Gold I Bring to Crown Him Again (from “We Three Kings”)

By Liz Pearson

London, England

Scripture Reading:

Luke 7:36-47

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”

Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”

“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.

Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, cancelling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”

Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the larger debt.”

“That’s right,” Jesus said. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Luke 7:36-47 (AMP)

This scripture resonates with me as years ago, as a disciple reading this scripture, I remember identifying myself as more like the Pharisee and not like the sinful woman pouring perfume on Jesus.

Put yourself in the shoes of the woman. She was known as a sinner, most likely looked down on by society, and possibly an outcast from the Jewish community. Yet despite all of this, when she finds out where Jesus is she makes every effort to see Him. This took an enormous amount of courage, coming uninvited into a room where people were eating and would probably look down on her. She came so vulnerable, emotional, and revealing her heart so openly. This woman not only brought all of herself to Jesus but also perfume, which in those days was extremely valuable. She gave Jesus everything and did so sacrificially without asking anything in return.

Why did she choose to go to these lengths to honour Jesus? I believe this woman had heard enough about Jesus to have hope that her life could not only be different, but that she could live without shame and guilt.

Am I still pouring perfume?

When I became a disciple, I made a decision to repent, and to live a life of sacrificial giving in gratefulness for God’s incredible love and mercy to me. God had a lot of work to do with me, as my character was nothing like Jesus. As I grew in my faith, knowledge, compassion, and character I had to question myself – was I still pouring perfume on Jesus sacrificially?  Was my so-called knowledge and growth helping me become more like Jesus or more religious?

I was studying the Bible with women, giving advice, discipling women, and building great friendships, but my heart was more dutiful than sacrificial. I slowed down in daily digging deeply into my heart in order to be more like this woman and sacrificially giving all of me before my Lord.

One thing I am convinced of now more and more each day, God wants my heart to have a wee transplant daily until I am taken home. It is exciting to keep growing like Jesus. Jesus shares with us how this woman loved much because she was forgiven much. She was so aware of how much God had forgiven her and that was fueled by her love for Jesus and her gratitude for His grace and mercy. Daily when I see how much I am forgiven, love for others is in abundance.

God has given us resources, gifts, time (will change depending on the season of your life), but more than that, He has given us salvation and eternity with God. He made us His treasured possessions and daughters. We are adored, treasured, forgiven, carried, and loved by our sovereign King, Saviour, and Father.

We all have something with which to honour our King whether it be our time, finances, skills, homes, but most importantly, our hearts and ourselves.

Sacrifice in the current season of life

Most recently for me, this passage has highlighted my need to be filled with God’s strength to sacrificially love daily and to honour my Lord Jesus through the current season of my life. My husband was diagnosed six years ago with Parkinson’s Disease and recently with cancer. This scripture brought tears to my eyes as thoughts of this are hard, (not the loving) but my lack of strength. Recently I had to repent of my fear and I thank God that because of it I am laughing again in gratitude for His mercy. We all either have been, are currently going through, or might face challenging times when giving and serving to honour God can be more difficult.

“Your righteousness is unmovable, just like the mighty mountains. Your judgments are as full of wisdom as the oceans are full of water. Your tender care and kindness leave no one forgotten, not a man or even a mouse.”

Psalm 36:6-7 (TPT)

Fraser, our son, who was a disciple in South Africa, died six years ago at the age of 45. A part of me died with him. I had prayed with many disciples all over the world, but my prayers were not answered as I hoped. I had cancer twice which resulted in no breasts and a colonoscopy bag. I also had a triple bypass heart surgery and an aorta replacement. With my own health, I felt I could work out with God what I needed to learn and what God was teaching me. However, when Fraser died my faith couldn’t be built on understanding God’s plan. I had to wrestle with God…WHY?

I still had my quiet times, denying myself, going to church and Bible discussions, but the hurt part of my heart was not sold out sacrificially. There was a part of my heart I wanted to control. I wrestled, meditated, cried, but was honest with God. I could not stay where I was. I had to make changes and choices to change my heart to sacrifice once again all of me to God. It took wrestling through the pain but desiring more than anything to have hope that God had all of me again.

Surrendering the hurt

After wrestling with GOD and putting on my boxing gloves with Satan, I realised I am NOT God. I do not understand and will never understand everything because I do not have God’s understanding or the big picture. I surrendered my hurt into God’s big hands in order for me to laugh again, have joy again, have peace again, and most of all to see God as powerful and gigantic again so that I could live the rest of my life giving my heart sacrificially. This has helped me to sacrifice whatever I have in my hands, however little it may seem, to Him who is more than able to multiply the two fishes and five loaves to feed 5,000 if I am only willing to bring what I have in faith to honour Him.

Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”

He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed

more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

Luke 22:39-42 (NIV)

Jesus totally knew His Father and even though He wrestled with God’s will for Him and what lay ahead, Jesus chose to sacrifice His will and what He wanted or felt like at the time. Our sacrificial Lamb who, instead of a gold crown, chose to wear a crown of thorns. When sacrificing is more challenging, when my circumstances need more prayer, I think of Jesus. Imagine Him saying to God, “I will take the mocking and beating but not the nails. I will obey but need a break and want to come down when it gets too hard.” Jesus didn’t do that. He did not choose convenience or what was more comfortable. No, He fully sacrificed every part of Himself. I know that is God’s act of love and mercy toward me. This was Him sacrificially giving of Himself in order to give me a new life, future, and a hope that no one can take away.

Questions for Reflection:

1. As your seasons in life change, do you still examine your own heart with the same passion to fully grasp God’s mercy for you? In what ways do you find it more difficult (or possibly easier) to see God’s mercy? How do you respond to His mercy?
2. What can you identify as things that may hinder you from sacrificially and fully giving to God?
3. What resources or gifts do you have at your disposal to give and serve God?

Today I will:

Reflect on what God has forgiven you from, the life He saved you from, all the ways He has lavished His love on you, and the hope He has allowed you to have. Write a gratitude list and let God know how grateful you are.  Decide to look daily for His blessings.

About the Author:

Liz Pearson is a member of the South East Region of the London Church. She is Scottish and has lived in Portugal, South Africa, and currently in Kent, England. She lives with her childhood sweetheart and husband of 59 years, Ian. They have three wonderful children, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Liz became a disciple in 1988, in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is a woman of passion for life and adventure, who loves people, loves her God, and loves having quality time with both of them

To hear a special version of "We Three Kings" sung by your sister Amy Kinzer, please click the image below: