Jesus heals many and forgives sins

 Prayer Practice

Breath Prayer – Take 2-3 minutes today to pray a simple breath prayer. Get somewhere quiet and relaxing. Breathe in deeply, and then breathe out fully. As you breathe in, ask God to fill you with His presence, grace, love, peace, etc. Consider using the list of spiritual fruit in Galatians 5:22-23. As you breathe out, offer to God the things you need Him to take from you – sin, doubt, shame, anxiety, fear, etc. Pray this way for just a few minutes, trusting God to work, and then begin reading today’s Scripture.

DAILY READING

Luke 7

REFLECTION

At the Feet of Jesus

 by Kelsey Bacon

There is a lot going on in this chapter--a lot of healing, a lot of teaching from Jesus, overall just a lot of evidence of his Lordship, of his identity as the Son of God. But there's one story that I want to focus on today, mostly because it just strikes me in the heart every time I read it. It's the story of the woman with the alabaster jar.

This woman came to Jesus--bravely, I might add, as she interrupted his time with one of the Pharisees. She came to him, broken, emotionally distraught over her own sin, overwhelmed by his glory, by his goodness. And she offered to him what little she had: her tears, her hair, her precious perfume, her heart. And Jesus saw what deep love, what deep humility and gratitude she felt.

I am in awe of both the woman and of Jesus in this moment. I am in awe of the woman for her humility, for her own recognition of the sin in her life and the way that she lays herself down at Jesus' feet and just gives everything to him, knowing that that is a better option than the life she's had. And I am in awe of Jesus for immediately seeing her heart. In verse 47 Jesus says, "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--as her great love has shown." I marvel at the deep love, humility, and openness the woman shows to him, and I marvel at the tender care, heart, and forgiveness that Jesus gives her.

This story always just makes me want to fall at the feet of Jesus. There is a song by the Christian band Rend Collective called Alabaster that beautifully sums up the way I feel when reading this story. As you reflect further today, give the song a listen and reflect on the lyrics:

I am broken at Your feet
Like an alabaster jar
Every piece of who I am
Laid before Your majesty

I will bow my life
At Your feet, at Your feet
My lips, so lost for words
Will kiss Your feet, kiss Your feet

Oh, the gravity of You
Draws my soul unto its knees
I will never be the same, no
I am lost and found in You

I will bow my life
At Your feet, at Your feet
My lips, so lost for words
Will kiss Your feet, kiss Your feet

Just Say the Word

In his bestselling book, Love Does, Bob Goff tells the comical and profound story of how he got into law school. (All of his stories are comical and profound, actually.) Concluding an underwhelming undergraduate experience, Bob decided he wanted to become a lawyer. Naive to the rigor of the entrance exam, however, he underprepared in his studies and then underachieved on the test. He received no law school offers. Not one. And this is where his story gets amazing. Determined, Bob appealed to a law school dean, who refused him and kindly ushered him toward the door. There was a bench outside his office, however, so five days before classes were to start, Bob resolved to park himself there daily and petition the dean every time he walked by. “I knew he had the power to let me in,” writes Bob, “All he had to do was say the words, ‘Go get your books.’”¹ So, there Bob sat, appealing to the dean until, five days after school began, the dean stopped, looked him in tUIKeyInputDownArrowhe eye and said, “Go get your books.”

We’ve seen this play before. His servant near death, a Roman centurion sent Jewish elders to ask Jesus to heal him. As Jesus neared his house, the commander sent friends to Him with this message: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof . . . But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”²

Now, the gospels are full of miracles that left the crowds surprised, astonished, and amazed. But this encounter with the centurion is the only time we find Jesus, himself, impressed to the point of amazement. For here was one who saw Jesus as more than a last resort, more than a desperate hope, and even more than a miracle worker. Like the law school wannabe, the centurion understood and respected the power of authority, aligned himself with the truth of the matter, and then placed his confidence squarely and entirely in the One in whom exists authority over all things—“Say the word.”

Yes, Lord, say the word.

Father, forgive me for the times I approach you in doubt or disrespect. You are the God of the universe, and your authority is absolute. Grace me to see you for who you are, to humble myself before you, and to trust entirely in your wisdom, power, and love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Christ in me is confidence.

¹ Bob Goff, Love Does, (Nashville, Tennessee: Nelson Books), p 42.
² Luke 7:6-8

[Click here to read today’s Scripture, Luke 7:1-10.]