Recieve Grace

Opening

QOTW

Have you ever had an embarrassing moment? If it’s not too personal, what happened?

In today’s Bible story, Jesus was eating dinner when a woman approached Him.

Because of her past, others at the dinner didn’t think she was worthy to be around Jesus.

She had lived a sinful life, and they all knew it.

But Jesus viewed her differently.

The woman decided to go into the dinner because she had heard that Jesus would be there.

Imagine the emotions she must have experienced as she entered a room filled with people who knew her past.

What they didn’t know was the extreme change that had taken place in her life.

The Immoral Woman Gives Extravagantly

Luke 7:36–38 (NIV)

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 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. 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.

One reason we don’t like being embarrassed in a situation like this is it can make us feel shame.

Feeling out of place for whatever reason can be very awkward. But embarrassment often stems from the belief that we don’t belong or did something bad.

Shame comes from the belief that we are bad because of things that happened or just are.

This woman probably felt both embarrassment from her sin and shame because of how people treated her.

Sure, she might have been embarrassed about interrupting a dinner she wasn’t invited to.

But things were no longer the same for her. So, she decided to bring something with her—something that had great value.

Even how the woman is described is a reminder of her shame.

The Bible doesn’t tell us a lot about this woman, other than she was immoral.

We don’t even know her name. What we do know is that she was a sinner. Notice how she came humbly to Jesus despite her sins.

Later in the story, we find out that she has been forgiven, and she’s there in response to that.

Her tears and displays of love were an outpouring from that change.

We should feel emotional when we recognize all that Jesus has forgiven us for.

The change this woman experienced in her life after meeting Jesus had great meaning.

The extreme change in her life, her humility, and her not caring what others thought of her love for Jesus were evident to those watching.

Humility and shame are very different things.

Humility brings you to Jesus, and shame tries to make you hide from Him.

The woman pushed past her own shame.

She understood the forgiveness Jesus had for her. The change inside her resulted in an outward change in her life.

The Pharisee Who Didn’t Really Know

Luke 7:39–46 (NIV)

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.”

Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 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?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

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. 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.

The Pharisee didn’t think the woman was worthy of being with Jesus.

But Jesus used the situation as an opportunity to teach the Pharisee, a Jewish religious leader, something he didn’t understand.

This woman’s beautiful expression of love was the outward sign of the great internal forgiveness she had received.

She was moving forward despite her past.

There are moments like this one when Jesus teaches us through the lives of others.

He may do this through the life of someone from the Bible, or He may teach us through someone in our life.

Either way, He wants us to see how He brings about change in people’s lives to change ours.

He wants to show His depth of love and forgiveness.

One difference was how they connected with Jesus.

The woman came in humility to where Jesus was. She didn’t try to pull Jesus to where she was. She heard He was somewhere, and she went there.

On the other hand, the Pharisee asked Jesus to come to his place, his home. While the Pharisee’s invitation may have been kind, it was certainly the more humble gesture to move to Jesus rather than ask Him to move.

This woman showed humility as she came to Jesus without pride or arrogance.

She saw how Jesus was seated and positioned herself to serve His needs.

Though her past may have left her feeling like others at the meal were judging her, humbly serving Jesus was far more important in that moment.

Her Sins Were Forgiven

Luke 7:47–50 (NIV)

Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

We see here that Jesus knew the woman’s sins.

He stated that her sins were many. The men at the dinner also knew about the woman and her sin, but they had a different reaction from that of Jesus.

They even questioned Jesus and His authority to forgive sin.

We can learn a great deal from this story.

Just like the woman, we can come humbly to Jesus, expressing our love and our need for His mercy.

Jesus knows our sins as well and stands ready to forgive each and every one of them.

This woman needed mercy at some point, and Jesus had offered it.

She just had to receive it.

That started with coming to Jesus despite her shame. If she had never come to Jesus, she would have continued to live in her sin, shame, and guilt.

She might never have experienced God’s love and grace. And we may have never known the story of her kindness to Jesus in response.

Don’t let past sin and shame keep you from pursuing Jesus.

Going to Jesus is the way we receive peace from our past. Trying to hide it or fix it ourself can bring about more anxiety. We may have shame, but there is no shame that Jesus can’t heal. Jesus stands ready to give us mercy when we come to Him with humility.

This woman knew that she needed Jesus. But she didn’t just come to Jesus to get something from Him. She came to give something to Him. She anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume, wiping it up with her hair and her tears. It was more than words. Her actions spoke volumes to Jesus and the people around them.

Salvation Opportunity

Maybe you’re sitting there, struggling to relate to the woman because you haven’t gone to Jesus for forgiveness yet. Now is a great time to do it! Sometimes pursuing Jesus is as simple as saying yes to Him despite the shame that tries to keep us hidden from Him. Jesus’ love for you is bigger than shame. Jesus’ love for you is bigger than your sin. It’s why He died on the Cross for you. He paid the price for every sin, and He desires a relationship with you.

Is anyone here that we can pray for who doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus or wants to renew their relationship with Him?

Listen to God

Take some time to allow students to write down the sins that bring shame and holding them back from running to Jesus

Pray for forgivness

End outside and burn the notes