“The funny thing about tears is that when they fill our eyes, that’s when we see most clearly.”- Kyle Idleman
In Chapter 1 of The End of Me, Kyle Idleman continues his discussion of “the poor in spirit” with a commentary on Luke’s account of Jesus eating dinner at the home of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36-50). Although Simon knew the protocol for this kind of evening, he deliberately made no effort to follow it- and all his guests knew it. Simon’s arrogance was blatant.
When the sinful woman crashed the party, Pastor Idleman emphasizes, all she sees is Jesus seeing her. The woman is fully aware of her brokenness. But Jesus sees something else- the woman is beautifully broken. Jesus treats her as treasure, not trash. The woman is undone- she has come to the end of herself.
Because the love of Jesus is real, the woman’s tears become the cleansing water Simon should have supplied- and her hair becomes the towel. At the end of Luke’s account, Jesus has a rebuke for Simon and a word of blessing and redemption for the woman. Kyle summarizes:
“With these words, Jesus has enacted the beatitude ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit.’ He has blessed the poorest spirit imaginable and rebuked the gaudiest, richest, most arrogant.”
Today’s question: How does it feel to know that Jesus sees you as beautifully broken? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A trick question”
