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Some have remarked that she made eye contact with God. Others have said that she was an embarrassment. But apparently she was not a discomfort for Jesus because he said “she loved much” (Luke 7:47).
What a commendation! I long for Jesus to say of me “she loved much,” but what kind of woman should I emulate? Was she a prophetess? The daughter of a priest? A royal official’s offspring? An intercessor, like Anna, praying and fasting everyday in the temple? No! She was a prostitute!
The woman of Luke 7:36-50 has become a fascination for me. Why is her worship so compelling? I have been pondering that thought for months. I want to know more. After memorizing the passage about the one who anointed Jesus, and meditating on her life, I can’t wait to share some of what God is pouring from his heart.
This woman was desperate to get to Jesus and she taught me how to worship him 24-7. Humor my use of an acrostic. The word “W-O-R-S-H-I-P” will serve to reveal some fresh insights.
W – The woman waited and watched and went where Jesus was. Luke 7:37 says: “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.” I had to repent. How often I have been somewhere, ministering, and expected God to wait and watch and come to me—on command. Now I’m learning to ask, “Show me where you’re already working, Lord, and give me grace to come alongside your longings for these people.”
O – The woman brought an offering. The text does not say that she went to get anything. She gave and she gave generously. She did not submit a wish list or a litany of complaints. This picture compelled me to ask the hard question. When have I come to God for what I could get—how he could make my life work better—rather than what I could offer him that would please his heart?
R – The woman was real. No pretense. No cover-up. She lived a sinful life “in that town” and she went to Jesus “in that town.” I have an esteemed friend with a lesbian past whom I consider to be an ambassador of transformation. She describes herself as “the whore who sits at Jesus’ feet.” That’s being real! I know my heart to be dark, too, and I am desperate to confess my sin so that I can be in his holy presence. And, I am repenting about my attention to other peoples’ sins that obscures acknowledgement of my personal transgressions.
S – The woman was sumptuous with her gift. She was lavish, extravagant and uninhibited. She didn’t just put water on Jesus’ feet. She poured perfume on them and kissed them and wiped them with her hair; all things that cost her personally. Her anointing didn’t escape the onlookers’ raised eyebrows. They thought it a colossal waste. But it didn’t escape Jesus’ notice either. In Matthew 26:10 Jesus’ reply to their wagging tongues was: “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.” Jesus knows about lavish, uninhibited giving and I believe he longs for it in return.
My worship has been inhibited. If I took the “I” out of that word and allowed an “A” for Almighty to replace it, perhaps I would be inhabited by his presence and not care what my lavish response to our extravagant Savior might look like to anyone else.
H – The woman was humble. Luke 7:38 says “she stood behind him at his feet weeping.” She stooped in back of Jesus. She approached—his feet. She cried. This is body language that declares humility. How often has my pride haughtily careened for position before God seated on his throne?
I – The woman was immediate in her response. She didn’t ponder convenience or comfort. She knew where Jesus was and she went to him—right then! She didn’t care about the opinion of others and she didn’t miss the moment. I wonder how may I have fumbled his presence because of hesitation?
P – She was persistent. As Jesus enumerated his comparisons of the woman with his Pharisaical dinner host, he said: “You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.” Has not stopped, indeed! Oh, that I would have such a heart of steadfast devotion for the Faithful One.
At this season of resurrection, I’m challenging you to risk worshipping the Passover Lamb in the manner of this woman. Worship leader Matt Redman says she “didn’t know the rules—(hers was) an unpredictable, untamed heart on a quest to see Jesus glorified.”
Watch and wait for him. Offer him what would please his heart. Be real. Be sumptuous; lavish. Practice humility. Be immediate. And, persist.
Why?
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Rev. 5:12).
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