Luke 7: 50 Down On the Floor

Luke 7:50 - And he said to the woman, "Go in peace."

What is happening in this scripture? - This is from Luke 7. These are the words Jesus spoke to the woman who had kneeled behind him, washed his feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair. This is the woman who somehow acquired expensive ointment in an alabaster jar and annointed Jesus' feet with it. Legend has it that it was Mary Magdalene, but there is absolutely no evidence of that. Simon the Pharisee saw this happen and was appalled that Jesus would allow such.
In those days, when a guest arrived you did two things to welcome and show respect in your home. People walked in those days and their feet were almost always dirty. So you greeted them with a kiss and embrace and you offered them water. Hospitality was extremely important in that part of the world. In addition, a man was not to allow a woman to touch him in public, even his wife, and certainly not a woman who was not married to him. To do so told the watching world that the woman was a prostitue, and for a mand of God, a prohet, to allow such was especially inappropriate. Jesus never cared much for rules, especially if they placed barriers between people.
But the the most important thing to me in this scripture lies in the last lines, when Jesus said to the woman, "Your fiath has saved you; go in peace." He did not say, "I have saved you." Perhaps that is implied, but I think he wanted to focus on HER faith, and her FAITH. What is faith? Whatever it is, it had cetainly moved this woman into action, and she didn't care what others would think. She just wanted to love Jesus and somehow make him more comfortable. She showed more hospitality and love than the respected but stuffy Simon the Pharisee, who like many of us, was caught up in protocol and judgement. Not feeling worthy, this woman met Jesus where she thought she could, at his feet. These were the same feet that would be pierced by the cruel nails of the cross.

How is this happening in the world today? - Sometimes, even though we know better, we begin to feel unworthy. Maybe we're affected by the news we see, or worried about money, our kids, or maybe we're angry or hurt by something someone close to us has said or done. We want to forgive, but we jsut can't, at least not for a while. Or maybe we're just feeling the weight of life. This world bleeds a little every day. Sometimes it bleeds a lot. Whatever the reason, we feel unworthy.
There we are, on the floor, and we just feel like crying. I think that's how this woman was feeling, but mingled with her sadness, she had seen something, found something, in this wandering rabbi from Nazareth, this gentle man with the kind eyes, who made her feel something she hadn't felt in a long long time: accepted.
Our faith in this Lord, this Jesus, this man who somehow was God in sandals, saves us, from ourselves and from the criticisms and rejections and pain of the world. We begin to think, if Jesus can accept us, maybe we are worth something.

How is this story my story? - Eternal God, I am a tiny speck in a vast universe which seems to never end. Sometimes Lord, I sit on the floor and feel like weeping before you. But you lift me up and tell me I am loved, and you give me your blessing, your benediction, just the way I am, and then you send me into the world in peace. This peace truly passes all my understanding and it heals me. For this one thing Lord, I am truly grateful and amazed.