44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I

entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her

tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in

she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has

anointed my feet with ointment. (Luke 7:44-46)

So far, we’ve learned two very important principles for cultivating peace in our lives.

We’ve learned that peace comes when we live to please Jesus, not other people. We’ve

also discovered from this text that peace comes as we talk to Jesus about our own sin,

not the sins of other people. Today, we look at one more biblical principle from Luke 7

through which Jesus imparts more peace into our daily lives. Here it is:

Peace comes from practicing gratitude, instead of resenting others.

Resentment is defined as “bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly.” In this

encounter in Luke 7, Simon the Pharisee resents Jesus for not sharing his disgust and

animosity towards the sinful woman who is now weeping at the feet of Christ. Even

more impressive is the lack of resentment that exists within the heart of this sinful

woman towards organized religion. Let’s be honest…Simon and his “morally upright”

dinner guests were of no help for this woman in her pursuit of God. It would have been

easy for her to justify a life of sin based on the hypocrisy and hatred that she received

from the religious leaders in her community. Simon would have been a very easy target

for her, had she chosen resentment.

Instead, what does she do? She chooses to please God instead of people, she chooses

to focus on her own sin and not Simons and as a result she practices gratitude towards

Jesus. She washes his feet with her tears, she dries his feet with her hair, she anoints

his feet with ointment. And what does Jesus give her in return? He gives her….peace. It

is truly breathtaking! The professional sinner leaves with peace and Simon leaves with

conviction and guilt.

So here’s the question…who do you resent? Who is the focus of your bitter indignation

who you feel has treated you unfairly? Perhaps a relative? A friend or coworker?

Perhaps God, Himself? Beloved, there is no peace to be found in your resentment.

Instead, focus on the sin which remains in your own heart…weep at the feet of

Jesus…thank Him for His grace and practice gratitude that He might impart His peace

to you that surpasses all understanding.

By Jimmy Carter