Cultivating Thankfulness

As I was reading Luke 7 this morning, particularly the story of the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her hair, I was inclined to do some comparisons. Of myself to the characters in the text. I know that they say you shouldn’t compare yourself to other people, but I am not sure that in all circumstances “they” are right.

There is the Pharisee. In Christianese “Pharisee” means bad, hard-hearted, self-righteous. All qualities one would like to avoid. Indeed this Pharisee, Simon by name, was rather judgmental both toward the sinful woman doing absolutely disgraceful things and toward Jesus for not understanding the kind of woman she was. Judging others is a well-known Pharisaical trait. He did have at least one redeeming quality – he was hospitable. Kind of. He didn’t wash his guests feet, didn’t greet Jesus with a kiss or anoint his head. But at least he had a dinner party and had Jesus over.

Then there is the woman. She wets Jesus feet with her tears and wipes them with her tears. She anoints his feet with costly oil. She shows some rather extravagant devotion to him which, to be fair, would certainly make me uncomfortable if it were to happen at my dinner table.

Jesus knows Simon is put out by all this and tells him he has something to say. This is one of the best things about Jesus here. His comment to Simon that he has something to tell him is really a gracious way of asking Simon, “Permission to speak frankly?” Simon gives the go-ahead. And what follows is a simple illustration. Those who have been forgiven much love much. Those who have been forgiven little…

So here is where the comparison starts. Am I more like Simon, respectable and hospitable to a point, or am I more like this woman who shows this extravagant devotion to Jesus? To be frank, I fall into the former category. I am a thrower of dinner parties, not a feet anointer. Which makes me then ask, do I think I have been forgiven little and therefore love so feebly?

Pray that the Holy Spirit would kindle thankfulness in our hearts. Not long after reading this text, I was praying the general thanksgiving from Morning Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer. This is the pertinent section that caught me:

And, we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful; and that we show forth thy praise not only with our lips but in our lives,

Open our eyes to see the extent of your mercy in our lives, that we, who have been forgiven more than we think, might love more than we do.