Embrace Your Brokenness

Which woman in the Bible do you most identify with? If I’m being totally honest—which I am because we’re friends here, and that’s what friends do—I wish I could say I embody the fierce leadership of the judge and prophet Deborah. I’d love to say I have the courage of Queen Esther, the loyalty of Ruth, and the work ethic of Martha, but that wouldn’t be true.

Do you know who I identify with the most? The woman in Luke who showed up at a dinner party with Jesus and some Pharisees, the one who smashed an alabaster flask of fragrant oil and washed Jesus’ feet with her tear-soaked hair.

Think about this scenario. It’d be something if it happened today. But in biblical times, to say this behavior was wild would be a complete understatement.

This would have been culturally unacceptable behavior for a man, but it was punishable for a woman and definitely unpardonable for a woman of her reputation. (Luke 7:37 says the woman was known to have a “sinful” reputation, which was a code word for scandalous.) This unnamed woman knew the risk of what she was doing. She counted the cost, and she decided it was worth the danger if it meant getting close to Jesus.

The party was full of religious men who knew her reputation. Surrounded by her accusers, she dared to approach Jesus. I imagine her with her head hung low, carrying the most valuable thing that belonged to her, painfully aware of her brokenness as she burst open the alabaster flask of fragrant oil. Overcome by emotion, she knelt before Jesus, weeping, wetting His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them repeatedly, and poured perfume on them (Luke 7:38).

How often are we like this unnamed woman? When we know we’ve made a mistake, we fall at the feet of our Savior, overwhelmed with what we’ve done, doing what little we can to honor Him with the little we have left. If you and I were sitting in the same room right now, you would see me raise my hand because that’s been me so many times.

But that’s not where the story ends. The gathering was hosted by a Pharisee named Simon, who was curious about Jesus yet suspicious of Him. When Jesus had arrived earlier that night, Simon didn’t greet Him with a customary kiss. He didn’t anoint Jesus’ head with oil or offer Jesus any water so He could wash His feet. Simon’s behavior was an intentional diss in this context—and Jesus called out Simon’s disrespect by contrasting his behavior with the sinful woman’s selfless act of courage.

When you’re at your lowest, when you feel like you’re broken beyond repair, Jesus is there to put you back together. It’s only when you’re intimately aware of your need for forgiveness and choose to embrace your brokenness that you’re able to experience the fullness of His love.

-Cass

Reflection Questions

1. Have you ever had a moment when you felt as though you were beyond repair, either because something happened to you or because you did something you felt you couldn’t fix?
2. Read Luke 7:36-50. How does it feel to know that Jesus sees your deepest pain and biggest mistakes and doesn’t condemn you for them? That He forgives you when you come to Him?