Blessed and Changed

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. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” (Luke 7:36-39)

In the passage I cited above, you will see the love of Jesus clearly portrayed. The woman who came to Him was a known sinner. Her lifestyle was sad and tragic, and the expectation of those around Jesus was that He would dismiss her, because she was unclean and unworthy of being in the presence of upright and holy men. Surely Jesus, if He was truly a man of God, would have nothing to do with her, and He would see her presence as an unwelcome and improper intrusion.

 

You can easily imagine the dinner guests saying,

“How did she get in here?”

“She was not invited.”

“She cannot be trusted!”

“Send her away!”

“She’s unclean and unworthy.”

“What if more of ‘those kind’ come around?”

 

But Jesus looked at her and loved her. He received her offering, heard her cry, forgave her many sins, and sent her away blessed and changed. I believe she is in heaven, waiting and praying for us. 

 

So, do as Jesus did and as He commands. Give to those who ask, holding back nothing. Bless and do not curse. Learn to think more highly of others than you do of yourself. Treat the poor, the stranger, the “other,” the uneducated and uncultured, the unsaved, and the undeserving as better than yourself. If you do, the Lord will bless and protect your every step, because He can trust you with souls. 

 

May the Lord open the eyes of our hearts, and may we see His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. And remember, the Kingdom is within you!

 

Let's Pray - Dear Father, thank You for spiritual wisdom and understanding. Teach me to see others as You see them and to treat them with the same love and grace You have shown me. Let Your Kingdom come, and let it come first in me. In Christ alone, Amen.