Luke 7:47 Woman

Many Christian women today talk about the Proverbs 31 woman in the Bible....the standard of excellence in a woman, the goal of what we want to be, the woman which we all aspire to become. All my life, when being taught about being a woman, Proverbs 31 is almost always the part of the Bible that I have been directed towards. And to be honest with you, every time I’ve read it, it’s only made me feel more unable to live up to that standard....EVER. It’s like a check list of everything I am not, and even some of the things, if I’m truly honest with myself, I don’t even WANT to be. 

The woman in the Bible that I have always been drawn to in my adult years is the woman in Luke 7. Maybe it’s the whole idea that we gravitate towards people we are like, but there is something so personal and intimate about her story that I relate to, on a daily basis. Her story, her life, her misguided path in life, her choices, her public judgment...I don’t know much about this woman and I have never taken the time to put any theological backing into who she actually is. All I know is that she is a sinful woman and the people around her know it, are very aware of it and have disregarded her ability to be anything more. But at some point in her life, she saw grace and forgiveness, and it changed her. It changed her to the point of service, of all-out generosity, of unashamed worship at the feet of her Savior.

Luke 7:44 - 47

“Then He (Jesus) turned towards 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.’”

Jesus doesn’t even bother to say her name. It’s not important. They know who she is and who He is talking about. There is no mistake about the fact that every single person in the room knew what kind of woman she used to be...and Jesus leaves no room to make the mistake about who she is now. This woman with a painfully sinful past has been changed by the presence of her Savior. That’s all I need to know. And that’s why I actually want to be more like the Luke 7:47 woman. I want to be so consumed by being in the presence of God that I can’t help but giver everything I have, even if it’s only my tears, to Him who loves me, redeemed me and calls me His beloved.

When I think of myself and if it were me in this woman’s situation, I recognize how often I am scared of my past and the judgment of Christian people. I recognize how often I shy away from all-out service to God because I’ve believed for too long that I can’t be used because surely MY sins are too many! I’ve listened too long when I hear people talk about the sins of others to me, not knowing they represent mine as well, and it convinces me that this must be how God feels about me, too. If I was that woman, sitting in that room of self-righteous men who are walking side by side with the perfect Savior every day, I think I would have sunk back into the shadows and maybe even tried to sneak out of the room.

And then I realize that my greater sin is that of not allowing the work of Christ in my life be evident to ALL. I realize that my focus on my sinfulness takes away from the miraculous forgiveness of God, His acceptance of me and His desire for me to love Him fully and worship Him completely. What a selfish act it is for me to think my sin is too great to be forgiven. It is in those times when I hear His voice in my head whispering, “My Kasey....don’t you know you are Mine? Don’t you know I came to forgive ALL sings? Don’t you believe in the life-changing power of redemption?” And then it no longer becomes what people think of me, but what I think of my Savior. And for that, I cannot or will not stand silent. My faith and my actions MUST be evidence of what God has done for me, a far cry from the Proverbs 31 woman but a straight up mirror image of the Luke 7:47 one.