Thursday, March 26, 2015

Thinking About the Sinful Woman

"Then Jesus said to the woman, 'Your sins are forgiven.'  The men at the table said among themselves, 'Who does this man think he is going around forgiving sins?'  And Jesus said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in peace.'"  Luke 7:48-50

Oh, how she must have felt hearing those words spoken by the Lord!  A rush of gratitude unmeasurable by words!  Her heart must have nearly burst with joy & love; after all, she was already so overwhelmed with emotion that she was able to wash his feet with her tears!

As we ponder the last "bad girl" in the book, let the scene in the verses above fully form in your mind.  Do you hear the not-so-quiet murmurings of the men as her weeping subsides?  Can you see them pointing and rolling their eyes?  Breath in the scent of your favorite perfume as it fills the room, covering the man-smell and the half eaten meal as it lingers on your tongue.  I like to imagine that, as Jesus told the parable of the two men who owed money, Simon and his guests grew silent in anticipation, expecting Jesus to reprimand this sinful woman.  A look of indignation crosses Simon's face as Jesus points out his utter lack of common courtesies compared to this woman's total devotion.  And then - a rumble of commotion as Jesus forgives her sins and pronounces that her faith has saved her, bidding her go in peace.  
Note: the NLT Study Bible says that "the Pharisees believed that only God could forgive sins.  They did not grasp the fact that Jesus was indeed God."  Simon was a Pharisee, and I'd imagine so were several of the guests, though it doesn't say that explicitly.  I surmised that from verse 36, "When the Pharisee who was the host...", implying that there was more than one Pharisee in attendance.

Now, who knows how it all actually unfolded; perhaps there were people in the crowd who were changed by what they witnessed.  I'd like to think that there were.  As a reader of the story, we can count ourselves as one of the crowd - a witness to this sinful woman's actions of faith & worship.  And of Jesus' mercy, kindness, and forgiveness.  How will what happened here change you?  How does it effect your life as you move forward along the path God has laid out for you?  

Think in ink as you read the Study Guide questions in the back of the book.  These are some great questions to really sink your teeth into.  Ms. Higgs asks us to dig deep, guiding us to Scripture for support and answers.  For those who will be meeting on Friday morning, we are going to discuss each of these questions.  That's how much I like them!  If you're doing the study with us entirely through the blog, be sure to spend time on each of the questions, reading the verses and putting pen to paper to explore your thoughts.  Anyone can read the Bible and skim the questions, but when we consume the word of the Lord, it changes us.

I can't wait to read what you think about The Sinful Woman!  Click here to go to the blog to share your comments, revelations, and reactions.  What is the most important lesson you learned from this forgiven "bad girl".

Your Partner in Ministry,

Shelly
warrior

"Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body."  Proverbs 16:24




1 comment:

Shelly said...

Thank you Lisa N for sharing this song with me! It speaks to the Sinful Woman in all of us (women & men). I've heard it said that in singing we pray twice. There is nothing quite like combining our words with beautiful music - it's moving on a deeper level. Click the link to listen to Rend Collective's "Alabaster".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YILseGtYVVE&app=desktop