Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: LOVE (08/03/23)
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TITLE: Love Wrapped in a Jewish Rabbi, a Monologue | Previous Challenge Entry
By Laurie Kiel
08/10/23 -
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Many of you have read my story in God’s Holy Book. In some of your Bibles, my story is titled, “A sinful woman is forgiven”. But let me tell you my story.
I always hated the word love. There was no such thing as love. But lust was certainly profitable.
So if I didn’t believe in love, why was I so intrigued when my friend told me about Jesus. She said He was “love wrapped in a Jewish rabbi.”
I had to meet this Jesus. But how?
And then I heard about Simon the Pharisee’s banquet. The banquet was the answer. The "unfortunates of town" were allowed to gather at the outskirts of the banquet, to watch and hope for table scraps. I was after table scraps of a different kind. Table scraps of love.
I tried to sneak into Simon’s banquet but of course he saw me. But I knew he couldn’t ban me. That wouldn't be hospitable, and our society had hospitality as a rule. And Simon would never break one of society's rules. He kept the rule but not the heart of the rule.
"I hope you know your place," Simon hissed at me and then walked away before anyone could see him talking to a sinful woman such as I
“I hope you know your place.” Simon had hissed. That was the whole problem. I had no place. At least no place in anyone's heart and I had no place in my heart for anyone else. Until...I saw Jesus and knew I was in the presence of love incarnate.
But I couldn't talk to Jesus. And could I, would I, dare I touch this amazing rabbi? And then I saw my answer. I saw my place. My place was at Jesus's feet. His beautiful feet.
Beautiful? You scoff. Jesus walked miles of dusty roads, wearing sandals. His feet would be far from what the world would call lovely. But those beautiful feet had brought Jesus, love incarnate, into the same room as me.
I remember when I was a little girl, Abba, my father, would teach me from the book of Isaiah. And he taught me, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation.” (Isaiah 52:7 NIV). What a perfect description of Jesus’ beautiful feet.
I always thought my heart was as hard as sunbaked clay. Nothing was allowed in to hurt me. But then nothing was allowed in to heal me. And then in the presence of Jesus, my heart melted, and years of suppressed tears gushed out.
I wept and I wept and I wept over Jesus’s beautiful feet, washing them with my tears. When I realized how wet I’d made them, I loosed my hair and dried them. I could just imagine what Simon was thinking, such a disgrace for a woman to loose her hair in public. But then what could he expect from such a sinful woman?
I kissed Jesus’ feet again and again. And a heart I thought was long dead, immune to love, felt love for Jesus welling within me. Love responding to love wrapped in a Jewish rabbi.
I took my alabaster jar of perfume and poured it over Jesus’ feet. I had always hated the smell of my perfume because I always put it on right before going to… work. But my perfume smelled different on Jesus’ feet, sweeter, more desirable. Jesus had redeemed the fragrance of my perfume. Could He redeem me as well?
Some men hated the smell of my perfume. And I could tell that some people, like Simon, hated the fragrance of loving grace that flowed out Jesus.
I could feel Simon’s glare burning my back, but I didn’t care.
And then Jesus told Simon a story that took my breath away. Jesus understood my heart, that someone who is forgiven little loves little, but she who is forgiven of so many sins loves much.
Yes! That was what I was feeling from Jesus. Loving forgiveness.
At the beginning, I told you that my story is sometimes titled, “A Sinful Woman Forgiven.” But that’s not just the title of my story, it’s yours as well, “A Sinful Woman (or Man) Forgiven.”
Forgiven by love wrapped in a Jewish rabbi.
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