In Luke 7, Simon, a Pharisee, invites Jesus into his house for supper. In that time, part of the first-century Middle Eastern etiquette there were 3 things that were expected, even mandatory.
1. You would greet your guest with a kiss on the cheek out of respect. If they were an honored guest you would kiss their hand showing an even higher respect.
2. You would provide a wash basin for your guest to wash their feet, or have one of your servants wash their feet. This was mandatory no matter the person. If they were an honored guest, you would wash their feet yourself, showing respect.
3. You would provide olive oil for anointing your guests head. Olive oil wasn't an expensive oil, but was mandatory especially when you had a distinguished guest.
Simon had studied the Scriptures for years. By the time he was 12 he had the first 12 books of the bible memorized. By the time he was 15 he had the entire Old Testament memorized. Simon knew a lot about Jesus, but did not know Jesus. He was a fan. He knew Jesus's stats, all the facts about Him, without knowing HIM. He had a lot of knowledge of Christ. Head knowledge.
Fans have a tendency to confuse their knowledge for intimacy.
The problem isn't knowledge. The problem is that you can have knowledge without having intimacy. Clearly where there is intimacy there should be a growing knowledge, but far too often there is a knowledge without a growing intimacy.
The woman in Luke 7 who comes to Jesus's feet crying and washing them was a prostitute. Simon calls her a 'sinner' when she walks in the courtyard. The gasps she must have gotten when she entered. The awful looks of disgust she must have gotten. Yet, she did not care. Jesus was her focus and she did not turn to her left or to her right to see what others thought of her. She was headed to Jesus and nothing they did could stop her.
What she did, what she went through to get into Simon's courtyard to see Jesus and then what she did for Him was reckless, impulsive, it's inappropriate, and exactly the kind of follower Jesus wants.
In that time, women wore their hair up in public. Letting their hair down in front of a man was such an intimate expression that it was literally grounds for divorce.
The perfume in the flask around her neck was used one drop at a time. When she cried, she saw her tears making streams in the dirt on His feet. She poured the entire bottle on His feet, she probably didn't dare ask for a towel from the people who scorned her, so she used her hair to dry His feet. She did not see her perfume as being wasted, she did not care what others thought of her or what might happen to her for coming in uninvited to a Pharisee's house.
She was a follower of Jesus. No matter the cost, she would honor and bless Jesus with everything she had.
"Then He (Jesus) turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with fragrant oil." Luke 7:44-46.
In the end, the religious leader with all the knowledge is the fan. And the prostitute who intimately expressed her love for Jesus is shown to be the follower.
Have you had a moment with Jesus like this women in Luke 7? When's the last time you've poured yourself out before Him? When was the last time the tears streamed down your face as you expressed your love for Him? When is the last time you demonstrated your love for Him with reckless abandonment?
.....Just some thoughts I had this evening....
