Worship

 



In Luke 7, we are given a beautiful image of worship.
Jesus is invited to have a meal at the home of a Pharisee. Pharisees were a Jewish sect that believed the Word of God. They also believed in miracles, angelic activity, and in resurrection from the dead. They accepted these supernatural things as being part of God's dealing with man.
As Jesus sat down to eat with the Pharisee, a woman entered the home. She was weeping as she approached Jesus. She used her tears to wash His feet, and then dried His feet with her hair. She kissed His feet, and then poured out a precious anointing oil on His feet that she had brought in an alabaster box.
The three people in this portion of scripture teach us about worship.
The Pharisee, watching the woman do this, thought in his mind that if Jesus were really a prophet, He would know that this woman who was touching Him was a known sinner, and therefore, would not allow her to touch Him. So from this woman's act of worship, the Pharisee concluded that Jesus could not possibly be the Messiah, or a prophet, or a special servant of God.
Jesus, in this scriptural passage, receives the homage from this woman without condemning or rebuking her. He tells her that her sins are forgiven,  her faith has saved her, and to go in peace.
The woman, Jesus reveals, is worshipping Him from a place of deep gratitude and love, for she has been forgiven and delivered from much.

Jesus contrasts the worship of the Pharisee with the woman by saying to the Pharisee:
"Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head.
You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.
You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.
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." (v. 44-47).

The attitude of the Pharisee was not changed, however. Instead of learning from the example of the woman, as Jesus explained it to him, he was more concerned with the fact that Jesus had told the woman that her sins were forgiven. Who did Jesus think He was to tell anyone that their sins were forgiven? This same attitude appears in Luke 5:21.
We can learn from what Jesus was teaching the Pharisee. Our worship of our Father should come from a place in our heart of deep gratitude. It is not something that is to be done by tradition,  or without thought for the sanctity and sincerity of our worship.
These two people had the same opportunity to enter into a place of holy union with the Lord, but only the woman was able to receive the wonderful grace that proceeds from worship.
How does this woman's worship correlate to the character of our Father?
She washed Jesus' feet with her tears. Our Father washes us with His Word, and yes, I believe our Father weeps, as this woman wept. In scripture, we are told that Jesus wept on a certain occasion, and as He told in scripture many times, Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing. So I believe that our Father also weeps at times.
She dried Jesus' feet with her hair. Our Father covers us with His glory, as the woman's hair spread as a covering over the feet of Jesus.
She kissed His feet.  A kiss is related to fine wine in Song of Solomon 1:2, and 8:1-2. We have been given the new wine of the Holy Spirit, and the New Covenant by our Father.
She anoints Jesus' feet with oil, and scripture tells us that our Father anoints our head with oil in Psalm 23:5.
So even while receiving our sincere worship that comes from a heart of love and gratitude, our Father pours out upon us even more so, more abundantly, that same devotion that we are showing to Him.
Our Father is worship.

"Bow Down and Worship Him"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ks05wY8m0s