Beautiful to Me

 

Beautiful to me

 

Not everyone had an upbringing quite like I have.  I grew up as a pastor’s kid and my dad introduced me to a lot of music.  As something different for the blog I’m going to share a passage and hen the song I think of every time I read it.  See I grew up listening to Don Francisco and if you’ve never heard his older music a lot of it comes straight from scripture and he is a storytelling master that gets you thinking.  Most people claim his song about the Resurrection called He’s Alive was originally done by Dolly Parton but it was not.  Anywho that last part was for my sister who heard Dolly’s version and like me thought she ruined it.  So, to set the scene let’s move right along to Luke 7:36-50 and meet a guy named Simon who just didn’t get it.  

 

“One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat.  When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume.  Then she knelt behind him at his feet weeping.  Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair.  Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.  When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him.  She’s a sinner!’  Then Jesus answered his thoughts.  ‘Simon,’.  He said to the Pharisee, ‘I have something to say to you.’  ‘Go ahead, teacher,’. Simon replied.  Then Jesus told him this story: ‘A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other.  But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both canceling their debts.  Who do you suppose loved him more after that?’  

Simon answered, ‘I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.’  

‘That’s right,’. Jesus said.  Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,  ‘Look at this woman kneeling here.  When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet.  You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.  

I tell you her sins—and they are many— have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love.  But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.’  Then Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’  

The men at the table said among themselves, ‘Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?’  And Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’  

 

Now before I get to the song lyrics, I want to say something.  Recently I heard a sermon on this passage by Dr. Brian Hill at First Baptist Corpus Christi and at the end of reading that passage he said something we often miss.  “We have been forgiven of much.”  We don’t always think we have but Romans 5:8 says while we were yet sinners or enemies of God; Christ died for us.  Nothing we did or ever can do will earn us salvation.  

 

Now let’s take a different look at Simon.

 

 

Don Francisco – Beautiful To Me Lyrics

The crowds were in the streets that day when Jesus came
To town
All the synagogue was there and more from miles around
So I asked him home to dinner just to see what I could
See
Of this famous local prophet from here in Galilee

And I don't know just how that woman got into the room
But you couldn't miss her gaudy clothes and her strong
And sweet perfume.
She went straight to Jesus' feet and stopped and stood
Right there
Then cried and wet His feet with tears and dried them
With her hair.

Now of all the women in my town none was more well
Known
For the flagrant sin she'd lived in and the wickedness
She'd sown.
But He didn't move to stop her -- seemed this prophet
Couldn't tell
That the woman who was touching Him was the kind they
Buy and sell.

And I had no idea just what this Jesus planned to do
When he said "Simon, there's something I need to say to
You. "
So I said "Teacher, if it's on your mind then tell me
What you will. "
But as He began to speak to me the room grew quickly
Still

He said "Take a good look at this woman now, in spite
Of all her fears
She's kissed me and anointed me and washed my feet with
Tears.
She's honored me and you've been only rude to me
Instead.
You gave no kiss of greeting, no anointing for my
Head. "

And her sins were red as scarlet and now they're washed
Away.
The love and faith she's shown is all the price she has
To pay
For the depth of God's forgiveness, it's more than you
Can see
And in spite of what you think of her, she's beautiful
To me

Now my anger flamed to hatred, I wanted nothing more
Than to take this prophet by the throat and throw Him
Out the door
To act like God, forgiving sins, and then speak so to
Me.
This itinerant from Nazareth in backwards Galilee.

But instead I sat and trembled, shaken to the core
The woman still was weeping as she knelt there on the
Floor
Jesus turned to her and said, "Your chains have been
Released
Your faith has saved you from your sins, rise -- walk
In peace. "

Your sins were red as scarlet but now they're washed
Away.
The love and faith you've shown is all the price you
Have to pay
For the depth of God's forgiveness, it's deeper than
The sea
And no matter what the world may think, you're
Beautiful to me.

 

 

Like Dr. Hill said “We have been forgiven of much.”