“Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven. …Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:48, 50 (NIV)

No matter how sinful you think you are, Jesus will never turn his back on you when you come to him looking for transformation.

The woman in Luke 7 gave her life in worship to Jesus. She poured herself out before him. Jesus will never turn away a person who worships like that. He knows our failures, our sins, and our heartaches. He hears our confessions. He knows we are trying to reach out to God and he will not turn us away.
And I pray that you and I will never turn others away who are reaching out the Lord just because they somehow offend our sense of decorum. Instead I pray we will be like Jesus – willing to turn and be touched by someone who is crying out for mercy and forgiveness.

It amazes me how many people I meet who are like the woman in Luke 7. They have a story to tell. Just like the hymn “Amazing Grace” they can say, “I was lost and now I’m found. I was blind but now I see” all because of the transforming power of worshiping the Lord, Jesus Christ. You and I both have a testimony of how we once had a black heart and then God forgave us and transformed our lives because we came openly and honestly to him.

Jesus does not make light of sin. When he spoke to the woman, this is what he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven … your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 8:48, 50 NIV). He took her sins seriously and he also took forgiveness seriously. We need to do the same.

Let me ask you, who do you relate to in this story?
Do you feel more like Pharisee who refused to be touched by people, someone who was always reminding others of their failures?
Do you relate to the woman who knew she was a sinner and needed forgiveness, a second chance?
Do you relate to Jesus who is willing to be touched by other people’s brokenness and who responds by offering grace, mercy, forgiveness and the peace of God?

“As she stood behind Jesus at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.” Luke 7:38 (NIV)

There are some powerful lessons about worship and about the transformation that happens in the life of a worshiper in Luke 7. The sinful woman in this story exhibited four traits we need to take note of:

She worshiped boldly. This woman took a risk coming to the Pharisee’s house. She could have been thrown out or stoned, but she came boldly. She marched right into the house, into the dining room, into Jesus’ presence. Why would she do that? She was looking for forgiveness. She was looking for hope and acceptance. She was looking for some kind of change in her life. She was not there just to pay homage to some holy guy.
She worshiped humbly. She wept in Jesus’ presence, wetting his feet with her tears. Then, in her deep sorrow, she got down on her knees, showing her submission to God, and dried his feet with her hair.
She worshiped honestly. Many biblical scholars believe the sinful woman must have been a prostitute because she brought an expensive jar of perfume with her. This jar of perfume had significance – it represented her life; it represented her background; it was one of the tools of the trade. When she came to Jesus with that jar and poured it on his feet, it was her confession. She was honestly telling Jesus who she was.
She worshiped extravagantly. She showed Jesus extravagant worship by using a jar of perfume that probably cost her an entire year’s wages. And she didn’t just dab on a couple of drops. Luke 7:38 says she poured the perfume on his feet. Why? This was her opportunity to come clean, to meet God, worship him and be transformed. It was her chance to start over.

You don’t have to clean up your act before you can worship God. Worship him and he’ll clean up your act. You don’t repent and confess in order to earn forgiveness. You change your ways because you’ve been forgiven.
Romans 12 says that we offer ourselves to the Lord in worship so that he can transform us. It’s the worship that comes first. That’s what we see in this woman’s life.

by Buddy Owens