What is the meaning of Luke 7:38? Standing behind Him at His feet weeping Luke 7:38 opens, “as she stood behind Him at His feet weeping.” • Position: Standing “behind” Jesus shows humility—she does not presume to face Him directly (cf. Luke 18:13; Luke 5:8). • Proximity: “At His feet” pictures submission; others fall at Jesus’ feet to plead for mercy (Luke 17:16; Revelation 1:17). • Emotion: Her tears flow from genuine repentance and contrition; “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit” (Psalm 51:17). God is “near to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18). She began to wet His feet with her tears Her sorrow becomes action: tears become water. • Repentant sorrow is not mere feeling; it produces fruit (2 Corinthians 7:10–11). • The woman’s tears confess that Jesus alone can cleanse what she cannot (Psalm 6:6; Isaiah 1:18). • Feet, the dirtiest part of a traveler, emphasize how completely she acknowledges her need. She wiped them with her hair “She… wiped them with her hair.” • A woman’s hair is called her “glory” (1 Corinthians 11:15). She lays that glory at His feet. • Letting her hair down in public risked social scorn, displaying that devotion to Jesus outweighs concern for reputation (John 12:3). • Her hair becomes the towel—personal, costly, intimate. She kissed His feet “Then she kissed His feet…” • Continuous tense (she keeps kissing) expresses unashamed affection. Similar love appears in Luke 15:20 when the father “kissed” the prodigal son. • Kissing feet was rare homage, reserved for kings or deities (Psalm 2:12). She recognizes Jesus’ royal, divine worth. • Her kisses replace the customary greeting Simon withheld (Luke 7:45). She anointed them with the perfume “…and anointed them with the perfume.” • The alabaster perfume was expensive (Mark 14:3); she gives her best. • Anointing anticipates Jesus’ burial (John 12:7) and affirms His messianic identity—Messiah means “Anointed One” (Isaiah 61:1). • The fragrance fills the room (John 12:3), symbolizing how repentant worship spreads the knowledge of Christ “like a pleasing aroma” (2 Corinthians 2:14–15). summary Luke 7:38 portrays a woman whose every movement—standing humbly behind Jesus, weeping, washing His feet with tears, wiping with her hair, kissing, and anointing—shows wholehearted repentance, adoration, and faith. She offers her glory, her resources, and her very self to the only One who can forgive. Jesus later declares, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50). The verse invites believers to respond with the same humble, costly, and loving devotion to the Lord who graciously receives repentant sinners. |
    |