Touching God

Luke 7:37 "When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them."

I like that how it describes the woman's life: "who had lived a sinful life". It is such a simple phrase. It is condemning and yet it shows hope because it is in the past tense. This woman had chosen her whole life to be sinful. This was not the a woman caught in a moment of adultery. This woman had managed to display consistently that she was not a godly person. She was completely written off by the church. The Pharisee, who's house Jesus was at, actually accused Jesus of not being a true prophet because He did not recognize, and reject, this woman for her sin. She was considered untouchable. However, she recognized that Jesus had a connection with God. So, she desperately threw herself at his feet. I don't think this woman even hoped to have her sins forgiven. I don't think that she was seeking to be delivered from eternal damnation. I think that she saw this as her only opportunity to touch God; to be in contact with God and to express love to God. In her heart, she was hurting because she saw herself as a lost cause and separated from God. She was probably forbidden from even entering places of worship by the religious members of her community. I believe she just wanted to spend some time with God. She did not see redemption or forgiveness, but I think she saw in Jesus the opportunity to touch God. She did not blame God for her condition. She loved God even though she was told that her sins would keep her away from Him forever.

It was her understanding that Jesus was her only hope that satisfied God's two main requirements for salvation: the acknowledgement of Christ as the only connection to God we have and the confession that we are hopeless to escape our sin without his help.

Luke 7: 47 "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

48Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."