Our passage in Luke this week shows one of the most powerful displays of gratitude and love in all of Scripture. A woman who presumably has a sordid past anoints the feet of Jesus with perfumed ointment from an alabaster box. She no doubt has been the recipient of slanderous comments for much of her adult life. Shame has been her constant companion. But something happened when she met Jesus. The text doesn’t tell us when she experienced new life in Christ but Jesus acknowledged her faith in Luke 7:50. In the previous verses we see a lavish display of gratitude, emotion and love directed towards Jesus. We find Pharisees who are disturbed that this “sinner” is touching the feet of Jesus. “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” Luke 7:39 Simon is drawn into the narrative because his reception of Jesus at the dinner banquet is wholly inadequate in comparison to the gratitude of the woman with a sordid past. The capstone of the story are the words of Jesus in Luke 7:47. “her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”  To paraphrase the words of Jesus we could say the following. “Those who have been forgiven a lot love a lot. Those who haven’t been forgiven a lot don’t love a lot. Paul tells us in Corinthians that love is the most important character quality of all. “If we don’t love we are as nothing.” That is a strong statement. I believe that loving others is predicated on experiencing the love of God ourselves. Come out Sunday and let’s see what we can learn from this important passage in Luke 7.
God Bless You
Pastor Drew
