Extravagant Worship — Meadow Called Grace

Aug 14

Aug 14 Extravagant Worship

Do you ever wonder if you are truly fulfilling your purpose? I was driving in my car the other day thinking to myself how I desperately want to “do something great” for God, whatever that means. And I think sometimes I feel like the only way to do “something great” is to either go into ministry, go on a missions trip, or start some sort of an organization. These things seems to make an impact. These things tell the world about Jesus. Because it feels like what I am doing does not.

But as I was driving thinking those thoughts, the Holy Spirit gently put this story on my heart:

36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. 37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” 40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.” “Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied. 41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. 47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” 50 And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Can you really picture this scene? I like to picture how this happened. It must have been a beautiful scene.

She first had to come to the party and walk over to Jesus. She was a known sinner. The Pharisees wondered why Jesus would allow this “certain immoral woman” to touch him. Can you imagine walking into a room full of people who know your sin and judge you for it? Yet, she went anyway. She could have allowed their criticism to stop her from worshiping Jesus, but she didn’t. As women, we tend to judge other women for their sins and feel like they don’t have a right to be in church or to be worshiping. We act too often like the Pharisees. But this woman knew where she needed to be, where we all need to be: at the feet of Jesus.

She kneels to wash his feet. To kneel before him to acknowledge that she was lesser than He. I can imagine her long beautiful brown hair falling over her face and onto Him as she bent over to kiss His feet. She expressed her gratitude and love for Him. I can feel in my own heart the welling of emotion she must have felt. The overwhelming sense of gratitude that can only be expressed through tears. Words cannot express them. Do you remember the indescribable emotion that came when you, as a sinner, came before Christ, repented, and accepted Him as Lord? Are you still overcome with emotion when you think about the fact that our Savior has removed our shame, not just our sin? When she knelt to anoint Him, maybe she didn’t intend to cry. But her tears spilled out of her eyes onto His feet. Maybe she was embarrassed she was crying on Him. Maybe she was mortified she had got him wet. Have you ever cried on someone’s shoulder to come up for air and realize your snot and tears are all over their shirt?! Our first instinct is to apologize for being so overcome with emotion. Was this her reaction as she used her hair to wipe up her tears? Or, was she so secure in His love it never even crossed her mind?

She then anointed his feet with oil. In the Old Testament, kings were anointed with oil. She acknowledged His kingship, His Lordship, over her life. Becoming a Christian is not just believing that Christ died for us and that our sin is forgiven. It is also making Him Lord of our lives. Yielding to Him and placing our faith IN Him.

To me, the most beautiful part of this whole story is Jesus’ response to her. While the others criticized her for various reasons, Jesus zeros in on the heart of the matter. He reminds us of the importance of extravagant worship. When we truly know God has forgiven us, our hearts overflow with love for our King. He knew her heart. He praised her for her act. He forgave her sin. He lovingly accepted this simple act of worship.

When we come to God and lay at His feet, He accepts our worship. We do not deserve to be there. Like the Pharisees pointed out her sin, who are we to come and anoint the King? We are sinners. But we are believers who want to pay homage to our loving Savior. And so great is His love that he accepts our worship.

As I thought about this passage, I realized: if the only thing I do is worship Jesus the way this woman did then that is the greatest thing I can do. My response to and my worship of Jesus is my testimony. The same story appears in Matthew 26 and Jesus says “And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” Her act of worship was so special that Jesus commended her and it was included in the Gospel message. The single greatest thing I can do is worship Jesus, pour out my love for him. When the disciples criticized the woman for her lavish “waste,” Jesus points out (in Matthew), “the poor we will always have.” Going and doing charitable work is absolutely a part of our ministry as believers, but our purpose in life is to worship Jesus and be in relationship with Him.

I am challenged by this passage to make my worship for my savior more extravagant, more bold. To remember in my day to day life that worshiping my Savior and praising Him continually should be a lifestyle. After all, we are going to spend eternity doing it. Maybe if others see our response to Jesus, they, too, will turn to Him as well. And after all, isn’t that the very point of doing something great for God?