And Jesus said to the woman, "Thy
faith has saved thee; go in peace."
Luke 7:50
Those words from the lips of Jesus were without a doubt the most comforting words a woman in her situation could ever hope to hear…
faith has saved thee; go in peace."
Luke 7:50
Those words from the lips of Jesus were without a doubt the most comforting words a woman in her situation could ever hope to hear…
With her reputation ruined because of some bad choices she made in the past, which were not specifically revealed in the story, she was left to live with the shame and embarrassment of those choices.
So in tonight's Bible study class, we continued our study on shame and how to overcome its negative effects. We looked at the story of the woman whom the people in her town labeled as an immoral "sinner" because of her past transgressions. Sadly, she was left to face a life of scorn, shame, and contempt.
Longing for forgiveness, when she heard that Jesus was in the house of a man by the name of Simon, who was one of the town's religious leaders, she entered into the home with a jar filled with costly perfume. Falling on her knees in humble contrition, this dear soul began to pour the perfume over Jesus' feet, washing them with tears of repentance, while at the same time drying His now wet feet with her hair.
Moved with compassion, Jesus told her before a shocked crowd that her sins were forgiven. Simon, however, immediately protested. "But this woman is a sinner!" While Jesus quickly countered by saying, "Those who are forgiven of much, love much."
The men and I went through the entire story verse by verse. I told them that I found this story to be one of the most beautiful ones in the Bible. While it would be too much to discuss this in greater depth now, the main theme was how the Lord Jesus not only forgave her sins, but also said for her to "go in peace."
I went on to explain to the class that by telling her to go in peace, He was saying that not only were her sins removed, but so was all the haunting shame she'd been carrying, perhaps for many years.
In this heartwarming story we saw how, when Christ takes away our sins, He takes away our shame too. This, I told the men, is true freedom.
D.B.
Note: This story can be found in Luke 7:36-50
So in tonight's Bible study class, we continued our study on shame and how to overcome its negative effects. We looked at the story of the woman whom the people in her town labeled as an immoral "sinner" because of her past transgressions. Sadly, she was left to face a life of scorn, shame, and contempt.
Longing for forgiveness, when she heard that Jesus was in the house of a man by the name of Simon, who was one of the town's religious leaders, she entered into the home with a jar filled with costly perfume. Falling on her knees in humble contrition, this dear soul began to pour the perfume over Jesus' feet, washing them with tears of repentance, while at the same time drying His now wet feet with her hair.
Moved with compassion, Jesus told her before a shocked crowd that her sins were forgiven. Simon, however, immediately protested. "But this woman is a sinner!" While Jesus quickly countered by saying, "Those who are forgiven of much, love much."
The men and I went through the entire story verse by verse. I told them that I found this story to be one of the most beautiful ones in the Bible. While it would be too much to discuss this in greater depth now, the main theme was how the Lord Jesus not only forgave her sins, but also said for her to "go in peace."
I went on to explain to the class that by telling her to go in peace, He was saying that not only were her sins removed, but so was all the haunting shame she'd been carrying, perhaps for many years.
In this heartwarming story we saw how, when Christ takes away our sins, He takes away our shame too. This, I told the men, is true freedom.
D.B.
Note: This story can be found in Luke 7:36-50
