This is Jesus. Whatever views we have of him, whatever half-truths we have believed about him, let it be known that our Savior receives shameful, disgraceful, disdained, hurt, and broken people into his presence—and not out of ignorance, obliviousness, or limited knowledge. He knows us fully and loves us nonetheless.
A woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that [Jesus] was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and . . . she began to wet his feet with her tears . . . and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee . . . saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” (Luke 7:37–39)
It is one of shame’s most insidious remarks: “If they really knew me, they wouldn’t love me anymore.”
You might spend your life convinced that the only reason people still like you is that they don’t really know you. If they knew what you were truly like, the sins you struggle with, what actually happened in your past . . . if they really knew you, the true you, all of you, they wouldn’t love you anymore. They would change their minds about you. They would walk away. Maybe this has already happened to you.
So you hide and cover up. You pretend. If acceptance and love are contingent on your ability to keep the ugly parts of yourself out of sight, hiding naturally becomes your way of life.
Today’s passage directs our attention to a sinful woman. She is not any ordinary sinner. Her life is shameful enough that “sinner” has become her primary identity and public reputation. She draws near to Jesus to anoint his feet with ointment—and Jesus receives her. A Pharisee, watching the scene unfold, thinks to himself, “If [Jesus] were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is” (v. 39). Here we find the all-too-familiar refrain: “If he really knew . . .”
The Pharisee assumes that the only reason Jesus receives this woman is that he does not know her. Yet Jesus knows everything. He knows the sinful woman—her past, her present, her sins, her brokenness, her reputation. In the same way, he knows us—our past, our present, our sins, our brokenness, our reputations. And he does not get up to leave. He does not cast us away. He receives us. He loves us.
This is Jesus. Whatever views we have of him, whatever half-truths we have believed about him, let it be known that our Savior receives shameful, disgraceful, disdained, hurt, and broken people into his presence—and not out of ignorance, obliviousness, or limited knowledge. He knows us fully and loves us nonetheless.
We are often so certain that Jesus has no place or patience for messy, ugly, wounded, imperfect people. Yes, our sins grieve him. Yes, he is committed to changing us. But his posture isn’t what we expect. Jesus knows us—as we are today. He knows us—yes, even those parts of us. And knowing us, he still wants us to be near him.
Reflect: What parts of your life cause you to say, “If they knew this about me, they would reject me”? What areas of your life do you not want to be known or exposed?
Act: Read Luke 7:36–50. Observe Jesus’s posture toward the sinful woman. Notice that Jesus not only doesn’t reject her but in fact honors her in everyone’s presence.
This excerpt, Day 13: He Really Knows Us,” is from Shame: Being Known and Loved by Esther Liu, a counselor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF).. This devotional book will be released by P&R Publishing on October 5, 2022.