What makes you long to be near Jesus? Do you desire this nearness when you are ashamed of your sins, or when you feel isolation and loneliness? How about when you feel angry at someone, or you feel hurt or betrayed? What would it take for us to fall at the feet of Jesus? The season of Lent brings Christians opportunity for such contemplation. No matter how broken, no matter how shameful, there is nothing that the love of God in Christ Jesus cannot forgive.
The great difficulty with forgiveness lies with the sinner who can’t find their way to Christ. The proud Pharisee in the text above thought more of his status than that of the woman who bore her sins to Christ and sought God’s grace. 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 yet, we are so quick to decry our neighbor’s behavior. Perhaps doing so relieves us from the burden of admitting our own fault
Still, the fact remains that we need Christ as much as the woman who cried at Jesus’ feet. She showed great love for Jesus and Jesus forgave her completely. Where are we in this story? What is our place at the table? What does it take for us to fall at Jesus’ feet?
Prayer: Have mercy on me, O Lord. Fill me with your grace. Amen.
In the Beginning 