Luke 7:38
And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
At a meal Jesus accepted at Simon the Pharisee's house, Mary Magdalene stood behind Him at His feet weeping, washed His feet with her tears, wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed them, and anointed them with costly ointment. Her tears and humble service expressed repentance and grief for sin with loving devotion, gratitude, honor and appreciation for His pardoning mercy in rescuing her from despair and sin. Receiving forgiveness with gratitude produces love and heartfelt courtesy, so that the one forgiven much loves much and love for Christ grows with a clear sense of sin and deliverance. Her devotion stands against Simon's self-righteous failure to show Jesus due respect and love, for he did not recognize his own sin, neglect, unbelief and great debt nor value Christ as she did, until Jesus' patient kindness led him to see it and touched his heart. Jesus in merciful welcome accepted her gift without condemning her, showing compassion toward women and readiness to help all who trust in Him, unlike the strictness of the Pharisees who condemned Him for acting outside their ideas of proper conduct. Her washing, wiping and anointing remains an example of footwashing as a gospel duty and order, even of sisters washing the feet of brethren, which humbles the one who serves and glorifies God when done as a duty He lays upon her, with understanding and without making it a tedious ceremony.
Setting and Humble Devotion
The scene belongs to the feast at Simon's house. It was a meal Jesus accepted at a Pharisee's invitation. He made that meal and the personal encounter there an occasion to teach those around Him, speaking truth with tact so as to touch the heart. Through that encounter He reached the people present and opened to them spiritual riches.
The woman is Mary, Mary Magdalene. She stood behind Jesus at His feet weeping, and began to wash His feet with her tears. She wiped them with the hairs of her head, kissed them, and anointed them with ointment. That ointment was a costly gift, tenderly bestowed.
Her tears flowed from humility, repentance, grief, and loving devotion. By them she expressed love and gratitude, honor and appreciation, for His pardoning mercy and His work for her. She had been rescued by Christ from despair and sin. Through His grace she had overcome and had drawn near to Him in fellowship and service.
Forgiveness, Contrast and Example
Receiving forgiveness with gratitude produces love and heartfelt courtesy, expressed in humble acts of washing feet with tears, wiping them with hair, kissing them, and anointing them with ointment and costly gift. The one forgiven much loves much, and the one forgiven more loves more. Love for Christ grows with a clear awareness of sin and gratitude for deliverance, as sorrowful repentance and tears show love for Jesus.
Her devotion contrasts with Simon's failure to show Jesus the respect and love due to a Benefactor who had shown him mercy. Simon the Pharisee thought he loved Jesus, but in self-righteousness he did not recognize his own sin, neglect, unbelief and great debt, nor value Christ as she did in her humility and repentance. Jesus' patient kindness led Simon to recognize his neglect, unbelief, and great debt to his Lord, touching his heart to change.
Jesus is compassionate toward women and ready to help those who trust in Him, as seen in forgiving Mary Magdalene amid her grief and gratitude while she wept at His feet, wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them. He accepted her gift in merciful, welcoming conduct without condemning her or her action, showing her appreciation of His work for her. This was unlike the self-righteous strictness of the Pharisees, who condemned Him for acting outside their ideas of proper conduct.
Her act of washing, wiping and anointing is an example of a woman washing a man's feet and supports footwashing as a gospel duty and gospel order. Sisters washing the feet of brethren is according to that order. Such service can humble the one who performs it and glorify God when done as a duty God lays upon her, and it should be carried out with understanding and without making it a tedious ceremony.