Anointing Jesus

Knowing Jesus as Son of God and knowing where he brought you from brings forth the most precious valuable worship

Luke 7:36-50

vs. 36 – Jesus invited to a Pharisee’s house for dinner, not to imply that they approved of him because they did not!

Only Luke tells us that Jesus actually shared a meal with Pharisees, every time Jesus did there was an incident that took place to offend them.

Luke 11:37-53…the Pharisee was surprised that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.  Jesus then goes on a 15-minute tirade against the Pharisees, saying things like,

“Necios, ¿el que hizo lo de fuera, no hizo también lo de dentro?  Empero de lo que os resta, dad limosna; y he aquí todo os será limpio.  Más ¡ay de vosotros, Fariseos! Que diezmáis la menta, y la ruda, y toda hortliza; mas el juicio y la caridad de Dios pasáis de largo. Pues estas cosas era necesario hacer, y no dejar las otras.  ¡Ay de vosotros, Fariseos! Que amáis las primeras sillas en las sinagogas, y las salutaciones en las plazas.  ¡Ay de vosotros, escribas y Fariseos, hipócritas! Que sois como sepulcros que no se ven, y los hombres que andan encima no lo saben.”

Then Jesus got up from the meal and went his way and the Pharisees were so angry that they began to fiercely oppose him at every opportunity.

Jesus was confronting a religious spirit.  What is a religious spirit?

·        the word Pharisee means, “separate” or “Don’t get close to sinners!”

·        points out faults, but unwilling to help

·        outwardly clean, but inwardly filthy

·        unforgiving and judgmental

·        unwilling to follow or yield to what God is doing simply because it is not “traditional”

This is the kind of spirit that Jesus hates!  If a religious spirit is in you in any shape or form, it will be confronted for it must be renounced.

            They “reclined at the table.”

vs. 37 – “and look a woman…”  She was a “well-known sinner” in that city.  This woman had a huge reputation and was publicly known as a sinner.  Her actions that day in the house of a Pharisee have even more dramatic impact if “sinner” means prostitute!  There were surely a lot of opinions about her, negative opinions, especially from the other guests.

            We can tell by her actions that she must have had a prior experience of forgiveness with Jesus.  And when she heard that Jesus was over the Pharisee’s house, she brought with her the alabaster box of oil.  We can assume that she desired to come to express gratitude to Jesus for what he had done for her by anointing his head with the oil.

            The woman walks in on a banquet!  Life was more public then, so this is not surprising.  People often gathered outside to watch banquets like this one at the house of Simon the Pharisee.

            There’s one problem - Jesus was reclining at the table, lying down with his head up near the table and his feet away from the table, leaving his feet as the most accessible.

vs. 38 – To the amazement and shock of all who looked on, the woman with the sordid past begins to weep.  Tears of affection and gratitude toward Jesus overflow.  The woman didn’t plan to react this way.  Should she ask for some tissues or a towel?  No, this is very meaningful for her.  She begins to wash his feet with her tears and then dries the feet of Jesus with her hair, making them clean from the dust from his journey.  She had no access to his head, so she anointed his feet; the beautiful aroma of the perfume filled that place.

I can hear her speaking to those who looked on, “You don’t know how low I was.  You don’t know how dirty I felt before Jesus came and found me.  You weren’t there when he spoke healing into my hurting soul and removed the deep anguish that I had felt for so long.  In one moment, he removed my shame and wiped clean my past.  Jesus gave me a new beginning and a new reason for living.  I came to pour my praise on him!  You may not like it, but I am not ashamed.  I came to express my thanks to him and worship him.”

vs. 39 – Jesus does not correct or stop her.  He was not concerned with what other people thought.  His silence and inaction bring forth a reaction from his host.  Simon the Pharisee says to himself, “If this man really was a prophet, he would have known what kind of woman this is who touched him.”  Then he pronounced judgment on the woman, “for she is a sinner.”

            Simon assumed that a prophet would keep the same respectable distance as Simon himself would from a sinner.  Jesus is a friend of sinners!  He said, “I have come to seek and to save what was lost” Luke 19:10.

            The Pharisee was expecting Jesus to rebuke the woman and stop her actions only to find out that Jesus knows his thoughts.

vs. 40 – “Jesus answered him and said unto him,”

            Jesus answers his thoughts with a parable.  Simon smells a trap but goes with it.

vs. 41 – ordinary people, working in the fields would make one denarius a day.

vs. 42 – In the story there are different degrees of debt.  Both have the inability to repay.  Both are completely forgiven.  Jesus is saying to the unforgiving Pharisee that God, the creditor, with unlimited mercy to pardon, is forgiving debts no matter how high and no matter how offensive or bad.  Earlier Jesus said, “Blessed is the one who doesn’t fall away because of me” or “because of who I hang around with.”

To Simon he is saying, “Can’t you see the great change that is taking place in this woman by how greatly she loves because she has been forgiven of much?”

A religious spirit will always view you by what you were.  The Lord sees you by what you are now by mercy and what you are becoming by grace!

vs. 43 – The Pharisee answers half-heartedly because he is skeptical, yet Jesus commends his answer. 

vs. 44 – Simon is not being portrayed as someone who is inhospitable or impolite.  His behavior toward Jesus was correct – but only correct!  Simon with his narrow religious thinking was not impressed with Jesus at all.  He gave the minimum attention and care to him.  Where was the affection and gratitude that went beyond politeness?  The woman whom he despised was actually the better host!

So many are sitting in churches today having no real prior experience with the compassion of Jesus.  You have to experience Jesus.  Oh that you would have a revelation of who Jesus is and then let him into your life to minister forgiveness! 

vs. 45 – the kiss of greeting was not mandatory.

vs. 46 – the anointing of the head was not necessarily expected, which is precisely the point.  The woman went beyond respectability to lavish worship upon Jesus. 

vs. 47 – Her overflowing love and gratitude as expressed through her tears, wiping his feet with her hair, and the anointing of his feet with anointing perfume, prove and clearly indicate that she was forgiven and forgiven of much, for she loved much.

vs. 50 – “Your faith has saved you!”  The nine lepers broke faith.  They were cleansed.  Only one returned to make a personal declaration. The Bible says that that leper turned back and with a loud voice, gave glory to God.  Jesus asked him, “Where are the other nine?  Go.  Your faith has made you whole.”  This one went cleansed and whole.

There is no such thing as an anonymous Christian!  The woman returned and declared herself and was made whole.  She went her way restored and with no guilt.

It is time to make a declaration today.

Pour out your praise on him and let the fragrance of worship fill this room.