DISCLAIMER: The following text may be difficult to read for some people. I’m aware that I am taking creative license with my description and that it may be a bit much for some readers. Try to read this with your spiritual senses and not your religious ones.
Let's talk about when God blesses sinners for a second. In Luke 7, starting at verse 36, the bible talks about a “sinful woman” who cries when she is in close proximity of Jesus. Her tears land on His feet and she and wipes her tears with her hair. Then she pours perfume on Him.
The Pharisee who invited Jesus over for dinner (Simon) spoke of the woman with disgust, saying to himself that Jesus wouldn’t let her touch Him if He knew anything about her because of her sin. But Jesus quite frankly doesn’t give a shit about what Simon thought. He corrects Simon out loud and honors the woman in front of Simon and the other guests.
Obviously, those are the cliff’s notes version of the story. But here is the first thing I find interesting: Simon is talking about the woman and how she isn’t good enough to be allowed to touch Jesus. This sinful woman is labeled “unclean” according to the perception of the men and the standards of the times. But why is she in his house? In my mind she is on the guest list, but even if she crashed the party why did he let her in?
I mean, this is a private party for Jesus. Simon wanted to impress Him and be in the in-crowd, one of the good ‘ole boys. I imagine Simon’s invitation going like this: “Hey Jesus, I’m having a shindig. Swing by the crib tonight at 7. We got babes, brew, bourbon, and barbeque!”
Can you imagine this woman and the side eyes she gets?
Ain’t that just like a self-righteous person to keep others around who are perceived as worse off than them just to help them feel better about themselves? Put yourself in the shoes of this “sinful woman” for a moment. Can you imagine this woman and the side eyes she gets? The whispers as she walks by? The perverts who secretly try to meet up with her but who call her names and laugh at her when other people are around?
I’m sure you can imagine her because she is me and she is probably you too at some point in your life. She is not so different from many of us x-chromosome carriers today. As a woman in today’s world and especially in America, we carry the weight of double standards and judgment. Especially those of us who dare to have our own ideas, are hypersexual, have a passion for success, or have a vision of equity and equality in the future.
We are allowed in the room, as long as we don’t make a scene or cause any attention to come our way. Then, all of a sudden, it’s no longer about the amazing thing we just did or said. No, when we steal the spotlight, that’s when our pasts come up. Our body count becomes a point of conversation that somehow determines if we are reputable or not. When we steal the spotlight, our mistakes, divorces, and broken relationships overshadow our skills. That's when we get put on trial. And all of this is amplified if you have the double whammy of being a black woman or woman of color.
Listen to me and hear me loud and clearly, Alabaster Woman: you belong here. Wherever it is that makes you feel like you have to sit in the corner, stand up because you belong there in that room. Take up your space!
You belong here
The second thing I noticed (and the thing that makes me so proud) is that Jesus has her back. Like a King taking up for his Queen, Jesus addresses Simon with such swag. If Jesus was a woman in the new millennia, He would have said, “Biiitttccch, let me tell you something” while rolling His neck. Or His response would have been similar to the response of Devon Franklin when he defended Meagan Good. But instead, Jesus looks over at Simon and calmly said, “Hey Simon, I have something to tell you.” Then He goes into the story of the debts being forgiven. (As a side note: calm power is even more intimidating than loud power. More authentic too)
I can picture Jesus squinting or raising one eyebrow when He hears Simon’s thought, saying to Himself, “are you kidding me right now” while clinching His jaw. Then, going on to explain that this “sinful” woman has more love than Simon because she knows the value of what she has been forgiven of. Jesus repeatedly found ways to put judgmental people back in their place and knocked them off their high horses. (Read the story of the woman that was caught in adultery for another example of this)
Jesus literally honors the woman for what she did and who she is above all the prestigious men at the party, and IN FRONT OF THEM. It reminds me of the verse in Psalm 23 that says “you prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.”
Listen to me and hear me clearly, Alabaster Woman: you have an advocate. No matter what others may say about you, Jesus takes up for you and He holds you in high regard.
You have an advocate
The third thing I noticed in the Luke passage is that Jesus says the woman anointed Him in preparation for His burial and that her sins are forgiven. Here is why that jumps out at me: my whole life I was told that the woman was weeping because she just couldn’t face Jesus and his purity or holiness without repentance. That her guilt led her to pursue Him and the overwhelming emotion caused her to anoint Him with oil. But that is not what Jesus said. Not to mention, the woman never speaks!
Do you know how many bible studies I have attended that used this passage to focus on repentance and sin and confession? Yet, the woman is silent! She walks up to Jesus, balls her eyes out, pours perfume/oil on Him, then wipes Him with her hair. It never made sense to me why people assumed she was seeking forgiveness based on her actions. But, if she was aligned and received a premonition or prophecy of what was coming and what Jesus was about to endure, well, then, her actions make total sense. Or if she could feel His energy. If she understood whose presence she was in and she flowed with what her inner being was telling her to do.
So, why do so many leaders zone in on repentance and forgiveness in this passage? Because modern, western Christianity is all about control and less about relationships. This story is not about her guilt or sin, but rather about Jesus’ free gift of forgiveness and redemption. This woman is caring for him and empathizes with him, and Jesus tells her she is forgiven. She didn’t ask for it. She wasn’t expecting it. He gave it freely simply because she engages in a relationship with him.
Listen to me and hear me clearly, Alabaster Woman: your past does not define you nor does it limit your future. You are unconditionally loved and freed from guilt. When you come to Christ, you don’t have to lay your burdens out for the world to see. Christ willingly takes them off your shoulders and with newfound freedom, He hands you His heart, His clean slate, and His confidence.
Your past does not define you nor limit you
You are a queen, a warrior, a goddess. You are loved abundantly and unconditionally. You are cherished above any jewel. You are valued more than any amount of money. And you deserve to experience life as your authentic self, being loved perfectly.