Sin & Shame – The Shame Project

 

The latest post – The Voice of Shame

Throughout this series we have discussed the causes of shame in our lives. One of the main points in relation to this, has been shame brought on through hurts, lies and abuse. Basically, shame that has come upon us against our will. Today, I want to bring up one very important shame contributor and that is our own sins. The choices we have made, that make us feel ashamed, guilty and unworthy.

It is inevitable that we can make some pretty stupid choices throughout our life, and some of them can lead to big, life long consequences. Some of the greatest consequences being guilt and shame.  I want to share with you today, a revelation that I believe God showed me as I was reading The Word. I want to show you today what Jesus does with our shameful sins. 

I am using the same scripture as we did last week, where the sinful woman comes into the Pharisees house and interrupts the meeting by crying at Jesus’s feet and wiping it with her hair. The same scripture where she pours out her expensive perfume over his feet. I promise you this revelation will change what you know about this scripture and God.

Let’s read it together…

 

 Luke 7: 36 – 50 Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

 

 

The bible refers to this woman as a sinner, which most readers would agree that she was a prostitute. Her entire life was sinful, it was how she survived, it was her daily lot. She was labeled throughout the community, and was avoided by holy men, because to even touch her, or be touched by her meant defilement. This moment between her and Jesus was culturally inappropriate and the Pharisees had a very strong case against Jesus for allowing her to touch him like she did. 

When we have committed great sins in our life. Even ones where the culture we live in shuns us for,  we have 2 choices – live with the guilt and shame of our sin forever, or be forgiven. Feeling total forgiveness and freedom is easy for us imagine, but to do, can seem impossible. The shame voice tells us “there is no way God can forgive that sin.” or “What I did was so horrendous that I must live in self-imposed punishment for my entire life.”

The hard part is that even if we have been able to go to God for forgiveness, often the ‘Pharisees’ in our life will not forget, and will always remind us that we are “that woman” or “that man.” It is overwhelming isn’t it? 

I remember finding out I was pregnant with my second child and unmarried, again. The condemnation I felt, and the shame I carried was so immense. I am a completely different woman now than I was then, but every so often I will bump into someone who reminds me of “what kind of woman I was” or Satan will whisper into my ear when I am ministering to others or speaking pyblicly. I truly have to stand my ground that I am forgiven and completely free!  Because I was that woman at Jesus’ feet. 

Let’s dig… 

36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.

 

How did this woman know where Jesus was, and why was she so persistent to see him?


 

We can argue that she heard rumours that this Jesus guy forgave sins and healed people. This was probably a woman who was at her end. Who had been raped too many times and left for dead, who had been robbed, and discarded. A woman who could never love a husband because no man would look upon her as lovable. This was a woman whose sins were her identity and shame was her companion. We could say that she was so desperate to be set free she pursued Jesus. However, this may seem true on the outside, but do you want to know the real reason she came to Jesus? Let’s look at these 2 scriptures…

 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

 

Who do you have to go through to get to God? 


 

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. John 6:44

 

How do we get to Jesus? 

 

This woman did not seek forgiveness on her own will. God marked her for salvation and freedom because HE loved her. God drew her to himself, HE drew her to forgiveness. 

When we have great remorse, and shame for our sins, and we resist God because we feel unworthy, know that He is always drawing you to Him, sins and all. His heart is to call you forward with your shame so he can free you. 

Then what? 

This woman is the model of how we are to approach Jesus, and I want to point out to you the most profound revelation that God has shown me in regards to Jesus and what he did for us…

… so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

This woman came to Jesus and wept at his feet. A sign of submission and desperation. She could not look into his face, her shame was too heavy. She sobbed and then tried to wipe away her own shame, but she couldn’t stop crying. Everytime she cried she tried to clean up her mess. Story of her life hey? Maybe the story of your life? How often have you tried to clean up your life? Tried to get it together but you keep sinning, you keep screwing up?! 

Then the most profound thing happened. She took her alabaster jar of perfume, which was a very expensive item, probably all that she had and poured it on HIS feet. I have heard this preached many times at how she gave Christ all that she owned and that she was sacrificing for Him, and how this is a picture of how we are to come to God and what we are supposed to do to seek forgivness. Can I be different and tell you as the sinner, as the shameful woman – I disagree.

I have one question for you, the same question the Lord asked me as I read this….

 

If the perfume was indeed an expensive item, bought with all of her money. How did she earn that money?


 

This gutted me!!!! This sacrificial perfume, we have always been taught was her ‘sacrifice’ was actually purchased by her sin. She had sex multiple times and every time she prostituted herself she put her money in a jar and saved up enough to buy perfume, because she needed perfume to attract more customers. Nice sacrifice, hey?

She did not pour out her precious ‘sacrifice’ upon Jesus, she poured out her sin!!!!!!

She anointed Jesus with sin.

This is NOT an example of sacrifice like so many believe. This was her saying I give all my sins to you, I am laying it down, I want to be free of it. 

 

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

 

What did Jesus do with our sins? 


 

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all. – Isaiah 53: 4-6

 

What did Jesus do with our sins and pain? What did the Lord lay upon Jesus? 


 

 

This woman anointed Jesus alright, she anointed Him with her sin. She poured it out upon him for him to bear. He took it, he was stricken because of it. He was beaten because of it, and he bore it until death. 

Sinner, you have no other option, there is nothing you can do to redeem yourself, there are no works, no precious perfumes you can by, no fancy prayers it is all defiled. We are all sinners, we can do nothing to clean it up. All we can do is give it to Jesus and humble ourselves and ask him to take it. I am so broken by this revelation, I am so overwhelmed by the idea that we walk around screwing up our life, making a mess of it all, hurting others along the way, destroying our futures because of our selfishness and temptations, and then God draws us to Him?! For the purpose of healing our wounds?! Who is this God?! 

He takes our pathetic offering, our deserving tears and condemnation and He gathers all of our shame and sin, and puts it on himself? The fornication, the sexual sins, the gossips, the slanders, the drunkenness, the hatred and He takes the blame?!

We go to him for forgiveness 1,000 times, do the same stupid things, break the same stupid promises and He lifts us up against the deserving accusations and shame and says…

Look at this man/woman! I love them! He is forgiven! She is saved! Go in peace! 

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

 

How do we heal the shame of our sins?

 

We give it to Jesus. Simple.

 

Next and final post – Ministry and prayer – releasing the shame

 


 

2 thoughts on “Sin & Shame – The Shame Project”

Leave a Reply