Overwhelming Gratitude

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Opening Prayer

Dear Father, before the concerns of this day consume me, I pray for You to direct, control and guide me.

Read LUKE 7:36-50

^[36] When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ^[37] A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ^[38] As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. ^[39] When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “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.” ^[40] Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. ^[41] “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ^[42] Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” ^[43] Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. ^[44] 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. ^[45] You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ^[46] You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ^[47] Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” ^[48] Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ^[49] The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” ^[50] Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Meditate

“Faith, not works, is the basis of our salvation (50). And faith which accepts God’s unmerited forgiveness in Christ issues in a love for him of which the highest human loves are but a pale reflection” (Donald G. Miller).

Think Further

In the media there is a lot of talk about deserving and undeserving people. n our reactions to people we can be too quick to judge what is or is not appropriate behavior. This account is one of those situations. An uninvited guest, a notorious woman, wept as she anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears and an expensive ointment that she had probably paid for from her earnings as a prostitute (38). These actions and Jesus’ acceptance of her attentions were strongly criticized by the evening’s host, Simon, a Pharisee (39). However, she didn’t care what labels she’d been given. All she knew was that the society of the day had deemed her undeserving yet Jesus treated her differently. Her gratitude to him just kept overflowing (44-46), and even while this was happening Jesus controversially spoke forgiveness of sins over her (48).

It is the person regarded as deserving, the morally upright pillar of society, who is strongly criticized by Jesus. Simon’s small-minded, mean welcome to Jesus (44) is contrasted with the woman’s extravagant actions. She knew her need and recognized something special in Jesus, whereas Simon probably had more questionable motives for inviting Jesus to his home. He offered the bare minimum of hospitality, demonstrating his unawareness of how much he, although outwardly respectable, also needed God’s forgiveness.

Luke’s third consecutive story of people regarded as being without privilege–a Gentile, a woman, and a sinner–points again to the radical nature of God’s grace and upside-down kingdom. If we’ve been Christians for some time it’s easy to forget just how remarkable all this is and consequently the importance of expressing gratitude as a daily practice.

Apply

Compose a short prayer of gratitude to God to repeat daily during the week. Then write a new one each week for as long as possible.

Closing prayer

Heavenly Father, forgive me that so often I take Your blessings for granted, rather than with gratitude. Help me to see others as You see them.

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