Grateful Love

Sunday Service

Grateful Love

Luke 7:36-50

THEME:  This is one of the most moving stories in the New Testament that should heighten our gratitude for the forgiveness God has provided us though His Son Jesus Christ. There is a similar story recorded in Matthew, Mark, and John where Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, anointed Jesus’ feet with oil in Bethany just days before His crucifixion. But Luke’s account of a nameless woman anointing Jesus’ feet during a dinner at Simon the Pharisee’s house is clearly unique. The language he used to describe the woman in this story along with the overall sense of this passage has led commentators to conclude that she was a prostitute; a woman of the streets with a sordid past and a sleazy reputation. She was likely considered the town tramp… until she met Jesus. Her unforgettable encounter with Him can be broken into SIX SECTIONS:

1. THE INVITATION (v. 36)

2. THE INTRUSION (vv. 37-38)

3. THE INDIGNATION (v. 39)

4. THE INTERROGATION (vv. 40-43)

5. THE INSINUATION (vv. 44-47)

6. THE INDUCTION (vv. 48-50)

Thank God for forgiving your many sins. Ask Him that grateful love for all Christ has done to save you would be your ultimate motive for obeying and serving Him. Ask Him to increase your burden for lost sinners like the woman in this story and to give you opportunities to share Christ with them.