The Building Blocks of Worship
In his next words, Jesus described for Simon and everyone else in the room one of the secrets of honest, heart-felt, life giving worship. It was right there for all of them to see, but they were embarrassed by the intimacy of it. The passion of the moment was distracting for them-it was uncomfortable. This woman had done something so beautiful for Jesus, and the only one who recognized its beauty was Jesus himself. Simon and the others were hung up on protocol and religious behavior. They hadn't considered the deeper issues of this woman's heart or the significance of her actions. These matters went unnoticed by the dinner crowd, but Jesus was about to reveal the hearts of everyone in the room.
Desperation
When the sinful woman knelt down at Jesus' feet she did it out of desperation. Hers was a desperation that drove her to do something out of the ordinary, something that no one else at that dinner was willing to do. Everyone in that room was with Jesus, but only one was attending Him. Only one was worshipping.
Desperation forces us to go outside of the norm, to do things we would not typically do. Desperate people risk more, live on the edge, and are more passionate in their pursuit. They achieve different results than those who play it safe. Yes, it can be more messy and uncomfortable than the well-traveled road, but those who choose desperation over self-sufficiency, find God. And when they find Him, they find that He is pleased with their desperate hearts.
Of course, the trick is to be desperate when you don't need to be desperate. Crises always lead us back to a passionate pursuit of God, because we realize in moments of vulnerability that we cannot make it on our own. We are genuinely desperate. But consider for a moment what would happen in your life, your family, and your church if you found a way to be desperate for Him without having to face the crisis. Simon wasn't desperate for anything that Jesus had. As a result, his love was little.
Gratitude
Simon's attitude conveyed that he had no great need of forgiveness. As a Pharisee, he relied on his own piety and knowledge of the Scriptures to gain God's favor. Sometimes this self-reliance shows up in our worship services. No one is overwhelmed by the Lord. Most are not in awe of Him as they sing and lift their hands. Appreciation is cursory, affection is mild, weeping is non-existent.
At first glance it seems as if Jesus is saying that if you're a terrible sinner then you will be very grateful and love God much. Obviously this is not what Jesus meant. He was not highlighting the significance of the woman's sin with this story. He was zeroing in on Simon's thankless response for God's love and forgiveness. No great need, no great gratitude.
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This is the debut album by EXW friend Paul Langford. Paul is a Chicago based singer, arranger, keyboardist, producer and conductor. Paul has a career that spans 14 years. Paul's work includes arranging for groups like GLAD, Voices of Liberty, VoiceTrek, The Chicago based "Caroling Party" and Day of Discovery Singers. His arranging has appeared on recordings side by side with greats like Gene Puerling and David Maddux, and he has sung with Don Shelton, Bonnie Herman and Bob Bowker, among others.