Have you ever worn a label you couldn’t shake?
Maybe it was a nickname from childhood. A failure that followed you. A mistake you thought you’d buried long ago—but somehow it still shows up, whispering in your ear, “This is who you are.”
Shame is sticky like that. It doesn’t just point to what you’ve done—it tries to define who you are. And yet, in the presence of Jesus, shame loses its power.
In Luke 7, we meet a woman who walked into a room full of religious men, already labeled: “a sinful woman.” That’s how Scripture describes her. That’s how the Pharisees saw her. And it’s likely how she saw herself.
But it’s not how Jesus saw her.
She wasn’t invited to this dinner party. She wasn’t welcome, not by Simon the Pharisee, and certainly not by the crowd watching her every move. Still, she came—carrying two things: her shame and her worship.
And in her hands was something precious: an alabaster jar of perfume.
The Alabaster Jar
Alabaster was smooth, beautiful, and expensive. Perfume stored inside these jars was often a woman’s dowry or life savings. To break it open was to say, “There’s no going back.” It was extravagant. Complete. Final.
It reminds me of a piggy bank with no hole—if you wanted what was inside, you had to break it.
This woman brought her treasure to Jesus—not to save, but to pour out.
She wept. She knelt. She let her hair fall. She poured perfume on Jesus’ feet, kissed them, and wiped them with her tears. Every movement was a surrender. Every tear a testimony: “I’m not holding back.”
Her shame had defined her—but her worship redefined her.
Bring Your Shame to Jesus
We all carry alabaster jars of our own. Things we value. Identities we protect. Security we cling to. Sometimes it’s our reputation. Sometimes it’s the story we tell ourselves about who we are—formed by past mistakes or wounds that still sting.
But the invitation of Jesus is clear: bring your shame, your wounds, your whole self—and pour it out.
The world tells you to hide your shame. Jesus invites you to lay it at His feet.
And when you do, He doesn’t recoil. He doesn’t shame you further. He meets you with grace.
Grace Cancels Shame
Simon, the host, couldn’t believe what he was seeing. In his mind, Jesus should’ve known who this woman was. “If He were a prophet,” Simon muttered, “He’d know what kind of woman is touching Him.”
What kind of woman. That’s the language of labels.
But Jesus saw through Simon’s self-righteousness. He tells a story about two people who owed a debt—one small, one massive. Neither could pay. The moneylender forgives them both. “Which one will love more?” Jesus asks.
Simon replies, “The one who was forgiven more.”
Exactly.
This woman loved extravagantly because she had been forgiven extravagantly.
It’s easy to forget how much we’ve been forgiven when we think our debt was small. But the truth is, we all owed more than we could pay. And Jesus canceled it—completely.
Stop Labeling—Start Loving
This story doesn’t just invite us to come to Jesus—it challenges us to stop judging others by their past.
What if we stopped labeling people by their worst moments? What if we saw them the way Jesus does—not as sinners to be avoided, but as souls to be restored?
The woman didn’t need more condemnation—she needed compassion. She didn’t need another label—she needed a new name.
And that’s exactly what Jesus gave her. He defended her. He forgave her. And He sent her out in peace. No more shame. No more labels. Just grace, forgiveness, and a new identity.
Pour It Out
So, what’s your alabaster jar?
What are you holding onto that Jesus is inviting you to surrender? What shame is still whispering in the background, “This is who you are”?
Bring it to Him.
Break it open.
Pour it out.
Because Jesus doesn’t cancel people—He cancels shame. And in place of the old label, He speaks a better word over you: Loved. Forgiven. Free.
Your Turn
Maybe today is your moment. To kneel, to weep, to worship. To bring your past, your best, and everything in between to Jesus. He won’t turn you away. He’ll meet you with the words your soul has been aching to hear: "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."
Maybe it was a nickname from childhood. A failure that followed you. A mistake you thought you’d buried long ago—but somehow it still shows up, whispering in your ear, “This is who you are.”
Shame is sticky like that. It doesn’t just point to what you’ve done—it tries to define who you are. And yet, in the presence of Jesus, shame loses its power.
In Luke 7, we meet a woman who walked into a room full of religious men, already labeled: “a sinful woman.” That’s how Scripture describes her. That’s how the Pharisees saw her. And it’s likely how she saw herself.
But it’s not how Jesus saw her.
“A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.” —Luke 7:37
She wasn’t invited to this dinner party. She wasn’t welcome, not by Simon the Pharisee, and certainly not by the crowd watching her every move. Still, she came—carrying two things: her shame and her worship.
And in her hands was something precious: an alabaster jar of perfume.
The Alabaster Jar
Alabaster was smooth, beautiful, and expensive. Perfume stored inside these jars was often a woman’s dowry or life savings. To break it open was to say, “There’s no going back.” It was extravagant. Complete. Final.
It reminds me of a piggy bank with no hole—if you wanted what was inside, you had to break it.
This woman brought her treasure to Jesus—not to save, but to pour out.
She wept. She knelt. She let her hair fall. She poured perfume on Jesus’ feet, kissed them, and wiped them with her tears. Every movement was a surrender. Every tear a testimony: “I’m not holding back.”
Her shame had defined her—but her worship redefined her.
Bring Your Shame to Jesus
We all carry alabaster jars of our own. Things we value. Identities we protect. Security we cling to. Sometimes it’s our reputation. Sometimes it’s the story we tell ourselves about who we are—formed by past mistakes or wounds that still sting.
But the invitation of Jesus is clear: bring your shame, your wounds, your whole self—and pour it out.
The world tells you to hide your shame. Jesus invites you to lay it at His feet.
And when you do, He doesn’t recoil. He doesn’t shame you further. He meets you with grace.
“Your sins are forgiven.”
“Your faith has saved you.”
“Go in peace.”
—Luke 7:48, 50
Grace Cancels Shame
Simon, the host, couldn’t believe what he was seeing. In his mind, Jesus should’ve known who this woman was. “If He were a prophet,” Simon muttered, “He’d know what kind of woman is touching Him.”
What kind of woman. That’s the language of labels.
But Jesus saw through Simon’s self-righteousness. He tells a story about two people who owed a debt—one small, one massive. Neither could pay. The moneylender forgives them both. “Which one will love more?” Jesus asks.
Simon replies, “The one who was forgiven more.”
Exactly.
This woman loved extravagantly because she had been forgiven extravagantly.
“Whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”—Luke 7:47
It’s easy to forget how much we’ve been forgiven when we think our debt was small. But the truth is, we all owed more than we could pay. And Jesus canceled it—completely.
“He forgave us all our sins... nailing it to the cross.”—Colossians 2:13–14
Stop Labeling—Start Loving
This story doesn’t just invite us to come to Jesus—it challenges us to stop judging others by their past.
What if we stopped labeling people by their worst moments? What if we saw them the way Jesus does—not as sinners to be avoided, but as souls to be restored?
The woman didn’t need more condemnation—she needed compassion. She didn’t need another label—she needed a new name.
And that’s exactly what Jesus gave her. He defended her. He forgave her. And He sent her out in peace. No more shame. No more labels. Just grace, forgiveness, and a new identity.
Pour It Out
So, what’s your alabaster jar?
What are you holding onto that Jesus is inviting you to surrender? What shame is still whispering in the background, “This is who you are”?
Bring it to Him.
Break it open.
Pour it out.
Because Jesus doesn’t cancel people—He cancels shame. And in place of the old label, He speaks a better word over you: Loved. Forgiven. Free.
Your Turn
Maybe today is your moment. To kneel, to weep, to worship. To bring your past, your best, and everything in between to Jesus. He won’t turn you away. He’ll meet you with the words your soul has been aching to hear: "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."
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