Yesterday I shared Amelia’s story and it is sad. But thankfully, she trusted Christ and her “dirty” life was gloriously cleansed. We have such a story in Luke 7. Yesterday’s verse was verse 39 and today’s verse is Jesus’ rebuttal to Simon. 

As the invited guests “sat” or reclined on pillows around a low table, eating and conversing, an uninvited guest entered the room and crashed the party. 

At first glance, it seems quite rude that this woman would simply walk into Simon’s dining room. However, in that culture, it was not uncommon for the common people of the town to crowd around the walls or courtyards where dinners like this were being held. In these ancient days before television and movie theaters, entertainment and education were hard to come by. Such a feast was a major event. 

Just as people today often line sidewalks in order to catch a glimpse of a celebrity or famous person, the doors of Simon’s home were open to anyone who wanted to watch and listen to all that was going on. 

What was uncommon was what happened next; notice verse 37. “A woman… which was a sinner” came and in verse 38 “stood” at Jesus’ feet “weeping.” In a complete breach of societal order, she broke through the invisible barrier between the invited and the uninvited, between the notables and the nobodies. She dared to enter the personal space of those seated around the table.

What did she do that was so scandalous? Who is this woman? Stay tuned…