She stood at His feet behind Him weeping, and she began to wash His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head, and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
Isn’t it interesting how Jesus read Simon’s mind? Jesus did not see the woman as a rejected soul who did not belong because she was dirty or because she had a reputation, or because her economic status was less than. He did not think immediately that the woman who was spilling her tears on his feet was inferior and did not matter. His lesson to Simon was that this woman who he saw as poisonous to the human race had displayed such compassion for Jesus. The woman showed much more respect and humility than Simon had as owner and host of his house. Even in our worst moments, aren’t you glad at how Christ sees you?
Working during the summer as an educator often gives you time to sit and have a conversation with colleagues on a personal level because the school year does not give many opportunities for this. As educators, we all have stories to tell about the different experiences that we have encountered in our careers. I was reminded of a moment in my AP III class where students looked at a classmate through the eyes of Christ. I had the opportunity to watch my students show genuine love, compassion, and acceptance. It was one of the BEST teaching moments of my career.
In 2010, I was an English teacher at a High School that had over 2100 students, and my last block class had managed to form a close-knit bond. Every year I try to incorporate some creative writing into the class assignments because the AP III class focuses on language and composition. The tone could be serious, satirical, or humorous. Our model for the assignment was a poem by Langston Hughes entitled Theme for English B. The poem depicts the story of a young black man, age twenty-two, who is given an assignment by his instructor to write a poem and maintain the integrity of staying true to self. The young man questions issues about separation of races, self-identity, and a sense of belonging and fitting into the place where he is.
The students were to write their own poems for English III and present them to the class. Many of the students were serious, and a few showed their humorous interpretation of truth. It was an assignment that was fun and entertaining. It was until..one student read her theme, brought tears to the room, and silenced a class. My student wrote about her truth, her shame, her guilt, her unworthiness, and ultimately her triumph. My instructions for my students’ personal themes for English III was to model Hughes’ poem about themselves, let the class get to know them through the words, and then allow the class to decide if what was written was true.
My student was a 17-year-old biracial female taking honors and AP classes. Of course, there was an unwritten code of conduct that there were no slip-ups or accidents because they were the highest achieving and the most competitive group in the school who was destined for great things in the world. My student was pregnant, and she kept this hidden for as long as possible. She never asked to go to the restroom. She always came in and sat down in her desk and seldom left it unless it was a necessity. She was quiet and reserved, and she never brought any type of attention to herself. However, she did not go unnoticed.
After several presentations, the student’s name was called. She slowly made her way and seven months of pregnancy to the podium. The student carefully and methodically unfolded her paper, placed it gently on the podium, looked and the class, and began her poem. She introduced herself and told us where she was from and how she became a student at this high school. Her poem went from basic, simplistic information into a deeply emotional and moving expression of being a pregnant, unwed, honor student. Her story:
The student began by saying she got ‘caught up.” She got caught up in a string of lies by a young man (a few years older) who declared his undying love for her. He told her what their future would look like. He paid attention to her and made her feel extremely special. Her downfall was being young and in love, seeing stars, and not seeing the reality of the entire relationship. Like so many others who think it’s love, she gave herself to him leading to many intimate encounters. When she discovered she was pregnant, the guy who had declared his undying love for her denied any part in her pregnancy. It became a life of shattered dreams, ultimate betrayal, and denial. Reeling from this rejection, my student was left to tell her parents and grandparents alone. When she told them, she faced disappointment and condemnation in the eyes of her mother and grandmother. The most hurtful and difficult part of this situation was her father’s look of disgust and silent treatment. It was a hurt that brought her to her knees in pain and feelings of unworthiness, guilt, and shame. After the initial shock, her mother and grandmother swore that she would finish school and attend college and that as a family they would get through this. together. Her father remained silent.
As my student walked the hallway to classes, she shared how her shame made her take the long way to classes so that she didn’t have to pass certain teachers because she knew how she had let them down. She didn’t drink much at school, and that helped curtail the number of times she’d need to use the restroom each day. As her stomach grew, so did her feelings of shame, guilt, isolation, and invisibility. Although her outward appearance seemed okay, her insides were carrying an emotional burden that she had failed. With this assignment, she had taken a chance by telling her story and sharing her fear and emotions. She told her story and ended the poem by saying, “This is my theme for English III.” Wow!
After the poem was read, she quietly folded her piece of paper. The class sat quietly, stunned, and tearful. At that moment, her best friend stood up and walked to the podium with outstretched arms and said, “Awwww, you need a hug!” One by one, each student got up to join the hug. This class of twenty students embraced each other without prompting, but with genuineness and gentleness. What made this moment so special was that the class of twenty was made up of seventeen girls and three boys, and in the middle of this huddle stood my three boys. Amazing! Watching this class defend and love on this classmate and friend reminded me of how Jesus looked at the woman who washed his feet in tears.
The class could see. They could see a comrade who needed support, friendship, and love. She needed to find redemption in a mistake that she felt that she was walking alone. This class saw her, the individual, the future mother, the friend, and the wounded. I often think of how this situation could have gone so differently. These students could have been like Simon and thought that this student was less than because she was pregnant. Instead, they followed the greatest command found in (Matthew 22:39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” and in (Mark 12:31) “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandments greater than these.”
Today my student is happily married to a gentlemen who professed his undying love for her and her daughter. They have added an infant to the family. My student’s mother and grandmother kept her daughter while she attended college, and her father’s disdain melted the moment he welcomed his granddaughter into the world. Seeing through the eyes of Christ offers forgiveness and acceptance in a very tough world. Unsuspectingly, the class taught a lesson to each other without knowing it by displaying John 15:12 “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” This is the power of seeing through the eyes of Christ.
Copyright ©️ 2020 by CrayDawg, Inc.
Coffee Reflections 