Faith of an Anointer

April 21, 2024 Background Scripture: Luke 7:36 - 50 Lesson Passage: Luke 7:36 - 39, 44 - 50 The custom for diners in first century Palestine was to lean in towards the table with their feet protruding outward. Most travel was on foot and footwear, if worn, was not enclosed. Guests would arrive at a host's house with dusty or dirty feet. Leaning in towards the table made it convenient for a household servant to wash the feet of the host's guests as they reclined at the table. Jesus was reclining at the table as a guest in the home of a Pharisee named Simon in today's lesson. The central figure in the lesson is a woman of that city who was known as a sinner. The Bible does not specify what her sin was, but apparently, she had a reputation because of her sin. As Jesus' reputation as a prophet spread, people began to seek Him for their needs. This woman heard that Jesus was a guest at Simon's house, and she went there and stood behind Jesus. She cried and her tears fell on His feet. She dried His feet with her hair and then poured an expensive perfume on Jesus' feet and kissed them. Jesus was silent. Simon questioned Jesus' authenticity as a prophet because He did not react or respond in the manner the Pharisee thought was appropriate to a sinful woman touching Him. What did it say about Jesus for Him to let such a person touch Him? And this was all happening in public! Although Simon's thoughts were not openly expressed, yet Jesus addressed Simon with a short parable concerning his thoughts. The parable presented a situation where two individuals would show gratitude because of having their debts forgiven. Jesus compared Simon's lack of common hospitality for his guests to the woman's actions. A good host would have had a household servant to wash the feet of his guests and to pour oil on their heads. Simon had provided neither. Meanwhile, the woman had washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. Then she had poured expensive perfume on His feet. She did not do it as a household servant but as a worshiper of Jesus. Despite her reputation as a sinner in that city, she came to a Pharisee's house and publicly worshiped Jesus. Few of us go through life with others knowing about our sins. Our sins are private indiscretions between God and us. We acknowledge that we are sinners, but we don't confess all our sins publicly. Jesus did not tell the woman that her "sin" was forgiven as though she only had one. He said that her "sins" were forgiven. Jesus had explained to Simon that just as the woman's sins were many, so too was there an abundance of love shown by her. Perhaps Simon didn't have as much to repent of as the woman. But neither did he show the abundance of love towards Jesus that the woman had shown. Jesus explained her actions by alluding to her faith. She believed in Jesus as a Servant of God. She believed that Jesus was worthy of an extravagant personal and public worship. Just as her sins were publicly known, so too would be her worship of Jesus. The fact that she brought the flask of fragrant oil with her when she knew that Jesus was at Simon's house suggests that she came there to worship and anoint Jesus. We don't know if she came seeking forgiveness of her sins. It requires a different kind of faith to worship Jesus without knowing whether one's sins will be forgiven or not. That degree of worship is because Jesus is deserving of it whether we receive anything from Him or not. Sometimes public worship is difficult even when our sins are not public. But to worship publicly with the reputation of a sinner requires a special faith. This was the faith of an anointer. Robert C. Hudson April 6, 2024