Luke 7:36-38 (New King James Version)
A Sinful Woman Forgiven
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.
Most of you are familiar with the story referenced in the above scripture of the woman and her alabaster box. It is one woman’s testimony of repentance and forgiveness. Although she is being condemned by the crowd, she presses her way to the power source, Jesus; the one who can deliver, redeem and restore her from the guilt of her past. The pouring out of the expensive oil contained in her alabaster box is symbolic of the hefty price tag of her sins. I use the term expensive because sin can be costly. It can literally rob you of your salvation. Anything that attempts to interfere with your salvation is too high of a cost for you to pay. You simply cannot afford it. Yet still, the woman’s sins were great, just like yours and mine. However no matter the cost, we are reminded that Jesus paid it all. We are forgiven. We are washed white as the snow because of the blood that was shed for us on Calvary by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord!
What’s in your alabaster box? Are you experiencing guilt from the shame of your past mistakes? Do you hold resentment from missed opportunities? Are you wallowing in self-pity because your life didn’t turn out the way YOU thought it should have? Are you lamenting over the man that left you who you thought you loved more than yourself? Are you consumed with grief over the loss of a loved one? Are you suffering from church hurt? Again, my sisters, what’s in your alabaster box?
I encourage you to begin pouring your expensive sins upon the Master’s feet just as the woman in the book of Luke did. As the woman anointed Jesus’ feet, He lovingly looked down at her deepest posture of humility and blessed her for her faithfulness. Jesus forgave her! Jesus freed her from the bondage that had her bound. You see she had heard about Him and the power that He made available to all those that He encountered. The crowd mocked Jesus in ignorance because (they felt) He unknowingly allowed an unclean woman to touch Him. But Jesus specializes in unclean things. He knew exactly who this woman was but more importantly He knew that she belonged to Him. Jesus’ compassion for the least of them continued to be His billboard. He continues to draw all women unto Thee! The Jesus that allowed this woman to wash His feet over 2,000 years ago is the same Jesus that desires for us to wash His feet today with our tear stained sins. So my sisters in order to jumpstart your path to redemption and restoration…start pouring! Bless be the name of the Lord for all of our testimonies!
