LUKE 7:36-8:3
A Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
"If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"Simon, I have something to say to you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.
"Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days' wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?"
Simon said in reply,
"The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven."
He said to him, "You have judged rightly."
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
"Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven
because she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."
He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
The others at table said to themselves,
"Who is this who even forgives sins?"
But he said to the woman,
"Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others who provided for them
out of their resources.
and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
"If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"Simon, I have something to say to you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.
"Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days' wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?"
Simon said in reply,
"The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven."
He said to him, "You have judged rightly."
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
"Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven
because she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."
He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
The others at table said to themselves,
"Who is this who even forgives sins?"
But he said to the woman,
"Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others who provided for them
out of their resources.
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
What a beautiful story we
have in this Gospel Reading. The interaction between the sinful woman and Jesus
speaks to all of us and invites us into the same relationship with Jesus
Christ. The more broken that we are and the more hopeless things appear to be,
the more we are able to experience the healing love of Jesus Christ. An
acknowledgement of our wrongdoing and the wanting of forgiveness open a
floodgate of joy that cannot be easily described. The sinful woman came to
Jesus broken, yet because of her brokenness, she was able to see Jesus for who
He was and was able to love Him completely. She humbled herself before Him and
was able to open her heart to Him. Jesus became the central focus of her entire
life in that moment and because of that she encountered a transformative
experience that others could not even comprehend. We are invited into that same
experience. The more lost we are, the more joyous we will become when we are
found and the more unwilling we will be to let it go.
Sacred
Scripture offers us a window into our own lives. To fully experience the Word
of God, we must insert ourselves into the lives of those who came before us.
The sinful woman should be viewed as ourselves before encountering Jesus Christ
and further displays how the presence of Jesus’ love can change us. It
ultimately shows how we are all forgiven regardless of what we say and do. We
just need to come forward and ask for what is offered to us freely: a life with
Jesus Christ.
The story
of King David brings us still more hope and encouragement. Unlike the sinful
woman, he was called forward by God and lifted up to the greatest of heights. He
was given everything and experienced a very personal relationship with God.
Yet, even though this was the case, he committed the most heinous acts. He
committed murder, rape, and abused his authority. When his sins were revealed,
he begged forgiveness and received it. If King David was able to receive
forgiveness after all the privilege and revelation he enjoyed, we should be
comforted by the knowledge that we as God’s children are not beyond redemption.
All we have to do is ask and it will be given unto us.
We all have
the capability to experience moments like King David and the sinful woman. As
King David, when our lives become fruitful in a material sense, we may drift
away from God and follow our own selfish endeavors. When this happens we will
eventually experience trials and tribulations that will once again bring
ourselves back to Jesus. We will find ourselves crawling on our bellies like
the sinful woman begging for forgiveness. And Jesus Christ will be there to
love us and guide us again. We are never truly abandoned or truly lost. Jesus
loves us. Period.
Deacon Tom
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