Jesus anointed by the woman and Judas betrays him.
Luke 7 calls her a ‘sinful woman’. Jesus is having dinner with Pharisees and his disciples. The sinful woman isn’t invited.
I sat with a ‘sinful woman’ today. Where I work, we encounter people in crisis more often than not. She was in crisis. She has a past that she can’t shake. She’s made mistakes that overwhelm her still. She’s been in relationships that have ended the relationship with her family and her children. She’s been abused and mistreated. Today, she was a mess. But I thank God for her mess.
The mess of the woman on Luke is her life. Her fragrance, the ointment she poured out, was the symbol of her life. Scholars tend towards the idea that this woman was a prostitute and the fragrance was a part of the trade. The audacity of her, this kind of woman, to make herself known in the presence of men?! What is she thinking? Then the waste of something so expensive…not to mention the reputation of the fragrance! “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…” “Then he turned toward 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—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
Jesus allowed himself to smell like her mess. To be associated with the ‘sinner’. To be blessed and lavished on, by a ‘sinner’. She had been forgiven much and loved much in return. The guys in the room didn’t get it. They made comments about the philanthropic usage of the ointment sold. We could have. We should have. But the poor, Jesus! That wasn’t what they were angry about. It was the fact that space was given to this type of woman…this type of sinner. He gave her space to worship. He allowed her time and dignity. He treated her ‘other than’ (surprisingly)she had always been and even expected. How dare Jesus do this? Now, he would smell like her and her trade. During his ministry, people would smell that smell. What would they think? How would they interpret this? He’s ruining himself! We can’t be associated with him… so for 30 pieces of silver…
And that’s the point. Jesus would rather smell like this woman and love her than push her away. Regardless of association, criticism, and disgust. Jesus did it. He allowed her ‘mess’ to be wasted on him. And it is quite possibly the most beautiful story in the gospels. “Wherever my story is told, so shall hers be.” Her story is intertwined with Christ’s. Christ will forever be associated with her mess. Her life. Her worship. Her determination and love.
As I sat with my ‘sinful woman’ today and talked to her, I thanked God for her mess and for her. All of her past, her drug usage, her relationships, her failures, all of her brokenness. I had the blessing of sitting with her in all of it today. I had the opportunity to be anointed with her fragrance and smell like her for a little bit. It’s my prayer to smell like those I serve every day as they worship Jesus the best they know how in their moments of crisis. The truth is, we are all these women. We all have our fragrance. We all have our mess… Jesus loves it. And man, does he love us.
Photograph- ‘Anointing’ by David LaChapelle, 2003 Chromogenic Print.

Comentarios