Have you felt the strong desire to be near Jesus? Is this desire stronger when you are ashamed of your sins, when you feel lonely, or perhaps when you are angry, hurt or betrayed? What would it take to fall at the feet of Jesus? No matter how broken your relationships, no matter how shameful your sin, there is nothing that the love of God in Christ Jesus cannot forgive.
The great difficulty with forgiveness lies with the sinner who cannot find his way to Christ. The proud Pharisee, in the text above, thought more of his status than he did of the woman at Jesus’ feet. Her sin was great yet, she laid her sin and shame before her Lord seeking God’s grace. The Pharisee remained blind to her repentance.
Today, too many churchgoers are quick to point out the sins of the many while failing to see the seriousness of their own disobedience. The truth is, we all depend on God’s mercy, and we all are in need of his grace. Our sin is no less shameful than that of another. We are so quick to decry another’s behavior and fail to admit our own fault. We need Christ as much as the woman who cried at Jesus’ feet.
Understanding the example of this woman of the city, can we imagine what it would take for us to fall at the feet of our Lord? She showed so much love for Jesus and Jesus forgave her much. Where are we in this story? What is our place at the table? What does it take for us to fall at Jesus’ feet?
Lord God, give me the will and desire to fall at your feet, confessing my sins and receiving your forgiveness. Amen.
In the Beginning 
Thank you for this wonderful reminder! I think it’s only after I have spent deliberate quality time with the Lord that I feel moved enough to really acknowledge how miserable my situation truly is. To answer bluntly, it takes a LOT to bring me to this. It takes the failure of all the things I reply on until I come to a place where Jesus is my last hope. Sad, but too true.
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