What do the women of the Bible teach us about lament? Often when I think of lament, I think of casting the burdens of life at the Lord’s feet. But the Bible also instructs Christians to lament their sin.
In Luke 7, a woman does just that. We don’t know much about her, not even her name. The main detail we are given is she had lived a sinful life in that town. In the verses that follow, she comes to Jesus weeping, her tears dripping onto his feet. She dries his feet with her hair and then anoints them with precious perfume. This was not only a display of worship, but a display of lament over sin.
Notice the most important part though—she does not hide from Jesus when he comes to town; she does not wallow in self-condemnation and pity; she doesn’t turn to other things to dull the pain of conviction. No, she comes to Jesus with her sin. That is the difference between Satan’s condemnation and the Spirit’s conviction.
Condemnation focuses my eyes on my sin where conviction of the Spirit focuses my eyes on my great Savior’s ability and willingness to forgive. Condemnation tells me to run from God and hide, but the conviction of the Spirit calls me to draw near to Christ. And Jesus graciously welcomed her saying, your sins are forgiven (Luke 7:48); your faith has saved you. Go in peace (Luke 7:50).
Dear sister, what do you do with your sin? Do you ignore it or try to hide it? Do you defend it or seek to justify yourself? Does shame overwhelm you? Christ is calling you to rightly mourn your sin and agree that it is wrong. But you are called to more than that.
Come lament your sin and worship the one who forgives it. Come and receive the truth of the Savior for all who come to him in faith, your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.
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