ZPCBlog

About the author: Lisa serves on staff at ZPC as Ministry Assistant. She loves Jesus; her family: Shawn, Evey (11) Grayson (9); walking her labradoodle Maizy; and books! Her favorite authors, besides God, include Sue-Monk Kidd, Brené Brown, Shauna Niequist and Jen Hatmaker. Please come talk with her about any of the above over lunch at Stone Creek.

Scripture: Luke 7:36-50

The Book of Longings is an extraordinary fictional story set in the first century. Author Sue Monk Kidd takes a researched and beautiful approach to history to imagine the story of Ana, “a girl with turbulent black curls.” Ana is devoted to finding her voice as a writer and to airing the untold stories of women who have been silenced. 

One of the female voices Ana chooses to highlight is that of Tabitha. Ana visits her friend Tabitha at her home and realizes she has lost the ability to speak. Tabitha's father has violently silenced her for bringing shame on their house by shouting in public her pain of being raped. Ana goes on to write Tabitha’s story. By writing her story down, Tabitha can be heard. Ana writes, “I think every pain in this world wants to be witnessed, Tabitha…and it’s why I wrote your story down.” Later in the story Mary, the mother of Jesus, gives Tabitha a lyre which, because Tabitha can no longer speak, allows her to express herself. Ana thinks, “Mary, you have given Tabitha a voice.”

In the same way the lyre in the book gave Tabitha a voice, Jesus gives a voice to the woman from today's scripture who anoints Jesus' feet, washes them with her tears, and dries them with her hair. Her story is written down and remembered. Her pain is witnessed. Her sins are forgiven. The woman at his feet washing them with her tears may be one of the first women to acknowledge Jesus as the son of God and treat him as such. There is a strong opposite reaction from Simon the Pharisee Jesus is dining with. He rejects Jesus because he doesn’t believe Jesus can forgive sins. He rejects Jesus as God’s son. The woman boldly at Jesus' feet brings hope to all of us who need our pain to be understood and witnessed and who need forgiveness. Is there a deep pain that Jesus can witness for you? Are you willing to receive his forgiveness, and by doing so acknowledge Jesus as the son of God?

Prayer

Lord,
I come before you asking for forgiveness for my sins. I praise you for sending Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for my sins, so that I may experience forgiveness and reconciliation through Christ. Your Word says that if I confess my sins to you, you are faithful and just and will cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Thank you Jesus that you have washed my sins away and made me whiter than snow (Psalm 51:7). Create in me a clean heart Lord, and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10) that seeks to serve and honor you.
Amen

Share