Seeing as Jesus Sees - Luke 7:36-50

There are three distinct characters that play a part in today's Gospel.  There is Simon the Pharisee, a religious leader, who in the story, invites Jesus to his home, but is shown to be inhospitable to him.  There is the unnamed female guest who could be described as the town harlot, who is very contrite for her past actions and is seeking forgiveness.  And then of course there is Jesus.  There are lessons to be learned by looking at all three characters but I'd like to focus on Jesus' vantage point, as we see how he responds to this encounter with both this woman and Simon the Pharisee.  It tells us a lot about Him and a lot about what He wants every one of us to be…

1. Jesus looked beyond her outer appearance and saw her soul.

He saw this woman as no other man did.  Jesus saw her as a "daughter." His relationship with her was pure.  Somehow, this woman could sense the genuineness of Jesus, which was in contrast to how other men in town had seen her, as a mere prostitute.  To others, she was uninvited, unescorted and unwanted.  She comes over to where Jesus was reclining at the dining table, and she began to weep at his feet, and in effect, began to wash them.
 
Her life had been centered around love of the wrong kind, but now, with a changed heart, she responded with a pure humility.  The reminder to us is that Jesus sees us, not as others do, but as one of his children.
 

2. Jesus looked beyond her act and saw her intent.

 
She was filled with repentance, true gratitude and worship.  By contrast Simon's motivation was bourn out of social correctness.  Because of his resistance to Jesus, he was not a good host.  There were certain things that were expected of a host - greeting guests with a kiss, offering a basin of water to wash up, and a towel to dry off. He did none of them.
 
Because of her self-perceived unworthiness, this woman anointed Jesus' feet instead of his head (the normal place to annoint).  Her tears are indicative of her emotion.  Jesus was drawn to, not be offended by, her emotion, because he was concerned about her condition.   This a reminder to us that, through repentance, no matter how far we've fallen, we can be saved.  Jesus wants our devotion and surrender, not correctness.

3. Jesus looked beyond her sin and saw her faith.

The combination of repentance and faith are the recipe for our salvation.  It was her faith that saved her, not her love! When it comes to Christian virtues, love is at the top of the heap, and is the greatest sign of true conversion, but there are those who love but still fall short of salvation.
In Galatians, it says, "The only thing that counts is faith, expressing itself through love." In recent weeks, we've heard readings about the importance of works, but Jesus shows us that we're not saved by works alone, but we are saved by faith that leads to, and results in, works. Simon's behavior should be a reminder to us of our own failings at times as we equate "doing right" with true, faith-filled behavior. Simon "loved little" because his religious life wasn't about his love for God and others. It was really about feeling good about himself. It was a self love.
 

4. Jesus looked beyond her past and saw her future.

 
We read yesterday that the Pharisees and Scribes would murmur to themselves, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them".  Jesus, on the other hand, didn't focus on the woman's past, but looked at her potential.  He sees us all that way.  We should derive confidence from what this says about Jesus' view of all of us, that no matter how much we messed up in the past, he always is here willing to embrace us.  This should also be a warning for us, against judging others, as this woman was by, Simon, and others.
 
So, putting it all together, Jesus: 1) looked beyond her outer appearance and saw her soul, 2) looked beyond her act and saw her intent, 3) looked beyond her sin and saw her faith, and 4) looked beyond her past and saw her future.  Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us look beyond... to move our faith from that which was exhibited by Simon to that which was exhibited by this woman.  Let us ask him to help us to be converted from the proper and correct, to true devotion and surrender.