She did not deserve to be here. This was not her crowd. This was Simon’s house, and he was a Pharisee, one of the most respected groups in the entire nation of Israel. However, she could not stop herself. The hunger in her spirit drove her to push past the crowd and get inside. She clutched the small vessel tighter; it was now or never, so she began walking toward the door.
The whispers began as soon as they saw her approach. People recoiled when she brushed past as if she were a dangerous viper. They knew her kind. They wanted nothing to do with her, nor could they imagine what had brought her to this place. She, and those like her, were what was wrong about this city. Surely the elders would cast her out once they were aware of her presence!
But the people simply watched as she made her way directly to the table where the elders were sitting with the Rabbi they called Jesus. How brazen! This promised to be quite a display.
A hush had descended. Only the quiet sobs of the unwelcome visitor could be heard. She stood behind Jesus as if waiting for Him to acknowledge her arrival. Simon glared at her in absolute disgust. How dare she embarrass him in such a fashion? Then, as if on cue, Jesus turned His body to face her, and she immediately knelt at His feet.
All of the pent-up emotions and pain come flooding out of her in that moment. Her cry broke the silence. They waited for His stern rebuke of this godless woman. She removed the shawl from her head and allowed the concealed curls inside to fall down. She dragged them across the skin of His feet to dry tears that had fallen on him while pausing occasionally to kiss them reverently. Suddenly, she brought out the small white vase she was holding and fractured it between her fingers. The fragrant oil came spilling out across Jesus’ feet and mingled with the tears that had cascaded from her eyes.
Suddenly, the room, which had smelled of fresh bread only moments before, now was permeated with the aroma of the precious oil that had been inside the vase. This made no sense! Clearly, this oil was expensive. Perhaps even the most valuable thing this sinner had owned. Now, it was wasted in a moment on this itinerant Rabbi. This was so typical of people of low character.
She had given Him everything she had left. She dare not look at Him to see His reaction. Would He yell at her in anger? Would He send her away as others had done in the past? Would He pretend it had not happened and leave her to her embarrassment?
Simon was still angry, and his face did not conceal the fact well. Moments ago, he had thought this Man likely to be a great prophet, but now he could see that He was obviously a fraud. No self-respecting prophet would allow such a woman to touch Him. He had welcomed this Man into his home with great expectations, only to have THIS happen!
The silence was soon broken by the voice of the Rabbi. “Simon, suppose two men owed a creditor a debt. One owed a day’s wages, and the other a year’s wages. Neither can pay, so the creditor simply forgives both men their debt. Who do you suppose would be the more grateful?”
The question pulled Simon from his rueful ponderance. He considered the question carefully, not wanting to be embarrassed in front of his guests. “I suppose the one forgiven of the greater debt, Rabbi.”
“You have judged well,” was His reply. “Have you considered this woman? When I came into your house, you provided nothing to wash the dust from my feet, yet she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You did not greet me with a kiss, yet she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint me with oil, yet she has bathed my feet with her ointment. Her sins, which indeed are many, are forgiven because she loves me so greatly. They who need little forgiveness, love little.”
Turning His attention back to the woman at his feet He said, “Your sins are forgiven. Go your way in peace; your faith has saved you.”
To me, this is one of the most beautiful redemption stories in the New Testament. Someone with little to offer comes to the Man who offers all. A woman who speaks no words comes to the Man who speaks the perfect words. She let the pain and disappointment of a misspent life pour out of her heart through her eyes, and Jesus looked at her and said, “That’s good enough for me.”
I do not know the rest of her story. I do not know the issues that drove her to her knees at the feet of the Master. I imagine her past was full of missteps and false starts; a position I can understand, and I bet you can also. She must have heard of what Jesus had done for others at some juncture in the past. Hearing that He was near, she must have thought it worthwhile to come see Him.
In my mind’s eye, I can see her rushing to the house to find a gift to bring Him. Her eyes land on the alabaster vase with the precious oil, likely an investment for her future; a future that she was no longer certain she would have if Jesus could not fix her plight. Perhaps the oil was all she had left to give? Clutching it as if her life depended on it, as indeed it might have, she turned and made her way to Him. This just had to work!
We have the benefit of hindsight. We know it turned out better than she could have hoped, but she made that first move on blind faith. She took it on faith that He could give her pain purpose, make the journey worthwhile, and not leave her disappointed. In desperate hope she brought everything to Him; herself, a thousand tears, and a jar of oil…and it was enough!
Just as I do not know the rest of her story, I likely do not know yours either, and perhaps I never will. I do not know if your life has been punctuated by frequent pain and disappointment. I do not know if you have struggled to keep your head up when you feel weighed down by depression and anxiety. I do not know if most days you sit and wonder if you are enough. All I know is that He waits for you.
He sits and watches for you to walk through the door. He will not leave until He meets with you. Bring what you have to Him. Pain? Bring it to Jesus. Fear? Bring that too. Insecurity? Make sure it is in the bag! Bring it all…a thousand tears, and a jar of oil. It is the very thing He is waiting to receive. YOU are why He came anyway!
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