In the 7th chapter of Luke’s Gospel, we have recorded for us two notable examples of the heart of God for needy, hurting, struggling people. The Scriptures concur that: “A true friend knows your weaknesses — and loves you anyway.”
This is the kind of love Jesus has for His people — such as John the Baptist whom we pondered a bit yesterday. Today’s reflection concerns a wayward woman, her perception that Jesus would receive her, and the response of Christ to this woman.
The story (told in Luke 7:36-50), begins with a Pharisee by the name of Simon who invited Jesus to his home for dinner. As they were having their meal together, a woman of ill-repute (no doubt a prostitute in that community) entered the Pharisee’s home and stood behind Jesus, weeping. Luke writes: “When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.” (NLT)
An unloved, abused, desperate, or otherwise mistreated woman can be driven to desperate measures to relieve her burden. The “sinner” in Luke’s narrative was no doubt just such a woman. Oh, how the broken respond to the unconditional love of Jesus! This devastated matron had somehow heard about the gentle man from Galilee who called Himself “the good shepherd.”
Well, when Simon the Pharisee saw what she was doing, he thought to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” (v. 39)
What takes place next is equally fascinating: Rather than rip on Simon for his cold-hearted judgment, Jesus gently reprimands him via a parable (vv. 4-47) about a moneylender who excused a debt owed him by two debtors — an amount neither one could repay. The point of the parable was that both the sinful woman and Simon had a sin-debt before God. Unlike Pharisee “Sinless-Simon” (Ya, right!), the woman of ill-repute expressed her gratitude to Jesus in a very sacrificial and loving way: ceaseless tears which fell upon the feet of Jesus — tears which she wiped away with her long hair followed by the anointing of His feet with perfume — kissing His feet the whole time!
You are just like me: An undeserving recipient of God’s grace, compassion, and mercy. Remembering all that we’ve been forgiven, let us resolve to look at people through the eyes of Good Shepherd Jesus, the compassionate Savior. As Jesus reminded Simon in this story: “… he who has been forgiven little loves little” (v. 47). It’s difficult to admit, but most of us are more like the woman in the story than Simon — we have been forgiven much. Therefore, let us love much; let us show the wayward the way home.