by Jacob Ninan
You may be familiar with the story of a woman who anointed Jesus with a bottle of perfume. The four gospel writers give different details of the account, but if we put all these details together, we would be able to get a better picture. This is what I have understood.
The name of the woman was Mary, and she was the sister of Martha and Lazarus (whom Jesus raised from the dead), and they all lived in Bethany. She used to have a bad reputation in the city as a sinner. She met Jesus somewhere and He forgave her all her sins. One day Jesus and His disciples were invited for dinner at the house of Simon who was a Pharisee. This Simon used to be a leper, and we can guess that Jesus had healed him (because otherwise lepers could not mix with other people), and perhaps that was why he had invited Jesus for dinner. While Jesus was there at the dinner, Mary came there with a vial of an expensive perfume called nard, stood behind Jesus and poured it on His head. Afterwards, she knelt down, and poured the rest of the perfume on His feet too. She was crying so profusely that her tears wet Jesus' feet, and Mary began to wipe His feet with her hair and kiss His feet.
There were two different reactions we note there. Simon, being a Pharisee, was wondering how it was that Jesus did not seem to know who was touching Him, because she was a sinner. Judas Iscariot, and some other disciples, were grumbling about Mary wasting such a lot of money like this which could have been given to the poor. Jesus told Judas that she was actually anointing Him for His burial. What He told Simon the Pharisee is what I want to look at now.
And Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he replied, "Say it, Teacher." "A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?" Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly." Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." Then He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven" (Lk.7:40-48).
We don't know what exactly Mary's sins were. But we know that there were many, and she was known for them in the city. One of the things we can learn from here is that God is able to forgive the worst of sinners. Some people think that their sins are too bad for even God to forgive. That is because they don't know God well enough. He does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to repent and receive eternal life (Jn.3:16). Jesus has died for the sins of the whole world (1Jn.2:2).
When Jesus forgave Mary her sins, all the record of her sins was washed away, and in God's eyes she became a 'saint', just as if she had not sinned. When God forgives our sins, He credits to our account the sinless righteousness of Jesus, and that is how He looks at our account.
God not only forgives our sins, but also begins to change every part of our attitudes, thinking and behaviour, so that we can become more and more like Him. Mary gave up her sinful life, and she began to experience God's transforming work in her life. Now she became so taken up with sitting at the feet of Jesus, and listening to every word He had to say. Her gratitude to Him for forgiving her and accepting her whom society had ostracised so much from her heart that she poured out for Him the most expensive thing she had in her life.
How shall we show our gratitude to God who has forgiven us and to Jesus who has given His life for us? "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf" (2Cor.5:14,15). If we truly love God and are grateful to Him for what He has done for us, the right response must be that we no longer live for ourselves but for Him. When the apostle Paul saw the love of God for him, he understood that it was no longer for him to live as he liked, but to let Christ have the lordship in his life (Gal.2:20).
It will be good for us to take time and do an honest introspection. How is it in the deepest parts of our heart, mind, attitudes and goals? What are the things that are important in our life?
Have we seen the holiness of God? He is described as being 'light' through and through with absolutely no trace of darkness in Him at all (1Jn.1:5). If He were to look at us as we are naturally, what would He see except so much of darkness in every area of our life? Yet He has paid a ransom for us to redeem us from the kingdom of darkness and to place us in the kingdom of light.
What do we think about the level of our righteousness as God sees it? "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away" (Isa.64:6). We can only try to imagine how unclean we would look in His sight. Even what we consider as our righteous deeds are so tainted with our sinful nature – our self-seeking, secret agendas, looking for honour, looking down on others, unforgiving attitudes, lack of mercy and patience, etc. – that by God's standards they are filthy. Yet God has chosen to wash us and accept us.
Have we seen ourselves like this, recognised all the sins we have done in our life, and repented honestly and sincerely before God? Remember, there is nothing we can hide from God's eyes or justify before Him. He knows even the thoughts and intentions of our heart (Heb.4:13). Jesus said that anything we might try to cover up would get exposed one day (Lk.12:2). Have we cried out to God for help so that we will be able to stop doing those same sins again? And, have we understood the value of forgiveness and acceptance that God has given to us?
Finally, if we believe we have been forgiven and accepted by God, is our life crucified with Christ now? Is our heart bent on doing His will in every respect and unwilling to continue to please ourselves? If not, don't assume or take for granted that you are a Christian. You have not even understood the Gospel.