Thursday 7 March
Read Luke 7:36–8:15
Think
An action and a parable.
The action is Jesus’ acceptance of the sinful woman and the parable is
the parable of the seeds and the soil. Maybe the two stories are linked. The woman’s awareness of her own brokenness and
her desperate need for mercy mean that she is the right kind of soil for Jesus’
kind of message.
On the other hand.
The Pharisee’s sense of self righteousness, his reluctance to ask for
help turn him into the hard sort of soil in which the gospel struggles to take
hold.
But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who,
when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear
fruit with patient endurance.
Pray
As I write this today I am very aware of the circumstances
of women in South Africa. In his telling
of the gospel Luke reminds us of the role of women in the ministry of Jesus and
even the establishment of the early church.
Pray for women today; and pray especially for the courageous leadership
of women who hold positions of authority in the church.
