The Sinful Woman
I Beg Your Pardon
What lessons can we learn from the sinful woman?
People will talk, no matter what we do.
How often we get derailed by snide sidebar conversations and pointedly rude comments. When she was steeped in sin, the woman’s nosy neighbors whispered about that. When she sacrificed herself in worship, they tsk-tsked about that. When Jesus forgave her sins, their tongues wagged about that. Let’s forget trying to squelch gossips with words; they’re masters of that media. The best way to zip their lips is simply to turn away from the noise and focus our eyes and ears on the One whose opinion really matters.
Someone read 1 Thessalonians 2:4
The Pharisees thought they were the good guys.
We think of Pharisees as ancient hypocrites, religious jerks, or worse. The truth is, they were the righteous men of their day, avoiding sin and proclaiming God’s Word. Simon called Jesus “teacher” invited him to supper, and sat by Jesus’ side, willing to be taught. What Simon wasn’t willing to do was humble himself and worship Christ as the sinful woman did. Before we’re too hard on old “Simon says she’s a sinner,” we need to look in the mirror. Those of us who’ve been involved in church for a while may appear a tad “simon-ized” ourselves.
Someone read: Mark 10:18
Silence speaks volumes.
This woman didn’t vocalize anything let alone her need for forgiveness. She never even moved her lips except to kiss her Savior. Jesus can discern our thoughts and read our intentions as if we each were a well-worn book. Yes, putting words to our deepest thoughts has great value, both for us and for others. Public confession and testimony work best with words. But when we’re talking to Jesus directly, as she was, we can hear better when we’re listening in silence and worshiping...not talking.
Someone read: Habakkuk 2:20
Thoughts Worth Considering
1. Have you ever been too overwhelmed to speak and found yourself weeping instead? How did that make you feel? Weak? Embarrassed? Relieved? Cleansed? What do you imagine brought this sinful woman to tears?
2. She took down her hair as an expression of worship. What motivates people to break the bonds of convention and “let down their hair” in seeking to worship the Lord? Think of some biblical examples of variety and creativity in worship. Have you participated in something similar? What was the result. How would we know if our worship is to God?
3.What’s the most important lesson learned for this sinful but forgiven women?
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