And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. (Luke 7:37, 38 NASB)
At this time, Jesus was "reclining at the table". This was not the table and chairs to which we are accustomed. It was a low table around which pillows were piled (rather than chairs) on which the guests sat. If you understand the position of the guests, you can better understand the woman's action. Jesus was seated, leaning to one side, with His feet behind Him.
This woman knew Jesus was in the house and came prepared to offer a gift of love to Him. She quietly approached and, by the time she arrived just behind Jesus, tears were streaming down her face. She was overcome with her love for her Savior and her gratitude for the forgiveness of her sins, as well as conviction/grief over her sin. We might have tapped Him on the shoulder to let Him know we were there, but she just knelt behind Jesus, with tears dripping onto those precious feet.
She had come with a lovely gift, but she did not even try to catch His eye or look Jesus in the face. She was not trying to earn points with Him, she was simply there to honor Him.
It's one thing to do public acts of love for Jesus in a way that brings recognition to ourselves. It's another thing entirely to honor Jesus "from behind, at his feet". How often do we offer silent, loving acts of service "from behind"? How often are our actions motivated only by extravagant love and immense gratitude?
Today, pray that we and our loved ones would be filled with "behind" love that seeks no recognition but only strives to honor Him.
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The link for last might's post is here:
http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-friendly-community.html
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