I’ve enjoyed tearing off yesterday’s page to reveal today’s scripture for the past five weeks, but the scripture for Thursday, Feb. 9, gave me pause.
Now, I know that Paul, in his letter to Timothy, says that all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof and instruction in righteousness. But, wouldn’t you think that the scriptures chosen for daily inspiration would be, well, inspirational?
I’m assuming that the designer of this calendar isn’t a fan of the Word of God, or at least hasn’t spent much time in it. Maybe he or she just randomly opened the Bible and arbitrarily pointed to a spot on a page to choose that day’s scripture. Or, maybe there’s a verse randomizer that automatically populates a square on a page.
Most of the scriptures on the calendar are appropriately inspiring, full of promise and hope. The Feb. 9 verse, not so much.
“When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.” Luke 7:36.
I’ve heard preachers warn about pulling scripture out of context. I’ve also heard preachers who pulled a verse out of context to suit their own desires, but this, well, it just doesn’t make sense.
I thought OK, maybe I should see if God is trying to tell me something with this verse. I tried to keep on open mind on Thursday, but I didn’t meet any Pharisees on Thursday. I did get a lunch invitation, but I declined. I already had a Lean Cuisine in the fridge.
No, in this case, this is a commercial company trying to make a buck off the Bible. That’s OK. The Bible also says the Word of God will not return void. Luke’s gospel is full of truth, and, in context, this invitation and response has meaning.
That particular verse sets the stage for one of the most compelling stories of the gospels: the forgiven whore who anointed Jesus’ feet with her expensive oil from her alabaster box, washed his feet with her tears and dried his feet with her hair. The Pharisee chastised this woman for what she did, but what he didn’t understand is that she knew perfectly well what she was doing.
As Cece Winans so eloquently sang it:
And, I’ve come to pour my praise on Him like oil from Mary’s alabaster box.
Don’t be angry if I wash his feet with my tears and I dry them with my hair.
You weren’t there the night He found me.
You did not feel what I felt when he wrapped his love all around me.
And, you don’t know the cost of the oil in my alabaster box.
Why the calendar designer didn’t choose another verse from that passage, I’ll never know or understand. Maybe God knew He’d use it to remind me of this story. Don’t judge, Bill. You don’t know how God is working in someone else’s life. That scripture seemed inappropriate for the day, but maybe not.
Still, I think I would have chosen a verse from later in the chapter. I like verse 48 or 50:
“Then he spoke to her: “I forgive your sins,” or “He ignored them and said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
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