In the Gospel of Luke we find two very different responses to a woman in need (see Luke 7:36-50). We are told that the woman had a bad reputation in the local town. This probably meant that she was a prostitute. It is obvious from the gospel story that the woman is hurting inside, unhappy with her lifestyle, longing for love and forgiveness.
The Pharisees who prided themselves in observing the Law and in being faithful to religious practice saw this woman as a public sinner. For them she was a source of contamination and defilement, someone to avoid and keep at a distance. In the eyes of the Pharisees this woman was an outcast, unforgivable and unredeemable.
In contrast, Jesus had a very different attitude to the woman. He did not see her as an evil person. For Jesus she was a child of God, a person who had sought love in the wrong places, who longed for forgiveness and an opportunity to make a fresh start. Jesus felt the pain in the woman’s heart. He allowed her to touch him. He accepted her expressions of tenderness. He forgave her.
The Pharisees rejected the woman; Jesus accepted her. The Pharisees condemned the woman; Jesus showed her compassion. It is obvious which response made the difference. Through her encounter with Jesus the woman got her heart back and her life too. She found peace and she found hope.
So what can we expect from Jesus? The very same things the woman received. We too can expect acceptance. We too can expect mercy and forgiveness. We too can expect to be treated with tenderness and affection. The same Jesus who responded to the need of the woman is present in our lives today. Jesus does not change. We may change, but he doesn’t. His love remains strong and constant.
As we journey through life we meet with difficulties and disappointments. Often we wander off track and fail and fall. Sometimes we feel that nobody really cares, other times we experience a judgemental attitude similar to that of the Pharisees. Whatever our experience, it is important to keep coming back to Jesus. He never gives up on us. He is a friend, faithful to the end.