⁴⁴ 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 bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹ But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:44-49

The woman’s sins “have been” forgiven at some event before she even comes to “see” Jesus. Her response is to come and anoint the feet of Jesus. Her presence can only be explained as an act of love, for she has received a wonderful gift – the gift of the forgiveness of sins, which leads to her salvation. Her sins must have been great – for she has one identity in the community – that of a “sinner”. The Pharisee, instead of rejoicing in the change of heart and the woman’s repentance, the Pharisee confines his thoughts to her former bad character. Instead of seeing a person, he sees one thing – a sinner. We all have some baggage, we all have sins from our lives, from our past decisions and behaviors that haunt us in some degree, manner or form. As such, without the free gift of Grace, none of us can be made right with G-d. We cannot do it ourselves. It is Jesus who has given us this great gift. Therefore, we too should give Jesus great thanks and praise in our lives as well.

Pastor Dave

³⁸ Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.” So David removed them. ⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. ⁴¹ The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. ⁴² When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. ⁴³ The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.” ⁴⁵ But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head;” 1 Samuel 17:38-46

A shepherd named David came from keeping his father’s sheep, when he decided that something needed to be done. He seemed to have had more courage than all the mighty men of Israel. Thus G-d often chooses the least likely person to do great things for G-d, for people, and for the world. Our experiences in this world ought to encourage us to trust in G-d, yet we, like Thomas, often have our doubts. And yet G-d has the power to deliver, has delivered, and will continue to do so. David was not used to heavy armor, the kind Saul put upon him, and so he was not satisfied to go into battle dressed as such. So, with just his wits, and the most simple of weapons, David defeated Goliath, which tells us this victory was from the Lord. Often we think we need “great armor” like more knowledge or more experience before we witness for our faith. David reminds us that sometimes all we need is a willingness to hear the calling and the trust to follow.

Remember, faith, prayer, truth, and righteousness, these are the armor of G-d. When we go forward in faith, use prayer, speak the truth, and act in righteousness, then we know we are battling with the weapons of Christ.

Pastor Dave