Join us this Sunday as we continue with the theme “The Good News Is...”

 

When Jesus sits at Simon’s dinner in the Bible's Luke 7:36–50 (read here), the room is full of judgment as a woman with a bad reputation approaches. Simon and the others see a problem to avoid. Jesus sees a person. He sees a woman carrying sinfulness, pain, regret, but also hope into the room. She pours perfume and washes his feet, an act that shocks everyone! Her devotion comes from a heart that knows what forgiveness feels like. Jesus invites Simon and the guests to slow down, look again, and recognize that love can appear in ways that unsettle their assumptions.

 

That same challenge is alive in our world today. We move fast, form opinions quickly, and often size people up before we know anything about their story. It is easy to focus on someone’s mistakes, their rough edges, or the parts of their life that do not fit our expectations. Jesus calls us to see with a different lens. He points to a woman who expresses devotion with courage and vulnerability, and he reminds us that love is not measured by appearance or achievement. It is measured by the willingness to give her whole self to God.

 

In our daily lives, this kind of love rarely makes headlines. It looks like choosing compassion when someone’s behavior is frustrating. It looks like offering presence to a friend who feels invisible. It looks like honoring the dignity of people who have been written off by others. When we love God with everything we have, it reshapes how we see the people around us. We begin to notice beauty where others see failure, potential where others see limits, and humanity where others see labels.

 

The woman in this story teaches us that love rooted in gratitude can break through the hardest social walls. Jesus teaches us that seeing people through God’s eyes is not optional for us. It is the center of the greatest commandment: “Love God and Love One Another.”