WORSHIP RISES FROM REDEMPTION
Sherry and I had a wonderful week teaching The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels in Songa, Burundi. Here are some pictures to show you where we’ve been.
Teaching this class only reinforced the joy I feel writing this weekly Bible study on the book of Luke (and other books in the future). This week, we focus on a powerful story of redemption and worship. Luke shows us a woman whose life is radically changed by Jesus, and she is not afraid to let others know. More importantly, we see how Jesus responds to people who show their love for Him.
Let’s jump into this powerful story and see how Jesus responds to those who worship Him.
THE SINFUL WOMAN
When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them (Luke 7:36-38).
Jesus was invited by a Pharisee (whom we will find out is named Simon) to dinner. Have you ever noticed that Jesus never turned down an invitation to a meal? That tells us that Jesus valued spending time with people reclining at the table. We can learn a lot about people when spending time with them over a meal.
While Jesus reclined at the table, “a woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.”
Let’s put some context around this story. This “woman” didn’t just appear or “pop in” to see the Lord. In Jesus’ day, when an important person in town held a banquet, people came and hung around the outside of the house. They were trying to see what other important people showed up at the party. They hoped to get a chance to listen to the conversations among the “important people.” Don’t think of this event as something inside a building. Banquet halls were open-air, and the “non-guests” might walk in and speak to someone in attendance.
More than likely, the “woman” was hanging around outside the house for some time. She knew about Jesus and His compassionate and miraculous works. But a problem exists: women are never invited to banquets as guests.
This “woman” did not allow her lack of invitation to keep her back. She is willing to face ridicule and rejection to offer worship to Jesus. So, she crossed a cultural boundary and went to Jesus. Look at what she did:
First, “she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears.” WOW! This “woman” intended to anoint Jesus with perfume but began by weeping. Her dripping tears are so heavy they wet Jesus’s feet.
In the Middle East of Jesus’ day, catching one’s tears in a fluted bottle called a lachrymatory was customary. People would catch their tears in this bottle in times of great joy and sadness. Someone mourning a lost loved one would cry into the lachrymatory and place it in their family member’s tomb. This “woman” did not follow custom. Instead, she poured her tears of grief onto the feet of Jesus.
We are not told in Scripture why she wept so profusely. However, we know this “woman” lived a sin-filled life based on clues in the gospel writings. So, there could be two things happening here:
She is pouring out tears of repentance onto Jesus, seeking forgiveness.
Or, she is pouring tears of joy onto Jesus, celebrating the forgiveness she has experienced (I tend to lean toward this explanation).
Who knows if this woman was not a part of “the crowd” following Jesus? Who knows that somewhere in the recent past, she put her trust in Christ, received His forgiveness, and demonstrated her joy and thankfulness at this moment!
If you look at this story in other gospels, like Matthew 11:18-30, you will see that just before this scene, Jesus invited the crowd to “come unto me, and I will give you rest.” Maybe, just maybe, she responded to that invitation and is now joyfully announcing she’s found new life in Christ.
Her tears were not being spilled into a bottle of mourning. Her tears are spilled on the Savior who washed her clean, changed her life, and gave her hope for a life she never knew possible. Let’s keep reading.
Luke writes, “then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.” In ancient times, a woman letting down her hair was a sign of immodesty. This woman did not seem to care what others thought about her. Her heart was filled with the newness of life, wonder, and awe because she’s been made new.
After drying His feet, she poured perfume on him and kissed him. The perfume she used was usually poured on the head. It’s almost like she says, “The best perfume I have for my head is such a small offering compared to what You have done for me, and I can only put it at your feet.”
However, her joy is about to come into question by the party's host.
THE RESPONSE OF THE PHARISEE
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said (Luke 7:39-43).
This banquet is at the house of a Pharisee, who strictly follows the rules and customs of the Jewish religion. Jesus is considered a rabbi or teacher by many. In the Jewish tradition, rabbis were not permitted to speak to or eat with a woman publicly. Now add this custom to the reputation of the “woman,” and you get the perfect scenario for religious people to start condemning.
I will not belabor this point because I think Jesus handles it better than I ever could. When you realize how broken you were before Jesus, you will do what no one else will do to worship the King of Kings!
If you believe Jesus did you a favor by saving you, your worship will probably be lackluster. If somehow you have fallen for the lie that you deserved salvation, your worship will fail to carry that edge that says, “Hey, I don’t care what everyone else thinks! I will pour out my everything for the One who gave His life for me! I was lost, but now I am found!”
Hear me! Go ahead and dance. Go ahead and shout with a voice of triumph! Clap your hands and say amen. Cry like nobody’s watching. My debt was so enormous, but Christ forgave me. So, I think I’ll not worry about decorum and custom!
Jesus delights in the worship of those who understand that they were broken, but He restored them. If someone tells you to tone it down or to be quiet, look them in the eye and say, “Go read Luke 7:44-5,” then walk away!
THE FORGIVENESS OF JESUS
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:44-50).
The “religious” guy did not give Jesus much attention, and Jesus was just another “important” person who made His party look good to him. But to the “woman,” Jesus was her Savior. To the “woman,” Jesus was her redeemer. To the “woman,” Jesus was the One who pulled her from the pit of sin and gave her hope. Jesus is the one who sent her away with peace of mind and heart and hopes for a future she never thought possible.
