Jesus had been invited to the home of one of the religious leaders, a Pharisees named Simon for a meal. Simon wanted to test him.
Just after Jesus had taken His place at the table, a woman burst in. She obviously hadn’t been invited. The scripture said: “When a certain immoral woman from that city heard [Jesus] was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.” (Luke 7:37-38, NLT)
Notice what Jesus didn’t do here. Although she was labeled as immoral woman, Jesus didn’t send her away. Although she was quite rude, Jesus didn’t reject her. Although she was obviously a sinner, Jesus didn’t ask her to repent or to confess (her actions said it all!). Although she was too open to do all the above in public, Jesus didn’t tell her to meet him later in private – He wanted everyone publicly to see, to hear and to learn.
Notice how Simon responds to all these in his heart: “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” (Luke 7:39) Jesus, knowing what was in Simon’s heart, told him a parable to explain what was happening. The parable: A man was owed money by two others. One owed ten times as much as the other. Neither could pay, so the man let them off.
Then Jesus asked Simon this question, “Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt” (Luke 7:42-43). After that obvious answer, Jesus then launched into a firm but compassionate rebuke to Simon for not doing to him any of the things that he suppose to do for Jesus that the woman had done. Jesus said the woman tears, her hair and her perfume were proof of her grateful heart and love for him. Her love was so evidence that she don’t have to say a word to express her believes that Jesus can forgive her sins (this is faith). Therefore, she showed much love.
Jesus didn’t tolerate her sin here. Jesus didn’t deny her many sin. He acknowledged that the woman’s sins were many, but insisted that they had all been forgiven. Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48). And as you know, those who don’t understand what real forgiveness is – will out burst into an outrage! They are like the people there who talked among themselves: “Who is this man that he goes around forgiving sins?” (7:49)
Like many religious people today, the people who heard Jesus said – “Your sins are forgiven” – were angry and doubtful that Jesus claimed the authority to forgive sins (which they believed belonged only to God. And there are right!). They were angry because Jesus had offered the immoral woman (not them) as an example of love toward God. They didn’t realize that Jesus was their God present in person – the forgiving God. Jesus Christ is the Son of God who comes to them as the Son of Man to receive sinners into the Kingdom of God and to restore their broken relationship with Him.
Do you know why she was so broken and yet gratefully welcomed Jesus?
Do you know how this woman’s sins were forgiven?
Do you realize that you can do the same too?
Jesus said to her (and maybe to you):
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50, NLT)
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50, NLT)
THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.
Reading "a Religious Leader (jesus) and a Sinful Woman" reminds me about;
ReplyDelete-> PROPHET MUHAMMAD & THE BLIND JEWISH BEGGAR.
In the corner of the marketplace of Madinah, was a blind Jewish beggar, who would cry out daily to all those who came near him,
"O my brothers, don't go near Muhammad!
He's a lunatic, he's a liar, a sorcerer!
If you are to be close to him, you will be influenced by him!"
The news about the blind Jewish beggar's daily cursing and badmouthing came to the knowledge of the Prophet Muhammad. Even then, the Prophet Muhammad didn’t get angry, he just carried on ignoring the blind Jewish beggar's insults against himself. Suddenly, the Prophet Muhammad started visiting the blind beggar to feed him with his own hand - without saying a single word. He did this each morning.
The blind beggar would chew the food being fed to him and eat contentedly. Once he was full, he'd express his gratitude without knowing that the one who had fed him was the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet Muhammad continued to feed the blind beggar without fail each day until the day he died.
Throughout his service to the blind beggar, he never identified himself to the blind Jewish beggar. After the Prophet Muhammad had passed away, no one brought food to the blind beggar anymore!
One day, the closest Companion of the Prophet Muhammad, Saiyidina Abu Bakar As Siddiq visited the home of his daughter, Saiyidatina Aishah, the widow of the Blessed Messenger (SAW).
Abu Bakar asked Aishah,
"O my child, is there any habit of my beloved (Prophet) that I have yet to carry on?"
Aisyah replied,
"Dear Father, you are verily a follower of the Sunnah (Habits) of the Prophet and there is none that you have yet to do except for one deed only!"
" What is that?" asked Abu Bakar.
"Every morning, the Prophet of Allah would go to the end of the marketplace, bringing food to a blind old Jewish beggar who lives there and feed him by his hand," said Aishah.
The next day, Abu Bakar As Siddiq went to the marketplace with food for the blind beggar. Abu Bakar As Siddiq approached the beggar and started to feed him.
At the first handfull of food being fed to him, the blind Jewish beggar became angry and shouted out, "Who are you?"
Abu Bakar answered "I am the one who usually feeds you every morning".
"No!... Don't you lie to me!" objected the blind beggar.
Abu Bakar was shocked, thus he asked "Why do you say so?"
The blind Jewish beggar answered, "Because when he comes to me, I always feel it’s easy to hold his hand and find it easy to chew the food he feeds me… The man who used to feed me would makes the food fine before feeding it to me!"
Abu Bakar As Siddiq could not hold back his tears anymore and burst out crying. He had to disclose who he actually was to the beggar. "Verily, I am not the one who used to come and feed you. I am one of his Companions for the noble one is alive no more! He was none other than the Prophet Muhammad"
"Muhammad?" asked the blind old Jewish beggar, totally shocked with what he had just heard. "You mean to tell me that the one who came each morning without fail and fed me by his hand was Muhammad?" asked the beggar.
"Yes! It was Muhammad!" answered Abu Bakar.
Immediately, the blind old Jewish beggar wailed out in despair and cried so pitifully coming to realise that it was none other than the Holy Prophet who had been feeding him all this while.
"All this time!...all this time, I had been cursing him, I had been slandering him! Not once did he ever scold me! He kept coming every morning to feed me! He was so noble!.." cried the old blind Jewish beggar as he wiped away his flowing tears on his cheeks.
The blind beggar reached out to Saiyidina Abu Bakar As Siddiq, and testified:
Muhammad is the true messenger & There is No God but Allah..
Errr.... good deed doer. Good for Muhammad and the begger. But just that - good doer. Nothing special about it. Mother Teresa does more than that. Way more. There are a live documents about her but Muhammad is just a story... historically not proven... could be a made-up story.
DeleteBut Jesus! Oh, Jesus healed the blind (and let the blind fed himself)
Jesus also died... but Lo and behold - Jesus is alive forever more! :)
Jesus is Lord; Muhammad Not.
There is no God but Abba Father, and Jesus Christ His Son. Amen.