A Sinful Woman

The story of the sinful woman in Luke 8 has always been incredibly moving and beautiful to me. Why, because I am a sinful woman. As a young, teenage Christian, I understood the language of tears and mistakes. Not weeping and sin. But, as a woman, I have come to know the sinful woman in a new way - as myself. So, today as I was reading her story once again, I'm so thankful for a Christ that commanded her to go in peace.

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 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, and 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. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching hm and what kind of woman she is--that she is a sinner."

Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"  Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."

 "You  have judged correctly," Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my  head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." ...Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace.

 When I was younger, I used to run through our pasture and sometimes land in a horse or cow patty. Disgusting, right? When Jesus was walking preaching the Good News, he walked through streets of dung. When he entered the dinner party at the Pharisee's home, his feet were gross, he smelled and it was altogether rude for his host to not offer him water to wash his feet or perfume to ward off the smell of dung, sweat and BO. 

Then, this sin-ravaged woman walks across this town knowing the Christ is near. She carries her expensive perfume to the home of a Pharisee who doesn't even see her, but only a sinner. She walks in and begins to weep. She weeps so hard that her tears alone bathe Christ's feet. Then she takes her hair, probably her prize possession next to her perfume, and begins to wash the manure and dirt from his feet. Then she takes the perfume and pours it over his feet.


This woman had no peace! She was weeping enough to bathe his feet. Christ says your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you...NOW...GO IN PEACE! What amazing peace (freedom) it must have been to walk away from this!