CONNECTING POINT: Party Crasher

It’s almost summer, the weather is getting nice, and it’s time for some outdoor BBQ. Maybe your plans include inviting guests for a meal and conversation in the weeks ahead? Last week, we had two separate occasions like this with friends and family, which was very enjoyable.

Have you ever had an unannounced guest or party crasher show up at your home? Dinner can get quite awkward, can’t it? Certainly, being hospitable is challenging if this occurs.

In Luke chapter 7, we see a rather interesting setting where Jesus had a dinner invite from a Pharisee named Simon. During this meeting, a “questionable” lady shows up on the scene and interrupts their visit by sitting at the feet of Jesus, sobbing, and washing his feet. Didn’t she knock, or better yet, who invited her to the party? She had no manners, and her reputation spoke volumes to those in attendance. However, Jesus flipped the scene into a lesson on grace and truth.

As Americans, we are accustomed to a far different setting than the first century Jew, we generally have dinner in closed settings with specific guests, often greeting people at the door with a handshake. The typical backyard BBQ or special dinner. An occasion like this in Jesus’ day looked much different; their homes included an open-air setting where most meals were shared. Upon arrival, guests would be customarily offered a wash basin where a servant would wash and anoint their feet with oil, mostly due to the hot, dry, and dirty roads. Guests would sit at a low table at an angle with their feet facing outwards. Quite the contrast to “Billy, sit up to the table, keep your feet forward, don’t kick your siblings’ feet, and please no elbows on the table.”

As special guests attended meals in the Middle East, it was quite common to see an open-door policy; neighbors could join and sit in on the conversations. In our culture, we are more private, don’t you think? All of this helps us better understand the setting of Luke 7.

“When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner,’” (Luke 7:36-39).

The only party the woman was crashing was Simon’s; he, like most Pharisees, looked for an opportunity to cast light onto Jesus negatively. On the other hand, Jesus took no offense to this woman, most likely a prostitute, touching his feet. Her motives were purely honest; she was aware of all that Jesus was doing in the region and sought Him out because she recognized her sin. Simon was indignant and prideful, failing to see his sin. Jesus

demonstrated that lost people are to be engaged, not marginalized. The text reveals that true motivation matters most to God. We, too, should always examine our motives in sincerity and honesty.