Has poured perfume

“You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.” (Luke 7:46)

 

We know the story of a woman who has been forgiven by Jesus the Lord. The woman lived in a village, and it was in the house of a Pharisee that she met Jesus. She known as a sinful woman and the Pharisee who presents himself as a righteous man are in contrast to each other. The woman stood at Jesus’ feet behind Him, wetting His feet with tears, and she washed the feet with her hair, kissing the feet, and poured perfume on them. At that moment, the Pharisee looked at Jesus with a hostile mind. The woman who was sinful became a final winner of Jesus’ recognition.

 

The Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him. It seems that he invited Jesus to his house, for he had social status, money, face, and even trickery. The listed above; status, money, and honor or face, are the factors that cannot be considered unnecessary in living. The word ‘face’ may mean ‘fake face’, but it can also be interpreted as general manners and formal attitudes of social life. Then, “keeping up, to save one’s own face” is not a bad one. If you keep your position, money, face, and use them properly, it will be very effective in achieving a life of value. But a problem was in what the Pharisee had some bad intentions against Jesus. He was intending to wrap himself with hypocrisy and to find some blemish on Jesus.

Jesus well knew both the Pharisee’s and her ideas in their hearts. Jesus was willing to tell the truth and give necessary lessons to all of them; the woman trying to show her true feelings, the Pharisee trying to hide his tricks with hypocrisy, and the disciples and others who sat down together there. Jesus, who called Simon the Pharisee, asked him this, “If the two debtors of 500 denarii and 50 denarii each received a write-off from the moneylender, which of them will love the lender more?” Simon replied, “Of course, he who has been greatly written off.” Then Jesus admitted, “You have judged correctly.” And He explained the reasons in detail.

Jesus proved the woman’s right by pointing out Simon’s mistakes of his manner. The Pharisee had already known everything he needed to know on the reality of life, but he practiced nothing. He knew that the person who had been greatly written off would love the lord more, and that he should give a guest water to wash. He would also have known how to kiss and put oil to greet his guests. But what would he does just by knowing? If we know something, we have to practice it rightly. Contrary to him, she wet Jesus’ feet with tears and washed them with her hair. She also kissed Jesus’ feet and poured perfume on them. Her deeds came from knowing who Jesus was and believing Him, and from the desire for forgiveness of her sins. For otherwise, it was an impossible act to be seen.

Not only did Jesus know the identity of the woman, but He also knew where her current behavior came from. She was a poor woman who was pointed at by others, who had great pain in her heart, but she was of faith who came boldly before Jesus, confessed her sins with tears, and asked for forgiveness.

Jesus said to the woman, “Many sins have been forgiven, as your great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Then the people next to Jesus talked in whispers, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” For they knew God alone forgives sin. They had no choice but to talk like that, for they did not know who Jesus was. And Jesus said to the woman, “Go in peace, for your faith has saved you.” Peace is the result to the faith in Christ. All who live in the frown of anxiety and pain, come to Christ and have peace!

 

What shall I pour into the Lord? Maybe I’m the one who doesn’t even put oil like the Pharisee. Jesus’ body is the being of glory, the king of the kings of Man. And Jesus’ head had a crown of thorns to cover up the sins of life. It is the head that shed blood for my life. From now on I will give Him all the most precious things of my life. Let’s offer tears, precious beauty and fragrant oil to the Lord!

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on Feb 16th 2020)