Luke 7:44-50 – And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she has not stopped kissing My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” And He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” And then those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying to themselves, “Who is this Man who even forgives sins?” And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
There is a high probability that the woman in this story was Mary Magdalene in her first encounter with the Lord. Apparently she had seen Him minister in her home town possibly seeing some of the miracles that He performed, somehow she knew He was the one who would change her life. But it wasn’t the miracles that grabbed Mary’s attention, it was something she heard Jesus say. It may have been the paralyzed man or someone like him but Jesus clearly said, “Your sins are forgiven”. That statement is what grabbed Mary’s heart, maybe there was a chance for her, maybe her sins could be forgiven as well.
That was all Mary needed, her decision had been made. From that moment she determined to enter the Pharisee’s house where Jesus was having lunch and wash His feet with her oil. By the time she got to His feet her tears were flowing and she was caught up in His love. She knew it before He said it but she wanted to hear it anyway. That’s when she heard His unmistakeable voice, “Your sins are forgiven”. In that instant everything changed for Mary, she felt the darkness come out of her, being replaced by His unmistakeable love. This was the beginning of a new life for Mary. She had no choices to make, she was now a follower of Jesus.
Mary has become a picture to everyone throughout history for redemption. She had to tell her story, she would be telling her story the rest of her life. Her sins had been forgiven and she had received a brand new life.
