(Luke 7:44, 45, 46, 47)
I. Concentration: on how Jesus was insulted and exalted.
1. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.” (v.44)
2. “You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.” (v.45)
3. “You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.” (v.46)
4. “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven – for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” (v.47)
II. Meditation: on the Pharisee’s intentional snubbing.
1. Simon was a Pharisee and the host of the dinner for Jesus; he spent his life studying the Scriptures and knew there were 300 prophesies about the coming Messiah – yet he didn’t know Jesus; washing feet before meals was a mandatory ritual.
2. It was customary for the host to kiss his guest as a greeting; neglecting this was the same as ignoring his guest; the woman could not stop herself from kissing His feet.
3. Providing oil, at the very least, was customary, whereas anointing the head of the guest was done for especially distinguished guests.
4. Jesus knows these were not accidental oversights; He was deliberately ignored and insulted by this Pharisee, whereas this “forgiven sinner” woman worshiped Him.
III. Revelation: on the distinguished guest of honor who is always with us.
1. Are we like the Pharisee who spent countless hours studying about the promised Messiah, but didn’t know Him; let’s develop an intimate relationship with Jesus.
2. As Christians, we probably never intentionally ignore Jesus, but how many times do we gently push Him aside when we should be embracing Him with both arms?
3. Do we present Jesus as our distinguished guest of honor or do we neglect to even introduce Him?
4. If God could mend the broken pieces of this woman’s life, how could it be too late for any of us to follow Him?
IV. Application: As a Christian, I need to:
1. Not just study about Jesus, but build an intimate relationship with Him; make Him the most important aspect of my life and help others do the same.
2. Put Him in the forefront of my life, not on the sidelines where it is safe – bring Him out front – live the kind of life that people say “Wow – I want what she has!!!”
3. Introduce Him every chance I get to everyone I can – show how important He is in my life through my actions so that people seek me out just to learn about Him.
4. Remember my brokenness, darkness, sorrow, mourning before I let Him in; remember what it felt like when the light first shined, once again, in my life and my heart.