Hosting Jesus...

“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 him and what kind of woman she is – that she is a sinner.’” Luke 7:36-39

Tradition in ancient times was to anoint the forehead of a guest that has come to a person’s home. This was done as a general custom of welcome as well as to give the person who might have traveled some distance a nice smell. The fragrant smell would cover any unsavory smell of the person from the journey. It was also the custom to wash the feet of a guest since back then most of the roads and paths were dirt and would have been very dusty. We are told in this passage that Jesus was invited by the Pharisee, but notice that the host didn’t even display the obligatory offerings as custom in those times. It was the woman, the sinner, who displayed hospitality and humility.

We invite Christ in for fellowship on Sundays much like the Pharisee. We prepare for our time with Him that morning as we prepare for church. We walk through the doors and approach our fellowship time with Him with obligatory worship, worship that is contained within the walls of the church with no sincere ‘washing or pouring of perfume’. Then we depart and during the week we judge, we ignore our Guest and we scoff at others. We become indifferent towards the work of God and our part in ‘hosting Jesus’. There is much to learn from our sinful woman in our study. Notice her process and the example of how we should fellowship with Christ.

She approached – Come to Him with a heart of repentance

She wept – Come to Him with a heart of humility

She dried – Come to Him with a heart of service

She kissed – Come to Him with a heart of love and testimony

She poured – Come to Him with heart of sacrifice

God meets us where we are, not where we think we are going. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8