesus loves us. Jesus loves us even in the midst of our sin. Jesus loves us and forgives us and restores us to a new life in him.
Happy and in love with Jesus and God we run to tell what Jesus has done for us. We run to tell of a God that loves us even in the depth of our sin and forgives us. We run and tell of a God that accepts our tears and our offering and forgives us. We tell of a God that doesn't care how unclean we are and permits us to touch him and make him unclean as well out of love. We came to God with faith and run out in love, full of the meal of forgiveness and new life.
As we run and tell forgiven and loved and in love with Jesus, Jesus moves on into the world. Jesus moves on to reach out to all the world as a God that forgives and loves even those that are rejected by this worlds standards. Jesus loves his creation and wants to restore all of it. Even me... the greatest of sinners. Thanks be to God!
Prayer
Jesus, here I am once again, in faith and hope and love. Here I am with my tears and my ointment and come to your feet. I come to the foot of that cross and see the blood flowing. I come to the meal of your blood and your body and see the pain that you suffer because of my sin. I come to you in hope that you will love me. I come and seek your forgiveness for what I have done. Jesus forgive me for I have sinned. Restore me to new life in you... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment