Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Wiping His Feet With My Tears

 'When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.'  Luke 7:37-38

Can you imagine what this woman was thinking as she knelt before Jesus.  Do you think she was concerned about what everyone else was thinking?  Do you think she was worried about what she looked like?  If her perfume cost enough?  Did it smell good enough?  Would He rebuke her?  Push her away?

In spite of all her failures and all that she had done wrong she had the faith that He could somehow make it right.  She gave all she had to buy a little bottle of perfume which she opened and poured upon His feet.  Do you know this story?  Do you know what He said to her?

'Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."  Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."'  Luke 7: 47-48


Sounds to me like her gamble paid off.  She put it all on the line and she was forgiven.  She left her comfort zone and pretty much made a spectacle of herself for Him, but I bet if you asked her (and you can when you get to heaven) she wouldn't change it for a minute.  What about you?  Are you willing to lay it all on the line?  Are you willing to admit your mistakes and failures to others?  What about giving all you have to Him?

These are hard things to do.  Seemingly impossible.  But I think the benefits outweigh the negatives, don't you?  The last thing Jesus said to this nameless woman was the best news yet:

 Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."   Luke 7:50


Ah peace.  His peace.  Priceless.  Worth anything we have to give.  I'm willing to give my all and lay it all on the altar to have Him.  When I get to heaven I hope I'm able to wash His feet.  The feet of my Savior.  Think about what you're willing to do for Him today.

7 comments:

Eileen said...

Beautiful! I recently blogged about those same verses. Her brokenness is beautiful. Whatever it takes Lord to get us to this point!

Jenifer Metzger said...

I love this story. Her willingness to give all to her Savior is so incredible. And the beautiful peace He gave her in return is amazing.

Ken said...

What a wonderful post. I have been forgiven of much, thank you Jesus!

Unknown said...

What am I willing to do for Him today? That's a great question. I want to be able to say YES to anything He asks of me. I want my life to be broken and poured out in love of my Savior.
Thanks for this great post!

Kelli said...

I love this. She didn't care who was watching, what she was wearing, or how she smelled. She just wanted divine intimacy with Jesus. She wanted to be near Him, at His feet, listening to His wisdom. I love it! Awesome post...

Sr Crystal Mary Lindsey said...

A beautiful lesson and well presented.
The culture in the middle east is so different to ours, they are not as reserved. I found when living in the USA that although I come from an English speaking country the culture was also very different. Thinking about all this and recently watching peoples reactions, I believe we are much more selfish today than we were even back 40yrs ago. People cared and shared more then.
In Jesus days, although no one had much, there was a communal belonging and sharing. Mary received joy from giving her very best. What a lesson we can learn from this.Just give without thinking first of self.
Blessings from Oz.

Phather Phil Malmstrom said...

This was a wonderful post Allison. May we all have the conviction, dedication and understanding of just what that kind of faith means.

Have a Blessed Day!