August 14, 2025; Luke 7:36-50

Daily Dose of Hope

August 14, 2025

Scripture – Luke 7:36-50

Prayer: Holy God, We come before you today distracted and with scattered thoughts.  Help us focus, Lord, on you and your Word.  Help us, in the next few moments, to be silent, still, and remember that you are God...Thank you, Lord, for your care and concern for our lives.  Thank you for how you show up in amazing and unexpected ways!  We give you glory, Lord Jesus.  In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Happy Thursday!  Today, we finish up Luke 7.

In today’s reading, Simon the Pharisee and the forgiven woman illustrate two different reactions to Jesus. Simon sees Jesus as merely another teacher not even worthy of common courtesy.  He has invited Jesus to dine in his home, but he has not shown the typical forms of hospitality appropriate for an honored guest.  There is no water to wash feet and no kiss of welcome.

The woman, on the other hand, has a radical reaction to Jesus. She reacts with great sacrifice (pouring out the expensive perfume), and undignified affection (wiping his feet with her hair). The woman’s reaction flows out of her profound recognition of Jesus forgiveness of her great debt. She is so very, very thankful.  While she is a sinful woman in that area, we don’t have any information about her past.  Most scholars believe that this woman was NOT Mary Magdalene, nor is she a prostitute.  What’s interesting is that Jesus refuses to play into Simon’s judgment of her.  Jesus looks at her with compassion and even possibly appreciation.  She is showing extreme hospitality and generosity, exactly what Simon did not do.

Note that in Luke’s version of this story, Jesus can read Simon’s unspoken thoughts about Jesus and the woman.  Simon thinks to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”  So Jesus has an interesting interaction with Simon, directly confronting his thought.  He speaks to Simon about how those who are forgiven much are more thankful and those who feel like they don’t need much forgiveness are less grateful for what God has done for them.  Of course, Simon’s reaction comes from the fact that he does not believe he needs much forgiveness (i.e. he believes his debt is small). And he believes that all he has, all he has done, comes from his own effort. He’s good. He’s self-reliant. He might need God but only a little bit.

One of the greatest obstacles to being changed by God is not recognizing our own weaknesses, our own sins, and our own need for inner transformation. But when we recognize how much God has done for us, when we truly understand how much God loves us, how he has forgiven us totally, how all we have comes from him, then and only then do we experience the kind of gratitude and thanksgiving that this woman is demonstrating.

Pretend you were at the banquet, standing along the wall observing. What would your thoughts be about her behavior? What would you want to say to this woman?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki