His Back is Turned

 June 26, 2022

“Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil…

Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.””

—Luke 7:36-38, 44-47 NKJV

This morning I had the opportunity to preach on this text, some of which I’ve left out for brevity’s sake. I’ve heard sermons on this story, all of which seem to focus on the woman’s love and the Pharisee’s judgmentalism. I see something else going on here, as well.

How did Jesus know this woman “loved much?” She said nothing; gave no testimony, spoke not a word. When I asked this question earlier today, someone answered, “her actions,” which is true, but not specific enough. If we read carefully, we discover it was her generosity. An alabaster jar of perfume was prohibitively expensive in those days; to break open this flask and pour it out was a sacrifice on her part. 

When I was in seminary, we were poor. Our income was cut to about a third of what we had been making before, which wasn’t a lot. Linda’s cousin loaned us $600 to pay our insurances and later refused repayment. That was nearly fifty years ago, but I remember it as clearly as if it had been yesterday. More recently, the outpouring of generosity for our son as they navigate their journey with cancer has been eloquent testimony of love, even more than people’s offer of prayer. I don’t want to minimize the latter, but I know how easy it can be to say “I’ll pray,” and how easy it is to forget. Both years ago and weeks ago, we saw love in generosity. It reflects the heart of God who generously gave his only Son for our salvation.

There’s something else I notice in this story. It says that when confronting the Pharisee, Jesus turned to the woman and spoke to Simon. Do you understand what is happening here? Jesus is facing her, respecting her, giving her honor as he turns his back and talks over his shoulder to the Pharisee. I’m guessing Simon was not used to being treated that way. Being noticed and honored was more his style, but Jesus was speaking to him in an offhand manner, in essence, cutting him down to size. 

I wonder how often I’ve approached Jesus from the same privileged, arrogant place as Simon. How often has Jesus turned away and spoken to me over his shoulder, showing me that I am not as important as I imagine, and that the person I look down upon has his full attention? We don’t even know this woman’s name. We know Simon, but not her. Sometimes recognition is the last thing we should desire. Simon had it for all the wrong reasons, and instead of the admiration he was used to, for centuries he has been known for the wrong reasons, while this unnamed woman is held up as an example of the kind of faith that genuinely saves.