Normal Extravagant Worship
The words normal and extravagant don't necessarily seem like they go together. I like putting them together. They seem to beautifully collide in the story of a woman, sinful like you and I, who blesses Jesus. The story is in the bible book of Luke chapter 7 verses 36-50.
Jesus has been invited to dinner at a very religious man's house. Religious in this case means more concerned about rules and regulations than relationship. This woman, who is known around town as a sinful woman probably because she sells her body for money as a prostitute, here's that Jesus is at this man's house.She then PREPARES and MOVES.
This is what I want to say with these words today. Simple. Beautiful. Words. She wants to be with Jesus. She wants to be with Him. She wants Him. Whooaaa Damon, simmer down now. You're getting a little racy. Nope. She wants to be with Jesus, desperately.
The custom of the day in this dusty, dry climate was to offer your house guests some normal but kind welcomes as one would enter a home. Dusty feet would be offered a washing with fresh water. A cheek would be kissed with a glad welcome. Dry skin from dry dusty earth would be given oil for moisturizing.
As Jesus enters this man's home, the man offers no water, no kiss, no oil. NO WELCOME! Jesus was right there in his home, but there was NO WELCOME.
As this needy woman enters this home at great risk of ridicule and rejection from her town reputation, she drops to her knees near Jesus. How do we know this. Because in the bible book of Luke chapter 7 verse 38 it tells us that she began to wet Jesus' feet with her tears, she wiped those feet with her hair, and poured perfume on them also. You can't get hair to feet without dropping to your knees.
The tear wetting and hair wiping is a normal, extravagant welcome.
The kissing of His feet is normal, extravagant intimacy.
The perfume anointing is a normal, extravagant offering.
Altogether, they form a picture of a desperate woman offering Jesus normal, extravagant worship. Normal because HE IS WORTH IT ALL! Extravagant because she's needy and blessed all at the same time! She wanted to be near Jesus. She was desperate for Him. And she didn't care if she looked like a fool around anyone else because Jesus was the audience for her normal, extravagant worship. Ahhhh. Let this pour over you. Let this picture move you to love Jesus with abandon because beneath all of the stuff that you have packed around your heart to make yourself presentable and comfortable, you know how desperate you really are for Jesus. He loves it. He loves you. He welcomes you!
You welcome Him. He welcomes you. Amazing.
And so back to that beginning thought. This beautiful, needy woman PREPARED and MOVED. She purposely got a jar of perfume worth a years salary (prepared) and went to where Jesus was to show Him how much she loved Him and wanted Him (moved). What about you and me? How are we preparing for Jesus and moving towards Him?
Don't settle for thinking that we can't do that.
There's more.