A Scandalous Worship!
The Three Hindrances to True Worship.
By Gregory Toussaint | October 29th, 2025
In a room thick with tension and self-righteous piety, a woman’s act of extravagant love shattered the status quo. The scene is Simon the Pharisee’s home, where Jesus is the guest of honor. A woman, known in the city only for her sin, enters uninvited. She carries an alabaster flask of precious oil, and in a moment of breathtaking vulnerability, she breaks it, anointing Jesus’ feet, washing them with her tears, and drying them with her hair. This was not a quiet, orderly act of religious observance. It was a scandal. And in the scandalized reactions of those who witnessed it, we find a timeless lesson on the very things that stand in our way of truly worshipping God.
This story, woven through the gospels, reveals that the path to authentic worship is often blocked by spectators who, for various reasons, cannot comprehend the depth of a surrendered heart. These spectators are not just historical figures; they represent the internal and external attitudes that hinder our own worship today. By examining their reactions, we can identify and dismantle three primary hindrances to a worship that moves the heart of God: the self-righteousness of the Pharisee, the mixed-up priorities of the Disciples, and the selfishness of Judas.
Forgetting where you came from will hinder you from worshiping God with a grateful heart.
The first person to be scandalized was the host himself, Simon the Pharisee. His internal monologue, recorded in Luke 7:39 (NKJV), reveals his immediate judgment: “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.” Simon’s real issue was not merely that a sinner was touching a holy man, but that her worship was so excessive. He felt she was doing too much.
Jesus, perceiving his thoughts, directly confronts Simon’s lack of hospitality and, more importantly, his lack of love. He contrasts Simon’s cold observance with the woman’s passionate adoration:
“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. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.” (Luke 7:44–46, NKJV)
Simon provided nothing, while the woman gave everything. The parable Jesus tells about the two debtors one forgiven of 500 denarii and the other of 50 drives the point home: “to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (Luke 7:47). Simon’s worship was hindered because his heart was not filled with gratitude. He had forgotten the depth of his own need for grace.
But the story holds an even deeper irony. When Matthew and Mark recount this event, they don’t identify the host as “Simon the Pharisee,” but as “Simon the leper” (Matthew 26:6; Mark 14:3). This detail is staggering. Leprosy in the ancient world was not just a disease; it was a sign of divine judgment, a mark of profound sin that led to complete social and spiritual isolation. This means Simon, the man now judging this woman from a position of religious superiority, was once a desperate outcast himself, cleansed and restored by the very man he was failing to honor.
Simon’s hypocrisy is the first great hindrance to worship: forgetting where you came from. When we lose the memory of the pit from which God has pulled us, our hearts grow cold. We begin to see ourselves as better, more sanctified, and more deserving than others. Pride settles in, and we start to police the worship of those around us, thinking they are too loud, too emotional, or too generous. We become critics instead of worshippers. True worship flows from a heart that never forgets the magnitude of its own forgiveness.
Having your priorities mixed up will hinder you from worshiping God with your whole heart.
The second group to be scandalized was Jesus’ own inner circle: the disciples. As the intoxicating aroma of the perfume filled the room, they were not moved to worship; they were moved to anger. They saw the woman’s act not as devotion, but as waste. “Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor” (Matthew 26:8–9).
Their objection sounds noble, even spiritual. They appear to be champions of social justice, concerned for the poor. However, their reaction reveals a critical hindrance to worship: mixed-up priorities.
First, they were budgeting someone else’s money. It is a strange human tendency to become experts in managing resources that do not belong to us. Their concern for the poor was suddenly activated only when it involved the woman’s sacrifice, not their own. Peter owned a large house; James and John had a fishing business. They had means, yet there is no record of them selling their assets to fund their newfound passion for the poor. Their indignation was a convenient and cost-free way to feel righteous.
More importantly, their objection revealed what they truly valued. In their calculation, feeding the poor was a higher priority than anointing Jesus. They valued man above God. This humanistic mindset, while seemingly compassionate, is a dangerous inversion of the first and greatest commandment: to love the Lord your God with all your heart. Jesus’ correction is swift and clear: “The poor you will have with you always, but Me you do not have always” (Matthew 26:11). He was not dismissing the importance of caring for the poor; He was establishing a divine order of priority. Worship of God comes first.
This hindrance is alive and well today. We live in a culture that celebrates giving to human causes but often views giving to God as a waste. A thousand dollars spent on designer shoes is “good taste,” but a thousand-dollar offering is “foolish.” A new smartphone is a necessity, but a generous gift to the church is questioned. This reveals a heart that values fashion over faith, and materialism over the Master. The Bible is clear: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21, NKJV). Our giving is a direct reflection of what we value. If our generosity toward God is an afterthought, our worship will always be hollow.
Selfish desires in us or around us will hinder us from worshiping God.
While all the disciples were indignant, the Gospel of John zooms in on the ringleader of the protest: Judas Iscariot. It was Judas who quantified the “waste,” naming the price of 300 denarii. John gives us the reason for his specific outrage: Judas was a thief and held the moneybag (John 12:6). His objection was not born of compassion for the poor or even mixed-up priorities; it was born of pure, unadulterated selfishness.
Judas represents the third and perhaps most insidious hindrance to worship. He wanted the woman’s offering for himself. What was intended for God, he coveted for his own gain. Selfishness is fundamentally at odds with worship, because worship is the act of enthroning God, while selfishness is the act of enthroning self. A heart that is full of itself has no room for God.
This hindrance can manifest in two ways: through our own selfish desires, or through the selfish people around us. People may resent the time you spend in church because they want that time for themselves. They may criticize your service to God because they wish you were serving them instead. They may get angry about your financial giving because they would have preferred that money be spent on them. Because selfishness is socially unacceptable, it is often disguised in spiritual-sounding language. They won’t say, “I want that money for myself.” Instead, they’ll say, “You’re just making the pastor rich,” or “You don’t even know how the church is using that money.” They will find a noble-sounding reason to mask their true motivation: greed.
If we allow selfish people to influence us, or if we harbor selfishness in our own hearts, it becomes impossible to worship. True worship is a sacrifice. It happens when God takes priority over our own comfort, desires, convenience, and plans. The woman broke her alabaster box because she believed Jesus was worth it. Judas saw the same offering and saw only a loss to his own pocket. One heart was surrendered in worship; the other was consumed by self.
Conclusion: You can never out-give God because what we pour at His feet, He multiplies.
The woman came with no agenda. She did not worship to get something in return; she worshipped because her heart was overflowing with gratitude for the forgiveness she had already received. She simply wanted to pour her love at the Master’s feet.
Yet, in the economy of heaven, there is a powerful principle at work: no one can out-give God. When you give to God, what He gives back is always greater. The woman came to honor Jesus, but Jesus turned and honored her. He immortalized her act of devotion, declaring, “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Matthew 26:13, NKJV). She walked into the house a nameless sinner; she walked out a timeless icon of worship. She came to pour out her perfume, but He poured out His favor upon her.
True worship is a costly surrender, but it is never a net loss. The one we worship is the greatest Giver of all. When we overcome the hindrances of self-righteousness, mixed-up priorities, and selfishness, we enter into a beautiful exchange where our finite offerings are met with His infinite reward.
Questions for Group Discussion
The Pharisee's Amnesia: The sermon argues that Simon's hypocrisy came from the fact that he had "forgotten where he came from." How can remembering our own past sin and God's grace protect us from developing a judgmental or critical spirit in worship?
The Disciples' Priorities: The disciples valued a good cause (feeding the poor) more than direct worship of Jesus. How can we ensure that God remains our absolute priority, even above other good and noble causes?
The Judas Effect: Selfishness, whether in ourselves or in those around us, can be a powerful hindrance to worship. Do you remember a time when your desire to worship (with your time, your talent, or your treasure) was met with criticism?
The Scandal of "Too Much": Simon's main problem was that he felt the woman was "doing too much." How does the woman's example encourage you to worship more, with greater freedom and abandonment?
Worship Him, He will always give you back more than you give!
