Have you ever attended a party that you weren’t invited to? Maybe you were the plus-one that your date forgot to RSVP, but you went anyway. Perhaps it was a party that your friends were invited to and you tagged along because you really wanted to be with them, even though you didn’t actually know the host. The worst case of attending a party you weren’t invited to that my wife and I have ever experienced happened when we were seniors at Penn State. My wife and I were engaged to be married, and I was completing my final season on the Penn State men’s gymnastics team. Penn State was hosting the NCAA men’s gymnastics championships that year—my senior year.
The night before the NCAA championships, there is always a banquet for all the teams competing in the tournament. Each year at this banquet, the winner of the gymnastics version of the Heisman Trophy, called the Nissen-Emory Award, is given to one senior gymnast. And I was one of eight finalists for the award. This was a really big deal for me. My parents flew in and were coming to the banquet. But I was so completely tunnel-vision focused on preparing myself and my team for the NCAA tournament—which was my last gymnastics meet ever—that I didn’t even think to invite my wife to the banquet. Thankfully, my wife is wise and brave, so she came to the banquet despite my not inviting her! Have you ever attended a party you weren’t invited to?
Usually, when you attend a party that you weren’t invited to, you’re a little sheepish about it. When you aren’t invited, you hang back a little bit, you don’t make yourself known immediately, and you never do anything to make yourself the center of attention. At the heart of our passage this morning is a woman who attended a party—a dinner, a banquet—that she wasn’t invited to. However, this woman did exactly what you don’t do when you attend a party you aren’t invited to. She put herself right at the center of attention. Let’s look closely at what she did, where she did it, and what it means for you and me.
In the Lord Jesus’ day, there were various groups of Jewish religious leaders. One of those was the Pharisees. The Pharisees were devoted to maintaining God’s law revealed in the Bible. So was Jesus. That’s a good thing. However, they were also devoted to keeping the oral traditions and additional laws passed down by the rabbis that were not written in the Bible. That’s not such a good thing. But far worse, the Pharisees were often in conflict with the Lord Jesus Christ because they were hypocrites. Jesus called them hypocrites because they kept the letter of the law of God outwardly but did not love God from the heart.
One day, one of these Pharisees asked Jesus to come to his house for a dinner party. Now, you might think that the Lord Jesus would decline the invitation. After all, who wants to go to a dinner party at the home of a religious hypocrite? But remember, Jesus was a friend of sinners. So, he accepted the invitation to have dinner at the Pharisee’s home. It’s often overlooked that the Lord Jesus did not only associate with notorious sinners like the sinful woman in our passage, but dined with hypocritical Pharisees as well. In today’s terms, we might say that the Lord Jesus Christ is a friend to—and the only hope for—sinners on the far left, the far right, and everyone in between; for poor sinners and rich sinners; for religious sinners and irreligious sinners.
The meal Jesus was invited to was probably a banquet or a special Sabbath meal. The position at which they sat at the table, Jesus’ place of special honor, and the seeming openness of the doors to the home all signal that this was a special Sabbath meal or banquet. That would explain why the sinful woman in our passage could simply walk in. It was her actions that were rebuked, not her presence. And it’s in this environment that the woman walked in uninvited.
Luke describes her as “a woman of the city” and “a sinner.” Additionally, Luke 7:39 says, “When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—she’s a sinner!’” This triple reference to the woman’s character emphasizes her notorious ungodliness, but the specifics of her sin are not spelled out. New Testament scholars believe that she could have been a prostitute, a wife of someone with a dishonorable occupation, a woman in debt, or an adulterer. It’s often assumed that she was a sexual sinner, but the text isn’t specific—which reminds us that all disobedience to God’s law is evil in His sight.
Whatever her sins, clearly she had already responded to the Lord Jesus Christ’s message and experienced His radical mercy and forgiveness. Remember, the Lord Jesus Christ’s central message—what we call the gospel—is that Jesus is the King who came to lay down his life on the cross, and all who repent and believe in Jesus Christ are forgiven of their sins and welcomed into God’s kingdom forever by sheer grace. This message was wonderful news to those who knew their utter spiritual bankruptcy and received Jesus Christ as their only hope in life and in death. What this sinful woman did when she entered into the Pharisee’s home reveals that she responded positively to the Lord Jesus’ message and received his radical forgiving grace. Let’s look at what she did.
Luke 7:37–38 — “And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.” What did she do that revealed that she had been forgiven much and, therefore, loved Jesus much?
She poured it all out for Jesus.
She poured out her treasure for Jesus.
She poured out her gratitude on Jesus, soaking his feet with her tears.
She poured out her devotion for Jesus by wiping his filthy feet clean with her hair and kissing them.
She poured out her dignity for Jesus by doing all this publicly in a Pharisee’s home.
She was forgiven much, loved much, and so she poured it all out for Jesus. And her devotion stands as an example for us all. That brings us to the big idea of our passage this morning: Pour it all out for Jesus. Hold nothing back! Pour it all out for Jesus. Our passage this morning shows us three ways to pour it all out for Jesus:
Draw near
Bring all you’ve got
Love much
DRAW NEAR (vv. 36–37)
The sinful woman in our passage shows us that if we are going to pour it all out for Jesus, we must draw near to Jesus. We must go to great lengths to be near Jesus. Luke 7:36–37 — “One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment.” When the sinful woman learned that the One who had forgiven her so much was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she did what she had to do to be near Jesus. Because she loved Jesus so much, she took great pains to be near him.
You can imagine how much courage it took for this notoriously sinful woman to go uninvited to the home of a notoriously holy man and pour it all out for Jesus in a socially inappropriate fashion. This was a costly move, but she loved Jesus so much that she was willing to go to great lengths to be near him.
When Jesus has forgiven you much, you love him much. And when you love him much, you’ll go to great lengths and take great pains to draw near to Jesus. You’ll get up early or stay up late to draw near to Jesus by reading his Word and praying to his Father. When you love him much, you’ll say no to every other weekend option in order to draw near to Jesus each Sunday—to worship him with his people and sit under the preaching of his Word with his family. When you’ve been forgiven much, you love much, so you’ll wrangle the kids and mess up their bedtime once a week or leave a little bit of work undone at the office to get to Citygroup to study his Word with his people. When you love him much, you’ll keep trying to lead your family to draw near to him through family devotions, even if it doesn’t always go as you’d hope. You’ll do all this because when you love Jesus much, you want to draw near to him.
To pour it all out for Jesus, draw near to him. Even if it costs you sleep, convenience, entertainment, or some doomscrolling, go to great lengths to be near the Lord Jesus.
Recently, a mom of multiple very young children shared that since her children wake up very early, she’s gotten in the habit of reading the Bible while feeding them breakfast. Then she leaves the Bible open on the counter all day so that she can revisit the passages she read throughout the day when she has a moment. What a great alternative to checking her phone again and again. She also shared that her Citygroup started a Bible reading plan in January and that it has been a treat for all of them to be reading the same passages at the same time. That’s going to great lengths to be near Jesus.
From time to time, on a Sunday, one of our members who is a medical professional will come to church in scrubs. She’s just finished an overnight shift. You can imagine how exhausted she is. Instead of going home for some much-needed rest, she first comes to church so that she can sing to Jesus with her church family and sit under his Word. That’s pouring it all out for Jesus.
The first way to pour it all out for Jesus is to go to great lengths to draw near to him. Has Jesus forgiven you much? Like the sinful woman, go to great lengths—fight to be near your Lord. That’s the first way to pour it all out for Jesus. Second…
BRING ALL YOU’VE GOT (vv. 37–38)
Luke 7:37–38 — “And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.”
The sinful woman is such a beautiful picture of pouring it all out for Jesus because she brought everything she had. To pour it all out for Jesus, hold nothing back; bring all you’ve got. The first thing we notice is that the sinful woman brought with her an alabaster flask of ointment. The ESV Study Bible notes that alabaster is a soft stone frequently used as a perfume container. It was very valuable. As one scholar explains, such perfume was aromatic and expensive—not the less expensive olive oil normally used for anointing—and the flask preserved the perfume’s quality. This perfume was expensive, valuable, and, depending on the nature of her past, may have represented a significant portion of her financial security. And she poured it all out for Jesus—and she could never get it back. She brought all she had. She brought her treasure, her resources, and poured it all out for Jesus.
Like the sinful woman, pour out your resources for Jesus. We have all been entrusted with the financial resources that we have to live on. Our resources come from various sources, but they are what we have to live on and enjoy. They provide what we need. Pouring it all out for Jesus means pouring those resources out for the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you intentionally pour out your money regularly, sacrificially, and joyfully to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ through our church and around the world?
Martin Luther used to say that the Christian undergoes three conversions: first the head, then the heart, then the wallet. Since what we do with our money is one indication of the devotion of our heart, bring all you’ve got financially and pour it all out for Jesus. Instead of hedging your bets, playing it safe, or never quite getting around to deciding in your heart and being intentional with your giving, pour it out. Give him what you’ve got, and lay up for yourselves true wealth toward God. Are you bringing all you’ve got financially and pouring it out for Jesus through sacrificial giving to Jesus’ cause—the church of Jesus Christ?
But bringing him all you’ve got includes more than your money. The sinful woman brought all of her devotion and poured it all out for Jesus. She poured out all her gratitude for Jesus, weeping tears of grateful joy. She poured out all her dignity, lowering herself to Jesus’ feet in front of everyone. She poured out all of her devotion by wiping his feet clean with her hair and kissing his feet, anointing them. She brings all that she’s got and pours it all out for King Jesus.
The way that she pours it all out for Jesus by bringing him all she’s got reminds me of an interaction I had recently with a pastor. A couple of weeks ago, right after Easter, I sent a text thanking him for the incredibly hard work that he put into our Good Friday and Easter Sunday services, letting him know that I thought God used him significantly for His glory. He replied simply, “Luke 17:10—thanks, bro.” I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what Luke 17:10 said off the top of my head, so I looked it up. In Luke 17:10 Jesus said, “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” That’s amazing!
He pours it all out for Jesus—he gives Jesus everything he’s got in life—but his attitude isn’t, “Look at all I’m doing for Christ.” It’s, “I’m an unworthy servant; anything for King Jesus.” Is that your attitude with your time, your abilities, and your resources? Has Jesus forgiven you much such that you love him much? Then bring everything you’ve got and pour it all out. Anything for King Jesus, if you love him much. That brings us to the final way to pour it all out for Jesus…
LOVE MUCH
Why should we pour it all out for Jesus? Why go to great lengths to be near him? Why bring him all we’ve got—our money, our dignity, our devotion, our very selves? Why did this sinful woman pour it all out for Jesus? Let’s notice what happens next in our passage.
While the sinful woman was pouring it all out for Jesus, the Pharisee who was hosting the party was doubting Jesus’ identity. Luke 7:39 — “Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’” Little did the Pharisee know that Jesus was not merely a prophet, but God the Son in the flesh. Therefore, he could read the Pharisee’s thoughts.
Knowing his thoughts, Jesus engaged the Pharisee directly by telling him a brief parable. The parable illustrates why the sinful woman poured it all out for Jesus and why the Pharisee did not. The stars of the parable are a moneylender and two debtors. One debtor owed the moneylender nearly two years’ worth of wages. Think about what you make in twenty months—or, if you’re a student, what you will make if you land the job you’re preparing for. Twenty months’ salary is a significant sum.
For example, imagine owing nearly two years’ salary—an overwhelming, crushing debt. That’s what the first debtor owed. The other debtor owed about two months’ wages. That’s still substantial, but small in comparison. In the parable, the moneylender cancels the debt of both. Jesus asked the Pharisee, “Which of them will love him more?” Will the debtor forgiven a debt that would have utterly ruined him love the moneylender more, or will the debtor forgiven comparatively much less love him more? Of course, the one forgiven the greater debt.
And that is why the sinful woman poured it all out for Jesus and the Pharisee did not—she loved Jesus more.
Listen to the way Jesus applied the parable. Luke 7:44–47 — “Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.’”
Why did the sinful woman pour it all out for Jesus, but the Pharisee did not? Why the contrasting responses to Jesus? Look at the contrast. When Jesus entered Simon’s house, Simon did not offer water for Jesus’ feet. It wasn’t required, but it would have shown special love and honor. The sinful woman, however, washed his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
Similarly, Simon did not greet Jesus with the customary kiss—a sign of friendship. But the sinful woman did not cease to kiss Jesus’ feet. The kiss on the cheek was a sign of friendship, but kisses on the feet expressed deep devotion, appreciation, and love.
Finally, Simon did not anoint Jesus’ head with olive oil, which was common and inexpensive. But she anointed his feet with costly ointment. Again, anointing was not required, but it was an act of special honor. Simon withheld it. She poured out something even more valuable on a less honorable part of the body. Why?
Why the contrast? Why did she love Jesus so much more? Why are there such different responses to Jesus Christ—even in the same room? Why are some pouring it all out for Jesus while others hold back? Why are some drawing near to Jesus and pouring out their time, treasure, and talents, while others remain distant, calculating, careful, and show little devotion? You may seem more devoted to your hobbies than to Jesus. This is not merely a difference in personality. Why the contrast?
Simple: the person who has been forgiven much loves much, but the person forgiven little loves little—which is really no love at all. Luke 7:47 — “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” She loved the Lord Jesus Christ so much because she had been forgiven so much. She was not forgiven because she loved much; she loved much because her massive debt of sin had been forgiven by Jesus.
She loved much because she had been forgiven much, and the person who loves much pours it all out for Jesus.
All of this raises one final question among those who were present at the party: Who is this who can forgive sins? Luke 7:48–50 — “And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this, who even forgives sins?’ And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’” Who is this? Who is he?
This is the eternal and only begotten Son of the Father, begotten, not made.
This is the One through whom and for whom the universe and everything in it was made.
This is the One whom we have disobeyed and ignored in the world made for him.
This is the God who took on flesh and dwelt among us.
This is the One who took the form of a servant.
This is the One who was tempted as we are, yet never sinned.
This is the One who had no sin but bore our sins on the cross.
This is the One who was condemned in our place, cursed by his Father for us, and placed in another man’s tomb.
And this is the One who burst from the grave on the third day.
This is the One who ascended, is seated at the right hand of majesty, and rules.
And if you have faith in him, your faith has saved you. Your sins, though many, are forgiven. Your infinite debt is canceled, and your eternal condemnation is removed in him. That’s who he is—and that’s why we pour it all out for him.
Pour it all out for Jesus, because the one who is forgiven much loves much.