The Uninvited Guest

"...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." Luke 7: 44-46

Last night I shared with the congregation on a thought of "The Uninvited Guest". We see in this passage of scripture that a man, a Pharisee, has invited Jesus into his house for dinner and that as they were sitting and eating a woman came in and began to weep at the feet of Jesus and to wipe her tears off his feet with her hair and then she began to anoint Jesus with perfume. We need to see the two different attitudes that the Pharisee and the woman took upon Jesus.

When we don't see Jesus for who He is, we miss a blessing. There is a quote from Benjamin Whichote that says, "None are so empty as those who are full of themselves." Simon, the Pharisee, was confident of his righteousness; he did not need Jesus, but in Simon's mind, Jesus needed him to help advance His career. Simon did not see his own depravity. By the way, our sin looks so small and insignificant in comparison to the sin of others. Simon's self-righteousness colored his view of the woman, the uninvited guest. Simon saw this woman as one who was not worthy to touch the feet of a great teacher. She was a sinner, likely a prostitute, and Simon felt she was beyond the reach of God's grace. Simon saw Jesus as one who held the sinful at bay if not in utter contempt. He missed grace as it stood in his own home.

When we see Jesus for who He is, we win a victory. The woman had a completely different perspective. She entered Simon's house with tears. Her tears brimmed from a humble recognition of her own sin. While Simon thought Jesus needed him, the woman recognized she needed Jesus! While Simon was consumed with appearances, the woman was oblivious to her surroundings. She didn't care about the crowd; she wanted to experience salvation. Finally, the woman had an accurate view of the Savior. She recognized, or at least she hoped Jesus was merciful. She hoped Jesus would release her from the guilt of sin and offer grace.

Simon saw a teacher who needed a hand; the woman saw a Savior extending a hand. Jesus is there for us when we need a hand. I don't ever want to get to the point that I think God needs me, I have to continuously remind myself that I need God just like this woman did. She needed to be in the presence of Jesus and so do we! Let's not treat Jesus as an uninvited guest, as did this Pharisee to the woman.
(some excerpts from Preaching Magazine)