When a person truly wants to have an encounter with God, be born again, be baptized with the Holy Spirit, he will be defined when it comes to making decisions in his life.

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Luke 7.36-38

This Pharisee, a religious man, who had a certain political influence in this region, was well-known and held a privileged economic status, invited the Lord Jesus to go to his house. And Jesus went, since He does not reject anyone; on the other hand, He wants to save and bless everyone! However, it’s not enough for you to just invite Him into your life.

Though she was not invited by anyone, notice how this woman used her Faith to invite herself in. She did not wait for someone to call her to Simon, the Pharisee’s house. She invited herself when she could have been excluded, but her sincere repentance led her to seek Divine Forgiveness, since she was a sinful woman.

A sinful woman, in those times meant she was a prostitute, but not because she wanted to. And that lifestyle caused her sorrow, sadness, traumas… like us, who have made many mistakes that have made us feel unclean, unworthy to be in the Synagogue or to seek God.

However, the same Holy Spirit who acted in this woman is the same One that brings you to the house of God. She came to the Lord Jesus’ feet and cried, because tears say what words cannot express. Tears express extreme joy or sadness; extreme satisfaction or distress, or extreme pleasure or pain, there is no middle ground. In this case, her tears expressed extreme sorrow, shame and pain. She poured out everything she was holding in, what she could not express with words, but with her tears, she washed Jesus’ feet.

The fragrant oil, in those days, was the perfume, the most expensive ointment that existed. This act of Faith reveals that she did not want to continue leading the same lifestyle, she wanted to put an end to that old life and start a new one. This is why, though she had not been invited, she invited herself, and since Jesus was there, she approached Him, knelt down, and, crying, repentant, washed His feet and wiped them with her hair. And, to finish, she anointed His feet with the fragrant oil.

When a person truly wants to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, he will do the same thing this woman did:
– You include yourself instead of excluding yourself. You do not let your feelings, emotions or other people prevent you from going where Jesus is being heard, served, recognized in the Universal Church;
– You sacrifice yourself physically, overcoming the distance, fatigue, laziness, fear (she was not welcome in that house because she was a sinful woman, and if not for the Lord Jesus, she wouldn’t have been able to enter because she would’ve been immediately thrown out).
– You sacrifice spiritually, kneeling before the Lord Jesus, humbling yourself, recognizing your mistakes, limitations and imperfections.
– Crying, she washed the Lord Jesus’ feet, and these tears were what she carried within herself as bitterness, hatred, fear, loneliness, sadness, insecurities…
– What she did should also be done by all those who want to put and end to their old life and start a new one, pour out everything that is in their heart and mind.
– Humbling themselves before God is the beginning for someone to break free from the spirit of pride and receive the Holy Spirit.
– And offer a material sacrifice, because she poured out the fragrant oil.

The Sacred Text kindly helps us see that:
She humbled herself; the Pharisee was proud.
She knelt down; he remained standing.
She didn’t say anything, but spoke with Jesus within herself, through her actions, expressing that she was repentant and acknowledged Him as her Lord; he said that Jesus was not the Messiah. He had doubts!

The woman left that house transformed, to live in newness of life, because she took advantage of her opportunity! She didn’t only want a blessing, but a transformation, that’s why she poured out the fragrant oil that was used when a young woman was preparing herself for her groom. She, who once had an unclean life, as a prostitute, became a pure virgin in the Eyes of God, because of one thing – repentance. When you sincerely repent, you are transformed into who God wants you to be!

There are people who do not value what is most important, even if the Opportunity to be Born Again is right in front of them. Their religiousness makes them blind, and no matter how wrong they are, they are unable to see it, just like in the case of the Pharisee:
– Notice how this man invited the Lord Jesus into his home, but not into his life;
– He was not sure that the Lord was the Messiah. And do you know why? Because of the Humbleness and Simplicity of the Lord Jesus. Or have you ever seen a king (of anything in this world), queen (of anything in this world), president (of anything in this world), be humble and simple??? No, of course not! They impose their pride, require submission, show their financial, political and military power. Don’t they?
– The Lord Jesus did not do this. In His Humbleness and Simplicity, He reveals to us the errors and imperfections that are hidden to everyone but Him.
– People confuse the fact of inviting the Lord Jesus into their lives and the need to seek Him, serve Him, please Him, just like what happened with this good listener (Simon), which means, “He has heard”. But he did not put it into practice, which is the second step. Here is the answer for those who say, “But I’m honest, I believe in God, I apply myself in everything that I do, I’m sincere, I do no harm to others, I don’t commit any “big” sins… why doesn’t God answer me? Bless me? Fulfill my dreams?”

Because it is not enough to invite Him, we must serve Him!
Now you know why you lack this Peace…