What is the price of beauty? We’re talking stop-dead-in-your-tracks, head turning, jaw-dropping, unparalleled since the dawn of time beauty. What are the odds of any woman having those ethereal qualities? Attributes that cause nations to go to war, Kings to swoon, and an entire male population to erect monuments? What amount of gold can purchase this fleeting quality? The substance of poets and artists, the essence of dreams and desires, the sweet desires of every man’s heart. Where does this unearthly beauty come from?
We’re not talking about the beauty that’s skin deep. We’re not dealing with the nip and tuck or the liposuction leaches. We’re not concerned with the lotions and potions trades. Were not inflating the egos of the silicone “store boughts” or the “southern padding” specialists. We’re not the least concerned who’s on the cover of Playboy, Cosmopolitan, People, Vogue, or the Sports Illustrated ‘swimsuit issue’. We’re not talking about eye-candy. The real measure of beauty is not skin deep, that’s illusory and fleeting.
The measure of beauty we’re looking for is found deep in the heart. One of the best examples of exquisite beauty is found in the Book of Luke chapter 7. Jesus went to (Simon) a Pharisees’ house for dinner one day and reclined at his table. A woman in the town (who was known for her sinful lifestyle), and wasn’t invited to the dinner entered the house, anyway. She stood behind Jesus weeping! Her tears were so plentiful they dripped and made His feet wet. She knelt down and dried Jesus’ feet with her hair! Then she kissed His feet and anointed them with perfume from an alabaster jar. Simon the Pharisee made a few remarks about the woman’s character. Regardless of Simon’s remarks about the woman, she was respectful, honoring and obviously desperate to see Jesus. Maybe she heard his messages in the streets before and thought it wasn’t too late for her to be forgiven. Jesus listened and then told a story about two people being in debt and being forgiven. We can look at the situation and see the story was about Simon and the woman. The story was about real beauty: buried deep inside, but up close and personal! This woman puts us respectable people to shame in bowing low in abject humility and devoted to adoration at the feet of her (our) Lord.
“Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’ ” Luke 7:50
Bottom line
Jesus was always very tender in his attitude towards women who had made missteps (see John 4:18 and 8:1-11). Yet no one ever attributed to him questionable motives (see John 4:27).
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