Jesus, Radical
(Devotion by Ros McDonald)
Prayer:
We pray, O God, for every child, for every woman,
for every man, for whom justice, security, and
freedom is but a dream, and we pray for all
who long and work for a better world,
a world where your will is done. Amen.
(from Be our Freedom Lord, ed. Terry Falla)
Read:
Luke 7:36–39 (NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
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.”
Thought for the day:
*In Jesus’ society women were excluded from participation in synagogue worship, restricted to a spectator role, and forbidden to enter the Temple beyond the Court of the Women. A woman was not to touch the Scriptures, lest she defile them. A man was not to talk much with a woman, even his wife. Talk with a woman in public was yet more restrictive.
In the face of his society’s practices, Jesus’ inclusion of women was radical. The story of the anointing of Jesus by a woman “who lived a sinful life” is amazing. She showered her love and gratitude upon Jesus, and he affirmed her and her act. Jesus let this woman touch him in public and express her feelings toward him, causing great consternation among the religious leaders present. (Luke 7:36-50)
Jesus’ ministry was to usher in the Kingdom of God, where all are equal and respected. He treated this woman with love. Spend some time reflecting on the radical actions of Jesus, and notice where your thoughts lead you.
*This information is from the journal Christianity Today
Image: Christ in the house of Simon the Pharisee, Rubens 1577-1640, Vanderbilt Divinity Library