Shame and Gratitude
I would be embarrassed if I saw such a display. Yet, though it was clearly passionate, it was not erotic. It was a beautiful and fully proper outpouring of love by a redeemed soul. Slaves were assigned to attend the feet of others, but she washed his feet at her own command. It was an act of desperately joyous humility.
She stood behind him weeping; her eyes had been the inlets and outlets of sin, and now she makes them fountains of tears. Her face is now foul with weeping, which perhaps used to be covered with paints. Her hair now made a towel of, which before had been plaited and adorned. We have reason to think that she had before sorrowed for sin; but, now that she had an opportunity of coming into the presence of Christ, the wound bled afresh and her sorrow was renewed. Note, It well becomes penitents, upon all their approaches to Christ, to renew their godly sorrow and shame for sin, when he is pacified, Eze. 16:63.
Like the woman, unlike Simon, forgiven people love God and God’s people. Those who are forgiven much, love much.
If you have but slightly experienced the forgiveness of God, is that because your sins are slight? Or is the slightness of your experience of forgiveness a reflection of the degree or measure of your repentance? If you have experienced the forgiveness of Christ, in equal measure to the reality of your sin, then you have been forgiven much, because our sins have indeed been many, and so we are candidates to be great lovers of Christ, if we would but experience his forgiveness.