Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Only a couple minutes to say GOOD MORNING, dear ones.
Becki and I did our walk/jog, then drove into town still wearing out jog togs, and had a simple breakfast at Cindy’s Café. Good. Then we did a brief inspection of the back yard of some friends for the purpose of calculating the logistics of using my crane truck to lift and place one our shed modules over their fence and into their yard. Piece of cake.
I’ve already done a small mill job for a couple that called for some unique cuts in their cedar pieces to achieve their creative objectives. They departed as happy as giddy kids.
After some lunch, I plan to do a little run to Eagle Creek to check out some logs a guy wants to consider milling up for his barn building and repair projects. Beside doing more milling in the afternoon, we expect Andy and gang to come for a visit. Full day.
Blessings on yours. Love, Dad/Ray.
The Bible constantly reveals the tension and contrast between two basic kinds of people. They are the enlightened and the unenlightened. We could also borrow from Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians and call them the spiritual and the natural. That contrast is shown here as well. The woman is spiritually enlightened in ways we are not clearly told and follows her compelling urge to express her love, gratitude, and surrender by tears and sacrifice. The Pharisee, on the other hand, although he poses as a “spiritual leader,” is really a natural man and “does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1Corinthians 2:14). (See also Romans 8:5-8.) He is, therefore, quite irritated with this whole display of this woman of disrepute coming in and carrying on the way she was. It seemed to him to be not only foolish but wrong. Nor do unregenerate people of today understand or appreciate sincere believers becoming so passionate in their faith and worship that they display emotions and WEEP. They are very inclined to write off all such things as so much hyped-up nonsense. Although hype for hype’s sake becomes that—nonsense—a profound lesson remains in the fact that Jesus approves of the repentant woman and reprimands the self-righteous Pharisee. Please pay attention.
I observe that this woman is giving a kind of practical demonstration of Jesus’ teaching in the previous chapter—6:20-23. Read it again. There is indication there that WEEPING is a very proper and legitimate expression of worship, repentance, and love on the part of the spiritually enlightened. (See also Psalm 126:5-6; Jeremiah 9:1;14:17; 31:15-16; Acts 20:19,31; 2 Corinthians 2:4.)
It is certainly not my intention to be inflicting discomfort, but if my handling of this passage is appropriate, perhaps we would do well to ask ourselves a question like this: “When is the last time I found myself WEEPING in the presence of Jesus?” Think about it.