In Luke 7:36-50, Jesus is the honored guest at Simon, a Pharisee’s table. A local woman heard that Jesus would be at Simon’s house, so she went there with a jar of perfume. This woman is known as a sinner in the town, and Simon doubts that Jesus is who He says He is because he is socializing with a “sinner”. Little does Simon realize Jesus is socializing with multiple sinners in the room.

Jesus then goes on to teach everyone a lesson, like the Teacher that He is. He speaks about forgiven debts, and asks Simon who would be more grateful. Someone who had a smaller debt forgiven, or a larger debt forgiven. The moral of the story is that Simon, a Pharisee, which is defined online as ‘a hypocritically self-righteous person’, someone who practiced strict interpretation of the Law, had what he perceived to be a smaller debt or no debt at all, so he did not show the same gratefulness or hospitality to Jesus as the women, who was perhaps a much more obvious sinner. She showed overwhelming gratitude in response to the lavish grace that Jesus bestowed upon her.

“When we encounter riff-raffs and ragamuffins, what do we do?” Justin said in his sermon. When he said that, I had the thought of everyone being a riff-raff. As much as I would’ve really liked to say that I identify with the woman in this story, who appears to be the obvious “riff-raff, I am often much more like Simon, assuming that I am righteous because I practice the law. I am not very quick to recognize the magnitude of my Sin, yet I readily highlight the sinfulness of those around me. I want to make fun of Simon for not recognizing that he is actually more of a ragamuffin than the woman who poured her perfume on Jesus’ feet, but that would just make me more like Simon, judging a fellow sinner.

So really though, what do we do when we encounter people who are perhaps more blatantly and purposefully involved in sin than we think we are? Typically, we set ourselves above them, speak to them as if they are lowly, and maybe get slightly preachy. Maybe we don’t speak to them or even look at them at all. Maybe we are sort of like Simon when he mutters under his breath, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is- that she is a sinner.”.

Jesus is just over there breaking down all of the social normalcies and conventions, and making room for everyone at His table. He’s just casually hanging out with a pharisee and a prostitute in the same room. No big deal. That’s actually what Jesus is getting at. We should be defying those social norms and, as Justin puts it, offering a space where change takes place.

Jesus unending, lavish, bountiful Grace when He died on the cross, (for you, for me, for everyone), should illicit a response from our hearts and cause us to weep at His feet, to kiss them, and to anoint them with our finest perfumes. Out of the grace that has been bestowed upon us, we should then respond and offer the big, bold, extravagant hospitality that would allow a fellow sinner to encounter Christ that way that we have encountered Him.

Jesus, Give us your Holy Spirit so that we can have a heart like the woman who anointed Your feet with her perfume. Help us to remember the lavish grace you have bestowed upon us, while we were all undeserving riff-raffs. Help us to participate in the constant renewing of our minds and relationship with You. Stoke the fire within us as we are sometimes malaise in desire for You. Increase our humility, and ignite our desire to pour out extravagant hospitality because You have shown us unending grace. Amen.

~Carly Haynes