It's Personal

Luke 7:36-39
"One of the pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. 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. 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!' "

As I read this passage today, I reflected on the significance of the perfume. I wondered, where did she get this expensive jar of perfume? Did one of her many lovers give it to her as a gift? Did she wear it often, possibly while seducing or being seduced by another? Certainly perfume can awaken desire. Desire was something she was familiar with, for the scriptures call her an immoral woman. And what about her hair? We know that it was long enough to be used as a towel to wipe Jesus' feet. Did she keep it this length for a reason? Long hair is generally considered more feminine, more alluring to a man. I cannot claim to know the motives hidden in her heart. All I can do is speculate. But what I do know is that she brought these intimate things to Jesus' feet. She was turning herself in.

It did not matter to her that she was not on the guest list to this stuffy dinner party thrown by a religious elitist. She decided that the chance to meet Jesus was worth the almost certain ridicule she would receive from the party's host. She was aware of her reputation. She knew the Pharisee would not welcome her but she clung to the hope that perhaps Jesus would receive her. If He would receive her, then any amount of humiliation was worth it. For she was painfully aware of who she was in light of Jesus' holiness. Her brokenness was made evident by her posture and her steady stream of tears. She didn't consider herself worthy of looking in Jesus' eyes but preferred kneeling behind Him as she kissed His calloused feet. And how did Jesus respond to her lavish show of love? Vs. 48 and 50 reads "Then Jesus said to the woman, 'Your sins are forgiven...Your faith has saved you; go in peace.' "

What about us? Are we willing to brave the embarrassment and criticism of others as we turn ourselves in to Jesus? It will require us making it personal, the way the immoral woman made it personal. She brought the tricks of her sultry trade to Jesus' feet. What will we bring to His feet? Will we bring our crack pipes and credit cards? Our liquor cabinets and refrigerators? Our cell phone records and Facebook account? Our prescriptions and subscriptions? What about the hard-drive of our minds and the pages of our hearts? If we want redemption, we must bring all of ourselves to Jesus' feet and weep at the disparity between us and our Lord. When we do this, we will truly be free.