THURSDAY

SCRIPTURE: Luke 7:36-50

Physical distance is not required for one to feel isolated or excluded. We can feel it when we are surrounded by others, sometimes even in the midst of a community to which we (at least on some level) already belong. If you have ever felt very much alone in a crowd, even when with people you know, you know what I’m talking about. What can make that sense of isolation and distance even worse is when part of it is a result of our sense that we are suffering from our own poor choices or personal failings. We may also be feeling judged by others, or perhaps even by ourselves. Whether our perceptions are accurate or not, the feelings we experience are much the same. You may also have noticed that those who are most ready to pass judgment upon others often suffer from a lack of insight into their own hearts and attitudes. In today’s passage, we find yet another story of a woman on the margins that Jesus goes out of his way to make sure it is known that she is included (somewhat to the dismay of those who have yet to grasp how far off the mark they were). As you take some time to read and reflect on this story and how Jesus relates both to the woman overflowing with gratefulness for the grace that has been extended to her and to the person deprecating her with their seeming lack of understanding, here are a few things to consider:

• What must it have meant for a woman who was known to have lived a sinful life to come to the house of a Pharisee, even if it was to express her gratitude to Jesus?

• What kind of picture of God would Simon have had in order to assume that God would have been repulsed by a woman who was pouring out her heart to Jesus? How do you think his picture of God shaped his reaction?

• As you listen to the story that Jesus told Simon, how do you see Jesus offering Simon a different model for exercising judgment?

• As you see Jesus intentionally offering public affirmation to a person who had likely only known public condemnation, what insights into the heart of God do you find here?

• What are you hearing in this passage about how we, individually and as a community, are to “judge” and act toward those who have been marginalized, even by those who may represent religious interests?

• What parts of this story do you resonate with the most? What do you sense God may be inviting you to consider?

As you take a few moments to reflect on this passage in prayer, share with God what you are noticing and your response to what God may be inviting you to consider.