Jesus and the fallen woman

Cheri preaches from Luke 7:36–50, the account of Jesus at the home of Simon the Pharisee, where a woman known for living a sinful life comes to Jesus with tears, perfume and extravagant devotion. She begins by linking this sermon with the previous week's message on the woman caught in adultery, and with her reflections on Rahab and Hagar. Her focus is on how God responds to women who are shamed, rejected or treated as "fallen" by society. Cheri explains the setting of the story: Jesus is invited to a formal meal at a Pharisee's house. A woman enters uninvited, weeping at Jesus' feet. She lets down her hair, washes his feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, kisses them and pours costly perfume over them. In that culture, her actions would have been socially shocking, deeply humble and emotionally exposed. Simon's response is judgement. He assumes that if Jesus were truly a prophet, he would reject the woman. But Jesus knows both the woman's heart and Simon's thoughts. He tells a parable about two people whose debts are forgiven: one small, one large. The point is clear — the one forgiven more loves more. Jesus then contrasts Simon's cold hospitality with the woman's costly love. Simon gave Jesus no water for his feet, no kiss of welcome and no oil for his head. The woman, by contrast, lavished love on Jesus. Though Simon appears respectable, his love is small. Though the woman appears shameful, her faith and devotion are great. Cheri highlights that Jesus does not shame the woman. He honours her, forgives her publicly and says, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Her love does not earn forgiveness, but reveals that she has received it. The sermon challenges listeners not to play at Christianity, keep Jesus at arm's length, or value social respectability over devotion. God sees the rejected, the unpopular and the ashamed. His banquet has room for the poor, the broken and the outsider. The call is to stop making excuses and respond to Jesus with wholehearted love 0:00 Introduction: Fallen Women and Jesus 2:12 Jesus Invited to Simon's House 4:31 The Woman Enters with Tears and Perfume 6:37 Washing Jesus' Feet in Humility 8:18 A Costly Gift of Honour 9:30 Simon's Judgemental Response 11:17 The Parable of the Two Debtors 14:11 Simon's Cold Hospitality 16:21 Her Many Sins Have Been Forgiven 22:08 Simon and the Woman Contrasted 26:28 Final Challenge: Don't Play at Christianity