I have something to say to you

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.’ Jesus spoke up and said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’
Luke 7: 36-40

In the previous posting, I reflected upon cravings.... There is a piercing hunger within each of us ... we crave love. Each of us wants to be recognized...valued... That is true for every person. The woman who anoints Jesus is clearly transparent in her desire to honor the Lord. She is a loving, humble woman...and she is a sinner. Jesus accepts her and her actions...

Teachable moment: The host, the pharisee, sees something wrong going on... His guest must not know that the woman is "unclean"...As the pharisee postures in judgment, Jesus turns to him and says: I have something to say to you.

Wow.... if that scene was portrayed in a movie, there would be a freeze frame that would shift the focus from the tender love expressed by the woman...and there would be a close up of the exchange between Jesus and Simon. Simon is about to receive a lesson in humility. He is about to be taken down a few notches by the words that both pierce and heal.

Jesus lifts up the power of the woman's tender, humble actions....and he exposes Simon's sin of judgment and self-righteousness.

read the complete story. Not only is forgiveness lavished upon the woman, but Simon also is given an opportunity to repent and acknowledge his own inadequacies.

What about us? What about you? What would Jesus say to you today if he turned to you and said: "I have something to say to you." Would you be willing to listen? What do you think you would hear?

The good news...no the great news is that the sin of each one of us is known by God... We are recognized, warts and all, by the one who loves us beyond measure...and who has created us to hunger passionately for that love. One clear definition of sin is: our capacity to deceive ourselves. We fool ourselves into thinking that we can satisfy our own desires, assure our own safety, and acquire for ourselves a sense of value or status. Not so....

Listen! God knows you better than you know yourself. God knows what you think before you think it...and God knows what you withold or protect...or hide.

Each one of us is invited to move freely toward God's loving gaze and receive God's words of acceptance and forgiveness....

Jesus turns to you... and says: I have something to say to you..... Listen!