Thursday
08-13-2026
By: Brenda
“The Worship of a Forgiven Woman”
In the Gospel accounts, there is a moment so tender and so bold that it stirs something within my heart.
Jesus is reclining at the table in the home of a Pharisee, one of the religious law‑keepers who believed righteousness came from strict obedience and outward holiness.
These men were confident in their own goodness, satisfied with their own works, and unaware of how deeply they needed mercy.
Into that room steps a woman.
Not a woman with a polished reputation. Not a woman admired by society.
Most even believe she had lived an immoral life, perhaps even a prostitute.
But she had already encountered Jesus somewhere before this moment.
She had already been seen by Him.
Truly seen.
She had already tasted the compassion that flowed from His eyes into her soul.
She had already been received, honored, and restored by the One who never turns away the broken.
Her response was not measured or polite.
It was abandonment the kind that only comes from someone who knows how much they have been forgiven.
She brought an alabaster jar filled with perfume worth nearly a year’s wages.
And she broke it open. She poured it lavishly upon Jesus feet. And she wept, letting her tears fall like worship.
She then wiped Jesus feet with her hair.
It was extravagant. It was humble.
And it was wholehearted devotion.
The Pharisees could not understand her worship because they did not understand their own need.
They believed they were righteous already. They believed they were whole already.
But this woman knew the truth about herself. The truth about her sin. The truth about her failures. And the truth about her past. And she knew the truth about Jesus, her Messiah, her righteousness, and her new identity.
This is where every one of us must come.
Come to the place where we stop trying to be “good enough.”
Come to the place where we see our need for the righteousness that only comes from Jesus.
Come to the place where worship becomes the overflow of a forgiven heart.
When we see Him rightly, and when we see ourselves honestly, we are set free to love Him with the same abandonment she did.
This story is found in:
Luke 7:36–50, Matthew 26:6–13,
Mark 14:3–9 or John 12:1–8.
Each account shows us a Savior who receives sinners, restores dignity, and calls us righteous. Not because of our works, but because of His blood.
And God loves us so much, He gave His only begotten Son ❤️
Dear Father in heaven,
Thank You for seeing us the way Jesus saw that woman, past the shame, past the failures, and past the labels.
Thank You for the mercy that meets us in our need and the righteousness that comes only through Your Son.
Teach us to worship with the same freedom she had, not holding anything back.
Let Your love heal what is wounded, restore what is broken, and awaken a deeper devotion within us.
May we praise You according to Your righteousness, and we lift our hearts in worship and praise.
In Your Son’s precious name, Amen.
Have a blessed day
God loves you ❤️
and so do I ❤️