A Reception that began Transformation


“Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
—Luke 7:47

Imagine a small group gathering at Simon the Pharisee’s house. The table is well-set, the company respected. The talk likely revolves around religious concerns, cultural happenings, theological musings—maybe even speculation about Jesus Himself.

But then she walks in.

She’s unnamed, uninvited, and unmistakably known by her past. Without speaking a word, she brings tears, perfume, and an act of love that fills the room with discomfort. She kneels at Jesus' feet while the rest sit upright in judgment.

Jesus receives her.

Not with a nod of polite tolerance, but with wholehearted welcome.
Not as a distraction, but as a centerpoint.
Not as someone interrupting the conversation, but as someone revealing it.

Her reception becomes the lens through which everyone in the room is exposed—not just for how they see Jesus, but for how they see others.

Jesus at the table welcomed those from the margins.

There’s something breathtaking about being received. Not just tolerated, not politely ignored—truly received. That’s what happened to the unnamed woman in Luke 7. She walked into a room where she didn’t belong. She had a reputation. Her very presence made people uncomfortable. But Jesus received her. Simon had a house, a meal, a title. The woman had tears, a scandalous past, and a jar of perfume—perhaps the most costly thing she owned. But in Jesus' eyes, she brought what mattered most: a heart broken by grace and overflowing with love. That’s the power of Jesus’ reception. It doesn’t just welcome you—it transforms you. Where others saw sin, Jesus saw faith. Where others withheld, Jesus forgave. This woman wasn't just included in the room; she was changed in the presence of love.

In contrast, think of our own gatherings. We open our Bibles. We mention Jesus. But soon enough, we drift. Decades of habit have taught us how to switch from Jesus to other things—from prayer to plans, from Scripture to sports, from everything else to just ourselves—with such ease that we hardly notice. And in the process, Jesus becomes a silent listener in our lives and communities. Present, but peripheral.

This compels me to ask, are we people who:

* Love Jesus in word but exclude others in practice?

* Celebrate forgiveness but struggle to forgive?

* Mention Jesus but never pause long enough to really hear Him?

Or are we learning to love as He loves—especially the ones we deem unworthy?

Because Jesus doesn’t just welcome us for our sake—He welcomes us so we can learn His way of welcome.

Whether we meet in living rooms, cafés, Bible study group, or as Paul exhorts, in whatever you do … what would happen if:

* We stopped treating “Jesus” as a talking point and started conversing with Him?

* We welcomed the vulnerable and the overlooked not just in theory, but into our homes and conversations?

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Transformation begins where reception becomes real—when we receive Jesus, and in turn, receive one another as He does us.