What the Perfume Could Never Buy
Luke 7:44-47 - Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."
A thank-you gift can look very much like a payment. Someone hands something valuable to another person and from across the room, you might not know the difference. You would have to know what came before it and what was said before it. Transfer this image to Simon’s dining room. A woman has brought ointment and poured out her affection at Jesus’ feet. She’s\ given something costly. But what is she doing? Is she trying to purchase something, or is she responding to mercy? Jesus just told a story in which a creditor cancels two debts. The cancellation comes first. The debtors’ love follows. That order helps us understand the woman. Her devotion reveals what forgiveness produces in a human heart.
When Jesus says she loved much, He’s pointing to the evidence in front of Simon. And at the end of the encounter, He’ll tell her that her faith has saved her. See, the perfume could never buy what she received from Him. Think about how patiently Jesus describes her actions. He notices the tears and He notices the kisses. What Simon regards with suspicion, Jesus receives as love. Her gratitude matters to Him.
We can miss that tenderness when we read the passage only as a warning against being like Simon. Here’s the Son of God receiving the affection of someone other people have dismissed. He knows her sins are many, yet He also sees what His mercy has made possible in her. And He is worthy of that affection! At the cross, He’ll give far more than she could ever bring to this table. He’ll bear her judgment and His resurrection will establish that the Savior in whom she trusts has conquered death. She is loved by One whose generosity she could spend a lifetime discovering!
At Bayside, a Joyful Worshipper says, “I glorify God by delighting in Who He is and what He does.” We learn that delight as we become acquainted with this Jesus. The more clearly we see His mercy, the more there is to love. Perhaps your devotion has begun to feel like an invoice. You’ve prayed, served, and given, but somewhere beneath it all is the hope that you’ve finally done enough to keep God pleased with you. Even worship can become exhausting when we use it to secure a love Christ has already shown us. But you can set that calculation down. In Christ, the Father’s welcome rests on the Son’s finished work! Your gratitude is free to become gratitude again. It can be quiet. It can arrive slowly. And it doesn’t need to resemble this woman’s tears to be real.
Remember one mercy you’ve received. Forgiveness for something you couldn’t undo. Patience while you were learning to listen. The promise that Christ will never abandon you. Stay with that kindness long enough to remember who gave it. Jesus receives the love His mercy awakens. Nothing you bring can purchase Him, but what you bring in gratitude is precious to Him. Your gratitude answers a mercy it could never buy.
Head: My love for Jesus grows from receiving His mercy.
Heart: Have I been bringing God my devotion as gratitude or as a way to make myself acceptable?
Hands: Remember one specific mercy from Christ. Respond with a few unhurried words of thanks, or sing a song whose words help you express that gratitude.
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, thank You for giving me what my best efforts could never purchase. Help me see the kindness I’ve hurried past or begun to take for granted. Free my worship from the fear that I must earn Your welcome and receive the gratitude Your mercy is awakening in me today. I love You. Amen.”
-PK