Day 15: The Immoral Woman (Luke 7: 36-50)
He was coming to her town—the Man who forgave sins. Surely there was no one who needed that more than her. Her immorality was well-known by all. She felt dirty, unclean, and unworthy of His forgiveness. Yet, something inside of her was prompting her to go and find Him.
Asking a woman on the street where she might find Him, she returned her look of judgment and condemnation with a downward glance to the ground. She was thankful that the woman had told her where Jesus could be found, but her shame made her feel like running home instead.
Pushing her feelings aside, she continued on her way, holding very carefully the alabaster vial of perfume in her hands. Arriving at Simon the Pharisee’s home, she quietly slipped in the side door undetected. There He was, reclining at the table. Lowering her eyes, it became quite obvious that the well-known tradition of foot washing had not been offered to Jesus. His feet were as dirty as her own heart. Had He been treated with disrespect, she wondered? She knew exactly what that felt like?
Overcome with her identification with Him, she slowly moved so that she was standing right behind His feet. Her tears flowed freely and unceasingly, making rivers over the dirt and dung caked on His feet from His travels. The tears made clean paths on the way to the floor underneath. Bending down, she took her hair and began to wipe His feet completely clean. Over and over she wet them and wiped them as years of shame, guilt and regret poured from her heart to His feet. Then she took the vial of perfume, broke it, and poured it out on them, kissing them as she worshiped the One who might forgive her guilty stain. Love for Him welled up in a heart once hardened by her own wrong choices. Moved by this ‘love in action,’ Jesus turned to her and said, “Your sins have been forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” Never had her heart felt so clean. In peace she left her old life behind.
What are you willing to do to worship Jesus? What if it humbles you? Do your feelings ever dictate whether or not you will obey your inner voice? Do you bring to Jesus a clean or dirty heart? Do you have peace?
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