Water, a Kiss, and Oil

A Warm Welcome

☐

When a guest came to a house in Bible times, a good host knew what to do. Jesus named three welcomes that Simon left out: water, a kiss and oil (Luke 7:44-46). Each one told the guest that he was wanted.

Dusty roads. People walked almost everywhere on dirt roads in open sandals. By the time a guest arrived, his feet were hot and dusty.

Water for the feet. Long ago, Abraham welcomed three visitors this way: “Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet” (Genesis 18:4).

A kind host. When Abraham's servant reached Laban's house, he was given “water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him” (Genesis 24:32).

No water from Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “You gave Me no water for My feet” (Luke 7:44). Simon left out the first kindness.

A kiss of greeting. Family and friends greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek. When Laban met Jacob, he “embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house” (Genesis 29:13).

No kiss either. Jesus said, “You gave Me no kiss” (Luke 7:45). Simon welcomed Jesus like a stranger, not like a friend.

Oil for the head. A host might pour a little olive oil on a guest's head. It cooled dry skin in a hot land and made the guest feel honored. David thanked God for treating him like an honored guest at a table, with oil poured on his head (Psalm 23:5).

No oil. “You did not anoint My head with oil” (Luke 7:46). To anoint means to pour or rub oil on someone.

Tears instead of water. The woman had no bowl of water. She washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair (Luke 7:44).

Kisses on His feet. A kiss on the cheek greeted a friend. She kissed Jesus' feet again and again. That showed great love and a humble heart.

Perfume instead of oil. Simon gave no plain olive oil for Jesus' head. She poured costly fragrant oil on His feet (Luke 7:46).

The warmest welcome. The person nobody expected to honor Jesus gave Him the warmest welcome of all. People who know they are forgiven love to honor Jesus.

Welcoming Jesus today. We cannot wash Jesus' feet, but we can still welcome Him. We welcome Him when we thank Him and worship Him. “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).

What we learn. Simon gave Jesus less than an ordinary welcome. The forgiven woman gave Him far more. Love for Jesus shows in how we treat Him.

What to do. This week, welcome Jesus each morning. Before you start your day, thank Him for three things He has done for you.

Jesus listed three courtesies Simon left out (Luke 7:44-46). Each was an ordinary part of welcoming a guest, and each one the woman replaced with something humbler and costlier.

Washing the feet. In a land of dirt roads and sandals, water for the feet was basic kindness. Abraham offered it (Genesis 18:4), Laban's household provided it (Genesis 24:32), and Joseph's steward did the same for his brothers: he “gave them water, and they washed their feet” (Genesis 43:24).

Usually a servant's job. Often the host gave the water and the guest washed, or a servant did the washing. Simon offered neither. The woman did the lowest part of the job herself, with tears instead of water and her hair instead of a towel.

The kiss. A kiss on the cheek was the normal greeting of family and friends (Genesis 29:13; 33:4). Later Paul told the churches to greet one another with a holy kiss (Romans 16:16). Leaving it out was like refusing to shake a guest's hand.

Kataphileo (7:38, 45). The word Luke uses for her kisses, kataphileo (say: kah-tah-fee-LEH-oh), means to kiss tenderly and again and again. Jesus said she “has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in” (7:45). Kissing someone's feet showed deep humility and honor.

Oil for the head. A little olive oil on the head refreshed a guest in a dry climate and honored him. Psalm 23:5 pictures God as the host who anoints His guest's head with oil.

Myron (7:37-38, 46). Jesus drew a sharp contrast in 7:46. Simon did not give plain olive oil for His head. She gave myron (say: MOO-rohn), costly perfumed oil, for His feet. Common oil was left out; precious perfume was poured out.

Not a rule broken. Simon did not break a law of Moses. These were customs, not commands. But they showed the heart. Simon's welcome was cool and careful; the woman's was warm and costly.

Why the difference? Jesus explained it Himself: “to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (7:47). Her welcome flowed from a heart that knew it had been forgiven much.

Honor that costs something. She did not give Jesus her leftovers. She gave Him her tears, her dignity and her most valuable possession.

Praise as an offering. We welcome Jesus today with worship and thanks: “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).

Application. Ask yourself what kind of welcome Jesus gets from you: polite and cool like Simon's, or warm like hers? Make your worship and thanks personal and costly, not just correct.

Tears at Jesus' Feet

☐

The woman never said a word at Simon's house, but her tears said a great deal. She “stood at His feet behind Him weeping” (Luke 7:38).

Enough tears to wash feet. Jesus told Simon, “she has washed My feet with her tears” (Luke 7:44). Simon gave no water, so her tears became the water.

Why she cried. Her tears most likely came from sorrow over her many sins and from love for the One who could forgive them. Both were in her heart at once.

Sorrow that runs to God. Being sorry for sin is good when it sends us to God. “So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful” (Joel 2:13). Rend means tear.

Not just a show. In Joel's day people tore their clothes to show sorrow. God wanted more than torn clothes. He wanted hearts that truly turned back to Him.

Toward Jesus, not away. Many people hide when they feel bad about sin. She came as close to Jesus as she could. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

God sees tears. When King Hezekiah was very sick, he wept and prayed. God sent him a message: He had heard his prayer and seen his tears (2 Kings 20:5).

Every tear counted. David wrote that God keeps track of his tears, as if He saved each one in a bottle (Psalm 56:8). Not one tear is forgotten.

Tears cannot pay. Her tears washed the dust off Jesus' feet, but they could not wash the sin out of her heart. Only Jesus could do that. He told her, “Your faith has saved you” (Luke 7:50).

Jesus did not scold her. He did not tell her to stop crying or to leave. He let her stay, and He spoke up for her in front of Simon (Luke 7:44-47).

From tears to peace. She came in weeping. She went out with Jesus' words, “Go in peace” (Luke 7:50). Jesus turned her sorrow into peace with God.

Joy in the morning. David wrote that weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Sorrow over sin does not have to last forever.

The last tears. One day, for everyone who belongs to Jesus, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17).

What we learn. Sorrow over sin is meant to bring us to Jesus. He does not push sorry people away. He forgives them and gives them peace.

What to do. When you feel sorry for something wrong you did, do not hide from God. Tell Jesus about it right away, and thank Him that He forgives.

Luke never records a single word from the woman. Her tears speak for her. She “stood at His feet behind Him weeping” (Luke 7:38), and her weeping was so free that it washed His feet (7:44).

Two things at once. Her tears most likely carried both grief over her sin and gratitude toward Jesus. Sorrow and love were not in competition; the deeper she saw her sin, the more she treasured the One who forgives.

Sorrow with a direction. “So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness” (Joel 2:13). Tearing clothes was the outward sign of grief. God asked for the inward reality: a heart torn open and turned back to Him.

Sorrow is not the goal. Feeling bad about sin is not the same as coming back to God. Sorrow is meant to move us somewhere. Hers moved her across Simon's floor to Jesus' feet.

Drawing near. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Shame pulls away from God; true sorrow comes closer. She stood as close to Jesus as she could.

God notices tears. God told the sick King Hezekiah that He had heard his prayer and seen his tears (2 Kings 20:5). David pictured God keeping his tears in a bottle and writing them in His book (Psalm 56:8).

Tears are not a payment. It would be easy to think she earned forgiveness by crying hard enough. Jesus says otherwise: “Your faith has saved you” (Luke 7:50). Tears can show a broken heart, but only Jesus can heal it and pay for sin.

Jesus received her tears. Simon was uncomfortable with her (7:39). Jesus was not. He let her weep at His feet and then defended her publicly (7:44-47).

From weeping to peace. The scene opens with weeping (7:38) and closes with “Go in peace” (7:50). Forgiveness changed the ending of her story.

Morning joy. David wrote that weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). For the forgiven, sorrow over sin is a night that ends in morning.

Every tear wiped away. The final promise is personal: “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17). The God who saw her tears at Simon's table will one day end all tears for His people.

Application. When the Holy Spirit makes you sorry for a sin, do not stay stuck in the sorrow or try to make up for it. Bring it to Jesus, confess it, and believe His word of forgiveness.

📖

Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.