A number of men recline around the table, visiting with the rabbi who has been invited to dinner. Unexpectedly, a woman enters. The men fall silent, scowling.
What is SHE doing here? She’s not welcome in our midst.
Despite their scathing disapproval, the woman approaches the table carrying an alabaster jar of perfume. She takes her place behind the rabbi, weeping onto his feet, her tears so copious she begins to wash them and dry them with her hair.
She kisses the rabbi’s feet and anoints them with the perfume, its fragrance filling the room. Her gratitude knows no bounds.
The religious leader who invited the rabbi to the meal thinks to himself, If this man were a prophet, he would know this woman’s bad reputation. He’s letting a sinner touch him!
Ironically, the rabbi possesses prophetic insight into what his host is thinking.
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He tells a story about two debtors, one of whom owed 10 times more than the other. Both debtors are forgiven by the creditor.
Which one, the rabbi wants to know, will love the creditor more?
“I suppose,” says the host begrudgingly, “the one who owed him more.”
“You have judged correctly,” says the rabbi. Turning to the woman, he says to his host,
“Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. You didn’t anoint my head with olive oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” –Luke 7:44-48
The men at the table begin to mutter. Who does he think he is, forgiving sins?
The rabbi smiles at the grateful woman and says, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
I’m currently taking a class on Luke-Acts in my seminary studies. Luke makes a point of describing how Jesus behaves toward the outcasts of society.
Time and time again, He intentionally reaches out to those on the fringes. With compassion and boldness, He breaks the rules to spend time with them and show them favor.
He commends the poor widow, whose miniscule offering was no doubt unappreciated by the synagogue leaders.
He eats meals with tax collectors, who were considered traitors by the rest of the Jewish people.
He touches lepers and heals them. He touches the coffin of a grieving widow’s son and resuscitates him.
He heals a Gentile’s servant, and later a disabled woman—on the Sabbath, no less.
On His way to raise a dead twelve-year-old girl back to life, He lovingly calls out the woman who has touched His robe, resulting in her healing from the hemorrhaging disorder which had pushed her out of society.
As with the woman who anoints Him with perfume, He tells this woman that her faith has saved her and to go in peace.
Now her wholeness is complete.
In case His actions aren’t enough, Jesus makes sure to feature people in His parables who would have been overlooked or despised by those with privilege and power in His day.
He balances stories to include as many female main characters as male—a deliberate nuance which would not have been typically practiced at that time.
And then there is the shock value of the story of the Good Samaritan—Jews had nothing but contempt for Samaritans, who were looked upon as religiously tainted, inferior half-breeds who had done terrible things like defile the temple.
To call a Samaritan “good” was a mind-blowing oxymoron. If we put the story in modern terms, we could call it the story of the Good Terrorist!
Again and again, we see the barrier-breaking power of the gospel working its way out in the attitudes, words, and actions of Jesus.
The principle is clear: Jesus’ kingdom is inclusive. In this kingdom, the vulnerable find worth, dignity and refuge.
How does pregnancy help ministry reflect the values of the gospel?
We reach out to folks whose status in society today is parallel to that of the marginalized people of Jesus’ day.
Our centers reach out to girls and women facing unplanned pregnancies—those who, sadly, are still treated by some folks with the same disdain and judgment the religious men displayed toward the grateful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet.
We reach out to people in poverty, recognizing their struggles may be generational and deep-rooted.
We minister to women or couples who may be homeless or struggling with drug addiction or alcoholism.
We reach out to young fathers who may not have a dad in their lives to mentor them—young men who may lack education or have spent time in jail for their choices.
We minister to people who have been saturated by a hyper-sexual culture and are broken and wounded by shame and confusion or are suffering from sexually transmitted infections or diseases.
Rather than keeping our distance or judging them, we offer them hope and dignity. We listen to their stories. We come alongside to offer help and support.
Tweet This: In pregnancy help ministry we reach out to the marginalized, offering them hope & dignity, coming alongside to offer help & support.
Jesus still reaches out to the vulnerable, oppressed and marginalized—but now, He does so through His Body.
One final thought—who is more vulnerable and devalued by our culture today than the powerless preborn?
Jesus made a point of blessing children and not allowing others to forbid them to come to Him (Luke 18:15-17). He cherishes every one of God’s image-bearers, born or preborn.
In reaching out to the marginalized, we uphold the values of the gospel and the kingdom—especially by protecting the most vulnerable of all.
