The Woman Who Let Down Her Hair [Part 1]

Pastor Arthur and Bible teacher Alan writing something extraordinary happened suddenly becomes unthinking and unconcerned about the appearances with others. She's already been scored and ostracized by the side now. Time and all that matters for her is the love that she has Christ.

She comes a picture of what the Jewish people had been taught from the beginning.

Love God with all your heart, mind and soul and strength.

That's faster welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life for no hold. I'm excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series titled God used to and you may just be surprised as presented at red Knoll. The church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Reich Minister as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer.

Contact us at pastor@an.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright are you ready for some good news.

Jesus sees you and sees you for who you are created to be. He sees you as someone who has been forgiven and him. He's easy for your future past and we can see Jesus and as we see Jesus for who he really is. We love him and we love him more and more were sorry that I knew series I really enthralled by this study. Some have never done before.

It's a study of the unheralded women in the work, recalling hidden jewels and stories of women that are seldom remembered. They are not necessary even highlighted in the Scripture. Some of them are unnamed. Some would've been overlooked in their own society and some are just obscure figures in the work and yet I'll see and will be demonstrating that the gospel is on display in the lives of these women. So with that seasonally year were usually will do a character study all the way through someone's life. But today, I wish our series on hidden jewels. The unheralded women in the word and today we start with what is one the most beautiful stories in the whole Bible. It's in Luke chapter 7 and is verse 36 Luke chapter 7 and you can join me there in verse 36 when the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went to the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table to hold a woman of the city was a center where she learned that he was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house brought an alabaster flask of ointment and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment, the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself. If this man were a prophet he would have known who and what sort of woman. This is and who was touching him for she is a center and Jesus answering said to him. Simon, I have something to say the answer say it teacher a certain moneylender had two debtors, one owned owed 509 and the other 50 oh when they could not pay.

Cancel the debt of both now which of them will love him more Simon answer the one I suppose, for whom he cancel the larger debt and he said you judge rightly, then turning to the woman he said to Simon, do you see this woman, I entered your house, you getting a water for my feet, but she's wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You give me but the time I came in and she's not ceased to kiss my feet is not known my head with oil, but she's anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much but he was forgiven little loves little. I sent her your sins are forgiven than those who are table with him again to say among themselves who is this who even forgives sins and he said to the woman, your faith has saved you go in peace things. One was beautiful stories I've ever heard and this text by the way, is going to be the foundation of what we call our New Year's blessing to come in a couple weeks from here.

I think there's some beautiful words of the Lord has for us. Quite relevant for us today and there's so much in the story is so rich are so laden with layers of beauty and wonder in worship and the picture of the gospel is almost hard to choose where to where to focus our attention is understood living in this story immersed in it.

I think here's what I want to point out to you in this story is how much it is laden with irony. The literary device called irony is simply a device wherein in the theater, the cinema or in literature, the reader or the audience knows more than the characters do and because you know more than the characters do, it can create an angst in you, though.

Though the audience the reader because your yearning. Your longing for the character to know what you know and that's the kind of story we have here. There is a great example of this coming fresh off of our annual watching of being Crosby's famous the white Christmas movie and it's a story.

If by chance you're from Mars and are not familiar with white Christmas of thought to entertainers in the Army, Bob Wallace and his buddy Phil Davis that are entertaining for the troops in 1944 in Europe and part of the tribute, they have is to their general Waverley general Waverley, who is retiring well after they get home from the war Wallace and Davis become an amazing entertainment do become famous all over the nation and one evening they meet to sisters Judy and Betty were also entertainers and Phil has eyes for Judy.

But Bob is really smitten with Betty.

They end up making their way to Vermont to the Columbia in where the sister supposed to be performing and when they get there. Imagine their absolute shock when Wallace and Davis discover that the end is owned by none other than their old Maj. Gen. Thomas Waverley. The problem is that there's a warm spell in Vermont so there's no snow. There's no skiers and nobody at the end and Bob realizes that there is a great financial strain on his old Hon. Gen. and so he concocts this plan that he is going to contact his buddy Ed Harrison is got a national TV show anything ago on the show is unified everybody from the hundred 51st division used to serve under general Waverley, Vermont and I got put on a big spectacular show. Well is examine this conversation on the phone with Ed Harrison dreaming up this plan. The nosy eavesdropping housekeeper listens into part of the phone call and she hears Ed Harrison the talkshow host say what we make it all schmaltzy and will play it up real big about the general and awkward boxes. No I don't want any personal gain out of this. I wanted to be a business thing is not to give us publicity. I just want to honor him. But unfortunately, housekeeper only heard part of the conversation and she went and told Betty what she heard. Will Betty is suddenly disillusioned with Bob and so Bob and and Betty had become drawn together they'd shared some evening snacks, midnight snacks in the chair to cast but now suddenly she's grown totally cold towards him and he doesn't know why she thinks that she sees something bad about Bob, but is based on this information and so she leaves Vermont Bob tries to get her back and she doesn't come back until she's watching that Harrison show when Bob makes his appearance, and when he does she realize that Bob wasn't trying to use the general for some kind of gain. He really was in a most noble way. At personal financial calls and personal sacrifice.

He was really wanting to honor this general and a beautiful way when she sees Bob for who he really is. She falls in love with him more than she was in the first place. She comes back. The reunited they put on the big show everybody from the 51st division comes and they honor the general and as they finish out the evening of Christmas Eve. It begins to snow and there'll be a white Christmas and skiing.

After all, and Vermont is such a beautiful story and is a story that is an example of irony where you're watching this movie and you're just sitting there going. She doesn't really see Bob for who he really is. If she could see him for who he really is. She would realize that he is far more noble than she ever even dream to believe that he could possibly be, and when she does see Bob finally and irony is resolved then she falls in love with him in a deeper way. The reason that story comes to mind is because that's the way it is with the gospel and I think that's the way this was so many people in our culture today that there is a whole lot of people grew up in the church had a sense of a love for God that have fallen away, and as they have heard many things about Christianity or about God or about about what they call religion may have fallen away from a sense of belief or honor or love for God. Based on this information, but if those people who have fallen away, are touched by God and come to understand the lavish forgiveness of God and the love of God and what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. When you discover that and you really see God for who he is, then you can't help yourself, but you have an affection for God that grows to a point that was greater than it ever was when you had only a more narrow understanding of him challenge right will have more teaching moment. Today's important series that you believe my experience in high with the left but not of myself as a love story from beginning to end spiritual bride of Christ, the perfect bike. The Bible tells that this kind when you walk with any man who is fallen in love with a woman tasted the sweetness of God's love for you this night pretty woman who searched for 25 inches long and fully doctor the five love languages size incredible reality that God pursues us in life comes to a number of myself ancient biblical accounts explode in the high except high's proposal and showing his embrace raveling after the match made in heaven, lover of my soul stealing things from our night ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor.like today's teaching now continues here once again is this story that we have today is one that is just laden with this same kind of irony in which we see that this Pharisee thinks he knows about the woman and thinks he knows about Jesus. But what we realizes he doesn't know anything at all and you left longing for him to see Jesus for who he really is, is this woman who actually does. Just envision the scene with me because the story is so beautiful, but you have to understand a few things about the Middle Eastern setting in which it was taking place. Or you can get an accurate picture of what is going on in this story Jesus has become a well-known new rabbi in the area. That's the way he's viewed a teacher, a spiritual leader, and there are many people that are following him and so he is becoming famous and so would've not been surprising that a local religious leader of Pharisee's name that he's given here Simon not to be confused with the course. The fisherman disciple, Simon Peter, but a Pharisee here named Simon, and he's invited Jesus to come over to have a meal at his at his home and so it begins with this. This Pharisee wants to see Jesus wants to see him has them over to his house. Now they wouldn't seat at a table. The way we do in Western culture where you put your feet up under the table. Nobody speed is under table here is that there is a low table and they would lie either on like blankets on the ground or low-lying couches and one elbow is propped up like this and you eat with the other. So you reclined your your line down on your side with your elbow and your feet extended back away from the table. This custom sages can envision a table you know how many guests were at the table with her could been a number of guests probably a pretty affluent man and maybe a number of yes and all interested in visiting with Jesus and Simon the Pharisees there, and Jesus is there and he's reclining is are always guess maybe just envision. However, many are their faces towards the table, lying down, feet behind them also interesting in this culture would not of been uncommon for the meal to be and held in a courtyard and there would be people. It was understood to be acceptable.

People who were not invited to the dinner feast who would, nonetheless, in looking through the windows or even mill around behind the feet of those guess so in some sense, this meal had also a public nature to it, that would be some that would make sense to us, but that was a way to custom so there would been servants that could have been going around the perimeter. Behind the feet of the people and they would be serving the meal and there could have been some others uninvited guests that were there just listening in on the conversation. It been many people because they were curious as to what this new rabbi might have to say. At the dinner table were in the course of the evening a woman comes in who is evidently recognized by Lee Simon is not a number of people as someone who had a reputation as having been a sinful woman were not told what the nature of her sin is most have speculated that she was a prostitute were not told that it could be could meet some other sin, but this was the case for sin was renowned and she was viewed and labeled as a sinner, she was looked upon in this way, she was someone whose past had defined her in the eyes of other people. She came into the room and she stood behind Jesus and she had a mission.

She had a plan in mind. She had come there for a purpose.

The text says that she came with an alabaster jar of perfume. It was probably the type of alabaster perfume bottle that women sometimes would wear around their neck as not just so much in adornment as they would a perfume and the alabaster was soft and you could carve out these out of alabaster simply and it would usually have, according to ancient artifacts.

We found it have a long thin neck so perfume and ointment wouldn't just flow out of it was probably more of a thicker appointment but very aromatic and so it was if she had been a prostitute, then this would have been a symbol of what made her alluring but are we again we don't know that what we know is that it was costly. This would not of been an inexpensive item. She brought it and she brought it for the purpose of anointing Jesus's feet and so she brought what was probably the most expensive thing is she own and she came in to this dinner setting and she came around again behind where Jesus was reclining as she stood there and she think had made a plan to anoint his feet as an expression of her love and gratitude towards him whatever had happened in her previous encounters with Jesus the text make this clear. She had already been forgiven and she already had an encounter with Jesus and so something extraordinary had happened in her heart and we don't know exactly what sometimes when you meet Jesus. Sometimes when you have an encounter with God. There is something that takes place in the in most secret place of your heart and you know it and other people wouldn't ever be able to completely relate to it, but something that happened inside of her. This woman who maybe had been shamed all of her life maybe had been rejected or ostracized had only been labeled as a sinner.

All of her life. She had had an encounter with Jesus and what she experienced his mercy and she tasted and seen that the Lord is good. And when you have had so much hurt and so much pain in your life and someone has loved you in the way that Jesus had loved her. She came to show her gratitude and to show her affection and she stood behind him and as she stood behind him. She began, something happened and her plan went awry. I think she began to weep. Mrs. Whetten and she must've wet so profusely that even if she looked down, I imagine that she was just beginning to bend over like this in her sobs. Her tears because as you begin to get over gravity begins is pulling her tears down and she realizes she looked down that her tears had come down and fall in upon Jesus's feet and made his feet wet and now his feet, which were dusty, had now become muddy with her tears and so spontaneously without thought she just bends down all the way and she gets down into the dust herself and having no servants towel with which to draw office be or to clean his feet off instead. She is continuing to weep out of affection and love of the son of God and so she does something that no Jewish woman would've done that day. She takes her hair and she she uncovers and she let sit down because she needs to use something as a towel and she could she wipe's is his feet and dries them off with her hair and and then she takes this this perfume and I think that this sheet she wants to pour it out quickly upon and there's no way to get it quickly out this this balm is aromatic perfume, and so I think she breaks open the thin neck of the alabaster jar she spilled it all out upon Jesus feet is absolutely beautiful picture of unbridled worship and adoration of the son of God that I just will pause here to say that this is the picture of the heart of the Christian who understands what Jesus has done for giving his life for us. It is the fuel of the passion of our lives that we are filled with the meditation of Christ and what is done think much of Jesus and what is done for you, you want everything ordered in your life, you want everything directed towards Christ you want to have more love in your heart for the son of God. Didn't think much of the greatness of his mercy, something extraordinary happens in this woman where she suddenly becomes unthinking and unconcerned about the appearances with others. She's already been scored and ostracized by the society. But now it is as though she is frozen in time and all that matters to her is the love that she has for Christ. She becomes a picture of what the Jewish people had been taught from the beginning. Love God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength is a picture of love for God and meanwhile Simon the Pharisee who has invited Jesus and has had this feast.

He begins thinking to himself. He's inside his thoughts doesn't say it out loud is thinking to himself.

Jesus if he knew what sort of woman and says he would rebuke her but obviously he doesn't know who she is because he's letting her do this and therefore he concludes Jesus is no profit at all, and in the midst of Simon having these thoughts. Jesus gets a word of knowledge of the Holy Spirit. He understands and sees into the thoughts I find I don't think Jesus just walked around the is the son of God and necessarily knew whatever I was thinking all the time but sometimes he clearly did because he was full of the Holy Spirit without measure is God himself, and he knew of this incident was I was thinking so we told them this parable and that's today's thinking the woman who let down her here. It's from the series used to God used unheralded women in astonishing ways. We got more coming in just a moment with Alan back here in the studio. Additional insight on this teaching for your life. In today's final word. Glad you heard about it with you.

You believed in mind my experience it in the hybrid Alan my left buttock lover myself as a love story from beginning to end spiritual bride of Christ, the perfect bike. The Bible tells that this kind moms are the links to walk with for any man who is gonna member the woman tasted the sweet love for your site pretty woman who searched for 25 inches long and fully gauge my doctor. The five love languages size incredible reality that God pursues us in life comes to an F myself ancient biblical accounts explode in the high except high's proposal and showing his embrace raveling after the match made in heaven, lover of my soul. We missed you as I think some Alan Knight ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website past Rowan.like excited to bring the series update unit today, first broadcast first teaching of this in the first half of the woman who let down her hair and where we start to really pay attention. Sometimes you have these moments in Scripture that you don't overlook you don't want to miss these moments that is so that astonishing you know is you start looking at some of the women that you got used in remarkable ways that really unheralded when Bella called her names coming out, you know who the great no memorable characters David and Moses yeah yeah and and some of the some of the women that that are so notable to us but never heard of the daughters of the love I had. What about pool and shift the about them and an unnamed woman that let down here and this is the focus of this month and you look at the gospel on display in some of the characters you like to skip right over the boy to see beauty and richness of God's grace.

Today's good news message is a listener supported production Alan White ministries