I wonder where this unnamed woman met Jesus before that day that she came into the home of Simon the Pharisee with her bottle of alabaster ointment? Had she been standing on the edge of a crowd, trying desperately to be invisible, listening to Him teach? Did she hear His words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who are bankrupt in their souls, those that know they can’t save themselves and have reached the end of their resources, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”? Did she courageously move forward in the crowd, drawn closer to Him by the authority of His voice as He spoke? Did He catch her eye when He said, “Blessed are those who mourn, who grieve for their sin, for they will be comforted”? What did she see in His eyes? What did she hear in His voice?
This moment that we read about in the text this past week is obviously not her first meeting with Jesus. Somewhere along the way she had seen Him...really seen Him with eyes that had been gifted to see. Somewhere along the way, she heard Him. Deep in her soul she heard His message of forgiveness. Somewhere along the way she had been given the ability to understand that she, who was a great sinner, was being offered forgiveness and freedom from that sin!
To be fully known and instead of receiving the expected rejection from such a holy man, she experienced being fully loved and fully forgiven. That is what this woman saw in Jesus. And that is why we have this incredible story in Luke! We are given a glimpse into what it looks like when someone truly understand the message of the gospel! We are given a glimpse, through this woman’s story, what the response of ALL who meet the real Jesus should be.
1. Grace is completely unexpected and undeserved. She knew it. She knew who she was and she knew what she had done. And, she knew that she deserved condemnation.
2. The deeper we understand our own sinfulness, the deeper we experience grace. Jesus said to Simon, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Her extravagant response to Jesus revealed just how deeply she understood her unworthiness and the forgiveness she had been given. The truth of this story is that Simon had equally as much to be forgiven of as this woman, the difference was he didn’t know it. He thought he was worthy. He thought he was good. So his response to Jesus was in proportion to how much he understood grace.
3. Her response to grace was bold, courageous, extravagant, risky, undignified and costly. She, a woman of the night, a prostitute, entered the house of a Pharisee. That in itself shows incredible courage! She let down her hair in public. She wept in public. She made a scene. She caused a stir in a roomful of men. She touched Jesus, a rabbi, with unclean hands. And she took her only asset, the asset of her trade~ that jar of alabaster perfume~ and broke it and poured it out on Jesus’ feet. The symbolism involved in what she was doing...she was in essence saying with her actions, everything I have, everything I am, I am pouring out before your feet. She was completely abandoned to Him.
4. Her response was deeply personal and intimate. She responded to the person that was Jesus. To the man. She wasn’t becoming religious. She loved Him. She wasn’t trying to get something from Him. She wasn’t after the miracles or the show, that so many people in that time wanted to see from Jesus. She simply loved Jesus. And He was enough for her.
At the end of the chapter, Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” The fruit of the gospel is peace. She received peace with God...a relationship that was restored with her Creator through the future shed blood of Jesus Christ. She received peace with herself. She was now forgiven. She now had an identity firmly rooted in belonging to God. She had been justified. She was secure. And finally, she received peace with others. Because she been reconciled with God, because she no longer needed to justify herself to others, she was now free to love others well. We are looking at the beginning of a new life for a brand new woman...a life that looked nothing like the one she had lived before!
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This story in Luke of the response of a sinful woman to the love and grace of Jesus is a story that should challenge us. What is our response to Jesus? Are we bold, courageous, extravagant, risk-takers, undignified about how we feel, speak and live for Jesus? Are we willing to give or do anything at any cost because of our love for Him? Do we live a life completely abandoned to Him. Are we passionate about intimacy with Him?
Or are we more like Simon? A little cold and aloof. Are we more interested in intellectual knowledge about Jesus than knowing Him intimately and personally? Are we more intrigued by the miracles or the blessings that “hanging” around Jesus could bring?
Perhaps, if we are more like Simon than the woman, it’s because we don’t yet understand how much we have been forgiven. May God change us. May God open our eyes to see the electrifying grace we’ve been given! And may we respond like this woman, with complete abandon to our Savior, Lord, and King!
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