The Courage To Be Fully Known
The Courage to Be Fully Known Key Verse: “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” —Luke 7:47 (NIV)
Do They Really Know Me? We spend so much of life managing impressions—especially as single women. We learn how to enter rooms with confidence. We master the art of showing strength. We’ve trained ourselves to smile even when our hearts ache. But when was the last time you let yourself be truly known? Today we’ll sit with a woman who dared to break every rule, not to draw attention to herself—but because she had encountered a love too deep to ignore.
She Knew She Was Uninvited—and Came Anyway The scene in Luke 7 is almost cinematic. Jesus is reclining at a Pharisee’s house—Simon, a religious leader. It would have been a formal, male-dominated gathering. Proper guests. Reserved decorum. Polished appearances. And in walks… her. Scripture never gives us her name, but we know her reputation. Luke calls her “a woman in that town who lived a sinful life.” The Greek phrase hamartolos indicates not just sin, but a well-known lifestyle of sin—likely prostitution. She wasn’t supposed to be there. And everyone knew it. But she came anyway. Why? Because despite what the others thought of her, she believed Jesus would receive her. She came with a posture of humility and worship. Not looking for approval, but desperate for grace. Imagine what she felt as she stepped into that room. Hearts pounding. Eyes glaring. Whispers buzzing. “They know what I’ve done. They think I’m disgusting. But He... He’s different.” She moved forward, trembling. Then she broke. Literally. She broke the flask of perfume, but more importantly—she broke open her whole story, her whole heart, and let it all spill out.
Study Insight: Her Worship Was Theological What she did was more than emotional—it was deeply theological. She understood something the religious leaders didn’t: Jesus had the authority to forgive sin. Her tears were repentance. Her perfume was offering. Her silence was reverence. In ancient Jewish culture, anointing someone was symbolic of honor, of kingship, of setting apart. She was recognizing that Jesus was the Holy One, the Messiah. The Greek word used for “weeping” in verse 38 is klaíō — which means “to wail, to lament aloud.” This wasn’t a dignified tear on the cheek. It was gut-wrenching grief poured out at the feet of Jesus—and she didn’t hold back. She didn’t need a place at the table. She needed the feet of the One who could heal her.
Cultural Insight: A Woman’s Hair and Honor She wiped His feet with her hair—something almost unthinkable in 1st-century Jewish culture. A woman’s hair was considered her glory (see 1 Corinthians 11:15). To uncover it publicly was bold. To use it as a rag was a sign of complete surrender. She was saying with every gesture: “I will give You all that I am. Even what I once used to attract, I now use to adore.”
Personal Reflection: When I Stopped Polishing I remember a season in my life when I polished everything. My words. My appearance. My emotions. I didn’t want to seem like the woman who needed grace. I wanted to be admired, not pitied. But that also meant no one really knew me. Not even God—because I wouldn’t let Him close enough. It wasn’t until I sat on my bathroom floor one night, exhausted and undone, that I whispered, “Jesus, I can’t pretend anymore.” And what I heard in my spirit was, “I never asked you to.” Jesus doesn’t love the polished version of you. He loves the real one. The version with regrets, dreams, longings, fears, and doubts. The version who doesn’t always know how to pray but who still shows up. That’s who He defends. That’s who He lifts up. 📖 Word Study: “Forgiven” – Aphiēmi (Greek) When Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48), He used the word aphiēmi—meaning: to release, to send away, to cancel a debt as if it never existed. He didn’t say “you’ll do better next time.” He said you are clean. You are released. You are free.
The Personality of Christ in This Scene This story reveals so much about Jesus’ heart: He is gentle with the broken. He is bold in the face of criticism. He is attentive to the invisible. He is unafraid of mess. He is unbothered by public opinion. He is drawn to honest worship. This is not the stoic, arms-crossed Jesus. This is the passionate, loving, scandalously gracious Savior who welcomes us as we are—and then transforms us.
Prayer Jesus, You don’t turn away the broken. You sit with us, receive our surrender, and call us forgiven. I want to be more like this woman—not polished, but poured out. Help me bring everything I am to You. I long for the peace that only comes from being fully known and fully loved. Amen.
Today’s Recipe: Olive Oil & Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Bark Bittersweet. Beautiful. Honest. Just like today’s story. Ingredients: 8 oz dark chocolate, chopped 1 tbsp olive oil Flaky sea salt Optional: chopped pistachios, dried cranberries, edible flowers Instructions: Melt chocolate and olive oil together until smooth. Pour onto parchment-lined sheet, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with sea salt and toppings. Chill 20–30 min until set. Break into shards and enjoy slowly. You are not disqualified. You are not overlooked. You are not forgotten. You are fully known—and wildly loved.
