Dear Woman, Do You Need Someone To Defend You? Luke 7:36-50
Dear Woman, Do You Need Someone To Defend You? Luke 7:36-50
Jesus Will Defend You!
The story of Luke 7:36-50 captivated my heart seeing how Jesus defended and stood up for one woman to a man who questioned and misjudged her.
As a woman in ministry for nearly two decades, I have felt questioned and judged by men many times. Early in my journey with Jesus and in those initial days when Jesus called me to ministry, the questions and judgments came from within.
I didn’t need to look beyond my own self to experience an interrogation of the heart and soul. And of course, you might also know that the devil’s cohorts piggy-backed on those questions common to the one who’s past shouted “bad person” at every step in the journey.
As I read this woman’s story, I felt for sure that she and I probably shared the haunting knowledge of a sinful past. At the same time, I knew she and I both understood the depth of genuine love and worship birthed from forgiveness for that same past.
An Ugly Past Often Inspires Beautiful Worship
In sharing my testimony with others over the years, as strange as it may seem, there is a degree of thankfulness in my heart for my ugly, sinful, and dark past. I’m not sure that everyone understands the heart behind that, but Jesus does. His parable to the Pharisee who identified this woman by her past, shows me that He saw her heart and the motivation of her demonstrative worship.
Jesus told a story of 1 creditor and 2 debtors. One debtor owed 50 denari and the other debtor owed 10 times that amount, 500 denari and the creditor forgave both their debts.
Then Jesus asked the Pharisee,
Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him
(i.e. the creditor who forgave their debts) more?
What other answer could the Pharisee give than the one he gave? “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
I love how Jesus responded, “You have rightly judged.”
Look with me at the original language of, rightly judged.
The Greek language term for judged is basically what you might expect it to be. The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament states, “In the NT, it means to judge, to form or give an opinion after separating and considering the particulars of a case.” The word, rightly, as used in Luke 7:43 means rightly or plainly from a moral sense. However, if we look further into the origin of this word we see a definition of straight, erect, and not crooked, and further still, we see the word origin take on the meaning of “a mountain.”
So, if we take the terminology and its root, we see that a right judgment is like a straight and erect mountain, solid and unmovable.
Wrongly Judged
The Pharisee judged the woman, common practice for the Pharisees of their day. But Jesus exposed the invisible motive of the woman’s heart that Simon, the Pharisee, wrongly judged. When she needed someone to defend her, Jesus did just that. Jesus knew her story, her past, her faith, and He knew the measure of grace and forgiveness necessary for her. And most assuredly Jesus knew the depths of her love and understood the motive of her worship.
So What Did Jesus Do?
He defended her and stood up for her. And there my own heart could nearly burst from love and joy knowing that the same goes for me and my story. My Jesus sees, knows, understands me, and will stand up for me when man makes wrong and unfair judgments toward me and my calling.
Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.
But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.
Luke 7:47
This woman never spoke. She never opened her mouth to defend herself. I don’t think what anyone else thought much mattered to her. She was in the presence of the one she loved. I imagine in this woman’s home hung a plaque on her wall with Song of Solomon 3:4.
I have found the One whom my soul loves.
Song of Solomon 3:4
I love that when Jesus stood up for her and presented her case in story form, He actually took the Pharisee’s twisted judgment of her and made it a right judgment.
Personally, I love Jesus so much for forgiving me of a past that I once believed poisoned my future. I realize the extravagant forgiveness that I received. But this story is so much more significant to me than even that. Here on the pages of Scripture, I see a character trait of Jesus that I need to hold onto as much as I ever held to His forgiveness. Jesus is my Defender. Maybe you need to know that too.
Jesus is your Defender. He will stand up for you too!
When we find ourselves in the midst of a world wrongly judging us, know that Jesus stands up for those whose heart genuinely loves and worships Him. And just as He saw into the intention of her heart and the pure motive of her actions, He knows and sees ours as well. Know that when man judges wrongly and twists you, your story, your motives, or your calling into a crooked distortion of the truth, the all-knowing heart of God will unwind and straighten every wrong assessment.
My dear Sister in Christ, Jesus is the original defender of women. Not only are you forgiven by God, you are defended by Him as well. Pour out your genuine love and worship on the feet of Jesus and watch Him stand up for you.
If you have trouble believing that God will defend you, read my past blog, God Will Help You - Do You Believe That?
