Whoever sacrifices a thank offering honors me, and whoever orders his conduct, I will show him the salvation of God. PSALM 50:23 (CSB)

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Luke 7:50  And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Jesus was invited to dinner by one of the Pharisees (Luke 7:36). There were others gathered there who were relatives or guests (verse 49). There was also a woman who walked in from the street uninvited. She was not the kind of woman anyone in the room but Jesus would acknowledge. Everyone acknowledged her now.

She walked right in, stepped right up to Jesus, knelt and wept at his feet, and wiped the salty tears off with her hair. She had a jar, a single-use container which was destroyed as it was deployed and anointed Jesus’ feet with the perfume. It was likely the most precious possession she owned. It was all she had left to make her attractive, lovely, lovable. 

You’ve heard of The Elephant in the Room? This evening took a dramatic turn pretty quickly, didn’t it? No one could ignore what was going on. All they could do was wait to see what Jesus would do, to hear what he would say. 

Jesus knew this. He knew his host’s mind as well as his own. Simon, the host, not the follower we call Peter, had an If Then conversation with 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!” (Verse 39). 

Jesus told a story about degrees of gratitude (verses 41-43). Then he offered a fitting application (verses 44-47). Finally, he did what God said he would do when we rightly order our lives in response to his grace. “Then he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’” (verse 48). 

When this did not sit well with the gathered guests (verse 49), Jesus finished what he started: “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace,” (verse 50). 

There is power in gratitude. There is power in repentance. Together they bring us to salvation and to the proper ordering of our lives. Grateful hearts understand and acknowledge that whatever we possess that we consider more valuable than anything else in no way compares to the greatness and the grace of our God. No gift is too extreme. No praise is too extravagant.

I wonder, where is Jesus in the order of your affections? This is a good question to ask ourselves each day. It is a good thought to ponder deeply from time to time. When we see him for who he is, we cannot help but express gratitude. When we know him as he wants to be known, he reorders our broken lives. 

In so many ways, salvation is both an initial experience and a growing reality. 

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I will grow in gratitude, worship, praise, and order.

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Our Father, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD as long as I live (Psalm 23:5, 6). Amen.