Grace: The Woman Who Sinned
By Kimalea Arrighi
(Scene opens with Woman standing in front of an ancient dining area. The woman is holding a scarf drawn together at the four corners. The scarf is holding precious contents not revealed until the end of scene.)
What gift of any value can a woman give to the One who redeemed her soul? What token could I pay in gratitude for a whole lifetime of sin forgiven? Years of unspeakable sin… All forgiven in an instant of grace. A gift for the God of the universe? (Laughs) He made heaven and earth by His Word. Could I, if it were possible, give Him a … star? No. Instead, He chose to give me all that He had. (Clutching scarf with hidden contents to her heart) All that He asked from me… was my heart. No one had ever wanted my heart before. Those dreams died inside me years ago when I was just a child. But then He came and made me whole. I have never been the same since.
I heard a lot of talk about this Jesus of Nazareth. People said He was healing the sick and performing miracles all over the countryside. There was even testimony from eyewitnesses saying He had raised people from the dead. The first time I saw Him He was on the street talking to the children. He listened to their endless questions and never once did He seem impatient with them. (Amused) I even saw Him rebuke His own disciples once for trying to shoo them away! I looked into His eyes that day. It was only for an instant but in that moment, I saw that they were filled with love. I began to follow Him every day after that. At first from a distance but in time I came to trust Him. I listened as He taught the people wonderful truths about the Kingdom of Heaven. He spoke about forgiveness and love, and how to be happy God’s way.
I saw and heard so many wonderful things that they would more than fill a book if I wrote them all down. Even the religious leaders knew what people were saying about the miraculous power of this man was true. They feared His power, so they told the people He was from Satan. Those of us that followed close to Him knew the truth. Jesus of Nazareth was exactly who He said He was. The Son of God, sent by His Father to dwell among us in the form of human flesh.
(Refer to backdrop) This is the home of Simon, the Pharisee. He invited Jesus to a banquet, supposedly given in His honor. I came to watch like many others did that day. This is a common custom among my people. I didn’t mean any harm, (Sheepishly) but a woman of my reputation has no proper place in society. Except in secret… In the end, I guess I did cause quite a stir. I slipped in quietly and took my place against the wall behind Jesus. That’s when I noticed that no one had bothered to honor the Savior by washing His feet. My heart broke as I realized that such neglect had taken place. Here! In the house of a religious man! Without a thought I flew to His side. To the precious feet of my Lord and King. The Holy One who loved me like a father loves his innocent child. Tears begin streaming down my face as I thought of the love and grace Jesus had shown me. All the guilt and shame poured out of my heart on to the feet of my Redeemer. My sins, too numerable to mention began to dissolve in a cleansing tide of gratitude and love for Jesus.
Heaven opened in my heart and provided all the water I needed to wash Jesus’ feet that day. As my tears dropped one by one on to the feet of my King, they washed away all the dirt, all the grime and the wasted years. A moment later I was drying His feet with my hair.
Oh, so many tears! And such forgiveness! Suddenly, I remembered I had brought with me a box of expensive and fragrant oil – enough to be used many times over. My thought was to use only what I needed but as I began to pour it on His feet, the love I felt for Him enveloped me so that I poured the oil completely out. When it seemed empty, I broke the box to be sure and used the last traces to honor my Lord. His majesty and glory so filled my heart, I kissed those blessed feet over, and over again. Praising His name forever.
What gift can a woman give to the One who redeemed her soul? What token could I pay in gratitude for a whole lifetime of sin forgiven? (Opens scarf, slowly unveiling the contents with each phrase.) Shattered dreams … a broken life …an empty vessel… (Reveals broken vessel) and my heart.