This past year, I walked through a lot of heavy things with students as a Gracestudents Director, and also with my friends and family. Don\u2019t get me wrong, it\u2019s an honor to be there for others, but I\u2019m feeling the effect of the storms. Like an athlete helping an injured teammate limp off the field, I\u2019m bearing the weight of their pain and feeling the weight of their suffering. This is the beauty and pain of genuine family<\/i>. As followers of Jesus, we are vessels of His love, grace, hope, and truth, especially in tough times (Galatians 6:2).[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” text_align=”left” row_position=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” pointer_events=”all”][vc_column_inner column_padding=”padding-10-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” overflow=”visible” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” enable_animation=”true” animation=”fade-in-from-bottom” animation_easing=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”default” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column_text]\nWith Shaky Hands and a Broken Heart<\/h4>\n
There\u2019s a story in Luke 7 about a sinful woman, who interacted with Jesus in an unconventional way, in a Pharisee\u2019s home. We are not told what her sins were, but I\u2019m sure they were many and she regularly experienced rejection and shame. Pharisees were the religious leaders in Biblical times. They maintained power by enforcing religious laws that were impossible to keep. On the outside, their lives looked good, but their hearts were littered with pride, control, and self-righteousness.<\/p>\n
They were assuming the role of gatekeepers in the kingdom of God \u2013 a role they were never meant to have \u2013 and their misguided leadership hurt many people. It seemed that their focus was on keeping people out of the kingdom of God, not ushering them in.<\/p>\n
But, Jesus was different from the Pharisees and regularly approached sinners. It\u2019s like He was laser focused on the outcasts, the ones who thought they would never be accepted into the family of God. When this woman approached Him, it says in Luke 7:38-39, \u201cAs 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. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, \u201cIf this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is \u2013 that she is a sinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
This woman, so grieved by her sins and pain, didn\u2019t feel worthy to face Jesus. Instead, she knelt at His feet. She was so desperate for healing and a place to belong, but didn\u2019t feel like she deserved it. Imagine the turmoil and pain in her heart. I wonder what happened in her life that led her down a path of despair and destruction. How many times had she been scorned by her peers or other religious leaders? How did she muster up the courage to approach Jesus in a Pharisee\u2019s home of all places? That took guts and I can only imagine how terrified and nervous she was to step foot in his home. With shaky hands and her stomach in knots, she walked in, determined to meet Jesus, praying He was the answer to all her troubles.[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line”][vc_column_text]\n
How many people in our culture today are just like this woman? How many people think they are not worthy to be in the presence of Jesus because of less than favorable interactions with Christians, or misconceptions about how the kingdom of God should function? There are so many people who feel rejected, shamed, and despised by the church, and they struggle to envision the family of God as a place of belonging. Whether they\u2019ve experienced rejection personally, or have heard horror stories from others, they have decided to find sanctuary somewhere else rather than risking the pain again.<\/p>\n
My heart grieves as I write this because I\u2019ve seen this too much in students\u2019 lives. Whether it happened to them personally, or to their peers, they are looking for something different. They need a place to belong and unfortunately they don\u2019t see the church being that safe space.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the posture of the Pharisee, the side comments and snide remarks from people who claim to know Jesus, and the lack of compassion and empathy that have stirred up fear and angst in the hearts of the lost. As Christians who represent Jesus to the world, have we lost focus? Have we become like the Pharisee in Luke 7 who looked down upon the woman washing Jesus\u2019s feet? Are we too focused on keeping people out of God\u2019s Kingdom rather than doing everything we can to invite them in? How can we return to our original purpose? The kingdom of God functions at its best when we know who we are, know our roles, and carry them out in the way God designed.[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line”][vc_column_text]\n
Notice how Jesus responds to the woman and the Pharisee in Luke 7:44-47: \u201cThen He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, \u2018Do 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 \u2013 as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.\u201d<\/p>\n
In front of the very people who probably shamed her, Jesus affirms her. He uses her act of love to show the Pharisees that God\u2019s Kingdom is a place for sinners in need of a Savior just like her. He turns the religious system upside down. The Pharisees, who were following all the rules for years attempting to get closer to God, were no closer to God than the sinful woman. They missed it. And the woman, whom they despised and shamed, was highlighted by Jesus to show them who God is inviting into His kingdom and what the response should be.<\/p>\n
Jesus was near to that woman in that moment because of her humility, desperation, and act of love. The posture of the Pharisees kept them from being near to Jesus. Their pride hindered them from displaying that much passion and vulnerability. Their desire for power, control, and safety prevented them from inviting outcasts into the kingdom of God.<\/p>\n