Christian Author Laura Davis

Read Luke 7:36-50

I can't believe that we are already into week 4 of Finding Our Identity In Christ. I hope that you have found my feeble attempts at Bible Study helpful and encouraging. Today, I want to look at the story in Luke where Jesus is annointed by a "sinful woman". That's what my bible calls her, but it never really says what her "sin" was. Some say she was a prostitute, some say this woman was Mary Magdalene, who had been healed by Jesus of several demons. Poor Mary Magdalene, how she got labelled a prostitute I'll never know.  Scripture doesn't even indicate that about her, it simply says - "Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out" (Luke 8:2).  Anyway, who it was doesn't matter, it was what she did that is important.

First, let me give  you a little background about what a Pharisee was. A Pharisee  was a member of an ancient Jewish sect that emphasized strict interpretation and observance of the Mosaic law in both its oral and written form. They frequently frowned on people who weren't as pious as they were (Luke 18:9-14). Jesus referred to them as greedy, self-indulgent, hypocrites, vipers, whitewashed tombs and full of dead men's bones. (Matthew 23:25-29). Needless to say, our Lord didn't have a very high regard for Pharisees. Unfortunately, the Pharisees (along with the Sadducees, another Jewish sect), made up the Jewish ruling council called the Sanhedrin.  I say unfortunately, because this is who the people of the day received their religious instruction from. So when Jesus came along, He really upset the apple cart!

Back to our reading - Jesus has been invited by one of these Pharisees (Simon) to have dinner with him in his home. Remember, the Pharisees are strict observers of the law and would never have associated with the type of people Jesus associated with (drunkards, prostitutes, etc.), so my curiousity was peaked when a "sinful" woman (most likely a prostitute) showed up in the home of this Pharisee. One would almost think she was planted there by the host himself just to see what Jesus would do. How else would she have gotten into the home of a religious Jew? I realize scripture says she "learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house", but how in the world did she get into his house when she got there? Just a thought. As a side note, if you look up the word Pharisee in your bible concordance you will see how many times they were "watching" Jesus to try to trick him into doing or saying something that would make it easy for them to arrest Him.

So, we have this woman crying so hard that her tears are falling on the Lord's feet. So many tears in fact, that she wipes Jesus' feet dry with her hair. Next she starts to pour expensive perfume on His feet. Picture that! This sobbing woman is so thankful for Jesus that she can't keep it together. She is overwhelmed by love and joy for the Saviour! Why? Perhaps Jesus had healed her previously. The scripture verse does say, she "had lived a sinful life".  If you had been touched by Jesus how would you react? Obviously, she knew who Jesus was and that was enough.

Unfortunately, Simon the Pharisee didn't get it.  All he thought was how sinful the woman was. He felt contaminated in her presence and looked down on Jesus for letting her touch him. But, Jesus knew what Simon was thinking and called him out not only on what he was thinking, but  on how he (a strict observer of Jewish Law), did not even follow the basic courtesies of the day (washing feet, greeting with a kiss or anointing with oil). Jesus, saw the heart of that woman that day and unfortunately, he saw Simon's heart too.

What about you?  When Jesus looks into your heart, what does He see? Are you like Simon, who judges people by what he has heard about them, or by what they look like? Do you act like a pious Christian on Sunday and forget who you represent the rest of the week? God sees into your heart every hour of every day. Are you as thankful and joyful for the redemptive work of His Son as the "sinful" woman was?  Simon had a pretty good self-image of himself, but it was all wrong. How is your self-image?