This past Sunday at Encounter, we heard a message about the
sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet,
as told in Luke 7. We also witnessed the baptism of baby Jack. While at first
glance these are seemingly unrelated events, I think there’s more of a connection here
than we may realize.
The “sinful
woman,” who was likely a prostitute, was not an invited guest to the
gathering Jesus was at. She had come in from the streets, standing along the edges of the room—and
then, anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears and with perfume. This, a woman on
the margins of society, paid honor to Jesus and treated him as he deserved.
Meanwhile, the owner
of the house was a Pharisee, highly regarded in the religious community. This
was a guy who had it all together. He knew all the rules, knew how to follow the religious laws
and customs to the letter. While the Bible tells us what he said to himself as the woman began to wash Jesus' feet, it doesn’t tell us how he looked at the
woman. Considering his thoughts were, “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," I think we can imagine what his face might have looked like. Disgust and shock that she would dare do
such a thing, and perhaps embarrassment that this was occurring at his gathering.
Whatever his facial expressions were as this took place, I doubt they were
friendly ones.
And yet, the story
concludes with Jesus telling the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in
peace.”
For all his good
behavior, the woman understood something he did not: Redemption doesn’t start
with behavior. It starts with grace.
This sinful woman had
done nothing to earn a good word from Jesus, and in fact had done many things
that, in the eyes of the religious leaders of that day, should have
disqualified her from God’s love. But Jesus shows that all the good deeds in
the world would never be enough to save anyone.
At Encounter, most of the time when we have baptisms, they’re
for babies. And each time, Pastor Dirk or Pastor Bryan tells us that it is a
sign of God having the first word in our lives. When we see babies baptized, it’s
a reminder that it is not within our power to earn God’s grace. It’s not a gift
to be worked for; it’s a gift that can only be received. I think both the story
of the sinful woman and the baptism of baby Jack are reminders that redemption
doesn’t start with us or depend on what we can do for God, but on what God has
done for us.
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