The Anointing of Jesus

I'd like you to imagine the scene of today's gospel reading, and picture the last few steps of the woman who came to anoint Jesus.

As she walked up to the house of Simon the Pharisee, she would have heard the voices of the Jewish leaders who had gathered to hear the words of Jesus. The atmosphere would have been pretty tense even before she pushed the door open and crept in, alabaster jar in hand.

Perhaps she heard the odd one or two raised voices, questioning, intense, involved in heavy debate.

Perhaps the thunder of many voices…

Then all of a sudden a deathly silence, and all eyes were fixed on her, eyebrows raised, looks of astonishment, furious faces, after all this was a gathering of men!

And she a woman with a reputation.

They were keepers of the law, godly men, she was a sinner.

Like some animal blinkered to keep its eyes away from the fearful shadows, so she kept her eyes on Jesus, disregarding the comments and whispers all around her, pushing past those who tried to prevent her approaching and offering her worship. She reached his feet, it was all too much for her and she began to weep.

It took great courage, this small journey of faith.

I know that there will be quite a few people sitting here today who really do understand how very difficult it is, for someone to actually come into a church building for the first time, or even after a long, long period of absence.

IF we are the kind of person who has always been 'part of the fitments' because we have always been members of a church ever since we were born, then we may not appreciate what it's like.

It must take an enormous amount of courage.

I heard one person say recently:

"The walls will probably crack when I walk in!"

By that they probably mean that such a shock wave will go around the place that the church will collapse.

But that's how it feels to some.

This is how it must have been for the woman in our story today.

And then of course there's the problem of what people might say too when you first step into church.

Imagine being faced with the words:-

"Eeh what are YOU doing here? Pointing you out, drawing everyone's attention to you when you wanted to sneak in unnoticed.

There's only one thing that must be worse and that's to hear someone comment,

 "Who does SHE think she is coming in here? Who does she think she is?"

… which of course no-one would say in church, but the woman in the story probably heard very similar words.

Everyone it seemed was very aware of her faults and failings; there was no way that they wanted to be associated with her.

 How on earth did she find the courage?

What a different story it would have been, had she been given warm words of welcome, and been shown to where she wanted to be. I'm sure that our words, had we been there would have been far more gracious towards her, wouldn't they?

We are told that the Pharisees saw her as a woman with a past, a sinner.

Which of them I wonder did not come with a past?

We are all of us sinners, what right have any of us got to be here each Sunday in the God's holy presence?

A vicar once pinned a notice up on his church door, which said:-'This church is for sinners only'

Some people in his congregation were so offended they voted with their feet and went home.

Last week at one of the places where we take home communion, a man wandered into the lounge where we were chatting, just about to have our home communion service, and he told us that he was beyond redemption. Then in the next breath he proceeded to tell us how he said his prayers each night before he went to sleep, and another prayer on waking.

He ended up taking communion with us for the first time in a very long time.

We learn from Jesus the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, that those who feel far away and know their need of God, are a lot closer to knowing his forgiveness than those who consider themselves righteous!

In fact we all might benefit from a ministerial review, which is a process for those of us in ministry to have personal 'spiritual check up, rather like an M.O.T.

It is a process, whereby two or three people write down your strengths, your weaknesses, and your faults, and these comments are discussed with a reviewer honestly and openly.

It does your soul good, to see yourself through others' eyes, because we can be so blind to our faults.

But in Christ each and everyone is able to find forgiveness, each of us can be wonderfully set free to serve and be cleansed, as was this woman, in front of her accusers, while they still stood accused.

After all Jesus saw in her not what she was or what she had been.

He saw her POTENTIAL.

He saw her present intentions and actions, which demonstrated a deep desire to be different, to change.

And such a love as hers, he always rewards.

 And finally we note her worship, let us just observe how the woman in our story offered herself to Jesus.

She came fully focussed upon him, and was able to shut out all distractions. She saw no other in the room at that moment of the offering her gift.

 She fell and kissed his feet, poured oil on him and as she did she wept tears of joy and gratitude, for his love and mercy towards her, for he had touched her life.

She loved much because she had been forgiven much.

Now as she bowed low before him, she was acknowledging him as her Saviour and her Lord.

Now what does that mean?

It means that from that time on her life was not her own, but Jesus was master of it, that her will had fallen to a greater power. She had been saved and owed him her life, it was now his to do with as he pleased.

I wonder how many of us come to worship, with that kind of love and with that kind of humility.

I wonder if any of us are still completely in charge of the lives that we say have been given to the Lord.

Look at St Paul's words in our New Testament lesson today,

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

As we worship today in this Eucharist,and approach the altar,  let us picture ourselves in place of that woman, and imagine how we would have walked into that room had we been the one in need.

Note what our actions would have been, note what our approach would have been like, and let us find this morning ourselves reconciled and liberated by our Lord God.

Let me read to you a prayer, which some of you may want to echo, a prayer of approach to the very throne of God:-

Lord Jesus Christ,

I know I have sinned in my thoughts, words and actions

And I am turn from everything I know to be wrong.

You gave your life on the cross for me.

Gratefully I give my life back to you and ask you to come into my life.

Come in as my Saviour to cleanse me.

Come in as my Lord to control me.

Come in as my friend to be with me.

I want to serve you all the remaining years of my life in complete obedience.

Amen.