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Uninvited Worship

Uninvited Worship

A similar incident occurred 2,000 years ago. The scene: A religious leader asks Jesus over to his house for a dinner party with his friends. Jesus arrives and the small talk begins. The food is ready. The table is set. The host, Jesus, and others recline at the table. Suddenly, an uninvited guest shows up. The uninvited guest is none other than “that” lady. That lady everyone in town knows. That lady people keep their children from. That lady everyone looks down on. That lady who is a known whore.

She not only crashes the party, she makes her way to Jesus. She falls down behind Jesus. She weeps uncontrollably. She begins to wipe his feet with her hair and tears. She begins kissing his feet. She then pours perfume on his feet.

Think about this lady’s worship. She falls down and weeps. Even though unusual considering the circumstances, worship like that has been done before. However, in addition to falling down and weeping, she begins to kiss and pour expensive perfume on his feet. Hey, wait a minute! Where’s the book, chapter, and verse for that? There are no commands, examples, or inferences that say that kind of worship is acceptable to God.

Interestingly enough, the host is more upset with Jesus than he is with the uninvited guest. Prophets aren’t supposed to let people like this touch them. Jesus replies to the host, “She loves much because she has been forgiven much.”

Do we ever act like the host? Do we ever get upset with the people that Jesus accepts? Are there going to be people at the heavenly party that we do not invite? What if Jesus accepts people that worship in a way that is “unscriptural” to us?

Do we ever act like the lady? Do we ever pour out our broken lives at the feet of Jesus? Can we worship Jesus in an unscripted, spontaneous way? Do we love Him much because we realize how much we are forgiven?

God never worries when the uninvited show up. God loves spontaneous, un-prohibited worship. God always responds to trust.

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Luke 7:37-50

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