Tears and perfume
The full video of this teaching is available at the bottom of this post and this link.
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. Luke 7:36
Let's set the scene. This dinner takes place in an open-air setting. The space wasn’t just for dining; these spaces were social hubs where the community's “important people” gathered. Picture a bustling room, voices mingling, the clinking of dishes. The air is heavy with anticipation and curiosity.
It wasn't uncommon for onlookers to linger around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the guests or eavesdrop on their conversations. Some would even enter the open-air banquet area and speak directly with the guests. This cultural backdrop is crucial as it sets the stage for the event that unfolds next.
When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. Luke 7:37-38
LET’S HEAR FROM THE IMMORAL WOMAN
I remember it as if it were yesterday. People all over town were talking about the dinner that evening. I had heard of Jesus, the Rabbi who spoke not just with authority but with kindness and love, unlike any religious leaders I had met. When I learned he was dining at the Pharisee's house, something deep within me stirred. I knew I had to go to him despite the risks and my reputation.
As I approached, my hands trembled, clutching my alabaster jar of perfume – a small treasure in my otherwise bleak life. The guests, the important people, lounged around, their conversations pausing as they turned, looking at me in a way that showed I was not welcome. I was a woman scorned by society, labeled a sinner, an outcast. But in that moment, none of that mattered; my eyes were fixed on Jesus.
Kneeling behind him, tears begin to flow. I have always hated crying in front of people because the community already sees me as weak. But my tears flowed. They were tears of remorse, gratitude, and a heart overwhelmed by the presence of pure love. As my tears fell on his feet, I realized the gravity of what I was doing. Here I was, a sinner, making a spectacle of myself in front of the religious elite. But the shame that once would have crushed me was being washed away by something much more powerful – a sense of being seen, truly seen, for the first time. In the presence of Jesus, I felt a glimmer of hope. My heart believed this teacher was my chance at redemption.
I used my hair as a towel for his tear-soaked feet. Then, with hands still trembling, I poured my jar of my treasured perfume over his feet.
A MESSAGE FROM THE PHARISEE TO US
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” Luke 7:39
I know verse 39 portrays me as a total jerk. But, in my defense, in 2024, you all need to understand a few things about my city. I come from a time and place vastly different from yours.
First, women weren’t invited to banquets, especially women with a reputation like hers! Jewish rabbis, like Jesus, were not even supposed to talk with women in public, let alone allow them to wash and anoint their feet at dinner! Scandalous! She crashed my dinner as an unwelcome guest!
Now, imagine my shock when this skank approached Jesus!
Then, he allowed her to touch him. This was unheard of! As a rabbi, that technically defiled him.
And then, the cheap woman wasted expensive perfume on his feet! He would take the same dusty roads to wherever he was going next! That was a total waste of resources!
In 2024, this story makes me look like a jerk. But the truth is, it was Jesus who was breaking all of our cultural and social rules!
Hey, people, here is the most critical point in my defense! I didn’t say any of this out loud! I was just thinking about it!
Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”
“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.
Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”
Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”
“That’s right,” Jesus said. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.
“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:40-48
After Jesus told this story and said all of this to me, I realized Jesus did not see me as I saw myself. I prided myself on believing that as long as my good deeds slightly outweighed the bad, I was right with God. But Jesus showed me that this formula was human math.
It was also jarring for me to realize that I saw myself as righteous and this woman as spiritually broken. But Jesus saw us both as spiritually broken.
Jesus essentially told me, “Simon, your problem is your heart. You don’t realize how much you need forgiveness and how deep your sin goes. You lack gratitude.” This was a hard pill to swallow. Especially at my own dinner with all of my friends and colleagues listening!
Do you want to know how I responded to Jesus? Well, you’re not going to find out until you die because Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John don’t mention me again after this dinner at my house. Oh sure, they mention Simon Peter (one of Jesus' apostles), Simon the Zealot (another of Jesus' apostles), Simon of Cyrene (who carried Jesus' cross), and Simon Iscariot (father of Judas Iscariot). But this is the last you’ll hear from me!
Back to our teaching
The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” Luke 7:49
In Jewish tradition, the power to forgive sins was reserved exclusively for God. The concept that a human – in this case, Jesus – could forgive sins was blasphemous to the men at that dinner. Was Jesus claiming he was more than a Rabbi and somehow connected to God?
Verse 49 encapsulates a central theme of the Gospel: Jesus introducing a new understanding of God's relationship with humanity, where forgiveness and grace are directly accessible through faith in him, bypassing traditional religious structures. This question, "Who is this man that he even forgives sins?" underlines the paradigm shift that Jesus' ministry represented, inviting believers to see God's grace as immediate, personal, and transformative.
Her experience with Grace
And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:50
At that moment, it felt as if time stood still. Jesus' words washed over me, reaching the deepest parts of my soul. For so long, I had been weighed down by a sense of unworthiness and shame. But in those few words, Jesus set me free. Now, I was not just a woman with a past. I was forgiven!
The people at that dinner saw me only as a sinner, but Jesus saw my faith in Him. He saw my heart, broken and contrite, and offered me what no one else could – grace and forgiveness. I was no longer defined by my past but by the grace I had found in Jesus.
As I walked away from that place, my steps felt lighter, and my spirit lifted. The peace Jesus gave me wasn't just for that moment; it was a promise for my future. No longer would I be haunted by the shadows of my past mistakes. I had been given a new start, a new life defined by His grace and love. That moment of forgiveness transformed me, marking the beginning of a journey walking in the peace and forgiveness that only Jesus can give.
CLOSING CHALLENGE FROM THE WOMAN IN THIS STORY
I now turn to you, dear reader, with a challenge. Please know that Jesus is not just a figure from an ancient text but also the living embodiment of transformative love and grace. Please look beyond the legalistic and transactional view of righteousness the Pharisees shackled me with. See Jesus as he is revealed in this story, the Son of God who forgives our sins and makes us right with God.
He sees beyond your past. He sees beyond the labels society has placed on you. He welcomes the outcast, sees the sincerity of a repentant heart, and offers redemption freely. So, I challenge you to seek Jesus with a heart full of faith, just as I did.
I invite you to reflect on your own journey with these questions:
Have you looked beyond the pages of the Bible to see Jesus as the living embodiment of transformative love and grace in your life? Or do you see Him as no more than a historical figure?"
Have you opened your heart to Jesus, allowing Him to see your sincerest repentance and deepest yearnings for His love and acceptance?
Do you approach Jesus with the same raw and vulnerable faith I did, trusting that He sees beyond your past and your labels?
How has your encounter with my story reshaped your understanding of forgiveness and redemption?
Finally, are you willing to come to Jesus with all your imperfections, to seek His peace and wholeness, and to let Him redefine your life and destiny, just as He did mine?
©2024 Greg McNichols, All rights reserved.
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