The requirements of worship
By Gregory Toussaint | October 22nd, 2025
In the sacred halls of a Pharisee's home, a dinner is underway. The air is thick with the self-righteousness of the host and the quiet authority of the guest of honor, Jesus. It is a scene of curated piety, of careful observance of tradition. But suddenly, the door opens, and the carefully constructed atmosphere is shattered. A woman enters a city known not for her piety, but for her sin. She carries with her an alabaster jar of perfumed oil. In the moments that follow, she offers an act of worship so profound, so raw, and so costly that it continues to resonate through the centuries, challenging our modern understanding of what it truly means to worship.
This story, found in Luke 7, serves as a powerful illustration of a transformative message: true worship is not an action, but a reaction. It is not a ritual we perform or a song we sing by heart. It is an explosive, heartfelt response to an encounter with the living God. It is a surrender that has a cost, a surrender born of profound humility, fervent affection, total abandonment, and costly sacrifice. By dissecting this woman's magnificent act, we discover the very requirements of worship that touch the heart of God.
The First Requirement: Deep Humility
The woman's worship does not begin with a bold declaration, but with a calm and humble posture. Scripture says she "stood at his feet, behind him, weeping." (Luke 7:37, NKJV) She does not approach Jesus from the front, face to face. She positions herself behind him, at his feet, as if to say: "I am not worthy to stand in your presence." This simple gesture is the first clue to understanding true worship: it requires deep humility.
Where did this humility come from? It came from her memory. This woman knew who she was. She remembered her past, the sins that defined her in the eyes of the city. But more importantly, she remembered the moment she was forgiven. Although we do not know the exact timeline, the story implies that her sins had already been forgiven. Her life had been changed. Her worship was not a plea for forgiveness, but a reaction to the forgiveness she had already received. When she looked at Jesus, she remembered the pit from which He had pulled her. This memory crushed her pride and filled her with a humility so deep that all she could do was weep at His feet.
In our own lives, when we enter the presence of God and feel nothing, when we feel tired, distracted, and unable to concentrate, the key is to remember. Remember the worst sin you have ever committed, the one you never talk about. Remember the person you were before Christ. Remember the grace that met you in your darkest moment. This is not an exercise in shame, but an exercise in gratitude. When we remember where we came from, we are overwhelmed by where He has brought us. This memory gives birth to a humility that is the very foundation of true worship.
The Second Requirement: Fervent Affection
As the woman stood behind Jesus, she began to weep, and her tears fell on His feet. She then did something remarkable: she began to wash His feet with her tears and wipe them with the hair of her head. Simon, the host, had neglected the basic courtesy of providing water to wash Jesus' feet. But this woman, in an act of deep affection, provided the water from her own eyes.
This demonstrates the second requirement of true worship: it requires fervent affection. It is an emotional and passionate response. There is a misconception in some circles that worship should be a purely intellectual or stoic exercise. We are told to be "calculated" and not too emotional. Yet, the same person who stands stoically in church, raising their hand halfway, will shout, jump, and scream with passion when their favorite sports team scores. The problem is not a lack of emotion; it's where our heart is connected. The problem is a lack of affection for Jesus.
True worship engages our emotions because it flows from a heart deeply in love with God. The woman's tears were not for show; they were the outward expression of overwhelming gratitude and love that she could not contain. She was so grateful for what God had done for her, so happy, so in love with the one who had saved her, that her emotions simply overflowed. We cannot be true worshippers without being emotional, because true worship requires a heart passionately connected to Jesus. In fact, one of the best things you can ever do with your emotions is to worship Jesus Christ with them.
The Third Requirement: Total Abandonment
The woman wiped Jesus’ feet with the hair of her head (Luke 7:38, NKJV). In that culture, for a woman to unbind her hair in public was a scandalous act. It was a sign of indecency, something a respectable woman would never do. Yet, this woman, in her passionate worship, unbound her hair to dry the feet of her Savior. This act reveals the third requirement of true worship: total abandonment. She had reached a point where she simply no longer cared what others thought. She was not concerned with the judgment of Simon the Pharisee or the disciples. Her attention was entirely focused on Jesus.
A true worshipper eventually reaches the "I don't care" point. "I don't care if people think I'm ridiculous for jumping." "I don't care if my friends think I'm strange for raising my hands." "I don't care if my family says I'm doing too much." When the glory and presence of God truly consumes you, the opinions of others fade into insignificance. You are no longer self-conscious, but God-conscious.
This is a level of surrender that many of us fear. We are afraid of being judged, of looking unworthy. But the woman shows us that true worship demands that we lay down our dignity, our reputation, and our self-consciousness at the feet of Jesus. It is in this place of total abandonment, where we are willing to be a fool for Christ, that we find the freedom to worship Him with our whole being. We must set aside the voices that say, "Maybe if they accept you, you can be yourself," and embrace the freedom that comes from knowing he already accepts us.
The Fourth Requirement - Costly Sacrifice
Finally, the evangelist Luke told us that the woman "brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil." She did not just open the jar; she broke it (Mark 14:3) in order to pour the oil on Jesus. It was a one-time, all-in act. And this oil was not cheap. The Bible tells us in a similar account that it was worth 300 denarii the equivalent of a full year's salary for an ordinary worker (Mark 14:5). In today's terms, this could represent more than $40,000 or $50,000. This was probably her life savings, her pension fund, her entire net worth, completely poured out at the feet of Jesus.
This is the fourth and perhaps the most difficult requirement of true worship: it requires costly sacrifice. But what would push someone to make such an extravagant sacrifice? It was a reaction to a revelation. In a parallel account in John 12, when the disciples complained about the waste, Jesus said she had kept this oil for the day of His burial. This woman, who was not one of the twelve, had a prophetic revelation that Jesus was going to die. She understood that He was going to make the ultimate sacrifice, and her costly worship was a reaction to the infinite value of His cross.
She knew that the forgiveness she had received was not cheap. The precious blood of Jesus would pay for it. While Peter, Thomas, and the others did not yet understand, she did. When she looked at her jar of oil and then at the cross, the choice was easy. Her sacrifice was nothing compared to the sacrifice He was about to make for her. A true worshipper understands the price that Christ paid. When we truly understand the value of the cross, no sacrifice we make will ever seem too great. True worship is always costly.
Conclusion: A Call to Costly Surrender
The woman at the Pharisee's house teaches us that worship is far more than a Sunday morning routine. It is a life-changing reaction to the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is a surrender that flows from a heart humbled by grace, filled with passionate affection, freed by total abandonment, and moved to costly sacrifice. She took her glory, her hair, and used it to dry His feet. She took her wealth, her perfume, and poured it out in worship. She threw her crown at His feet.
This is the call for us today. To enter the presence of God not as a lawyer, doctor, businessman, or person of influence, but as a simple worshipper. To take the crowns of our achievements, our successes, and our possessions, and throw them at the feet of the worthy one. To go beyond worship of simple action to worship of heartfelt reaction. It is in this place of total surrender that we discover the actual immeasurable cost and the indescribable joy of worship.
Group Discussion Questions
The central theme is that "true worship is not an action, but a reaction." How does this idea challenge or change your personal understanding and practice of worship?
The concept of "total abandonment" in worship involves overcoming the fear of what others think. What are the biggest obstacles that prevent you from worshipping with this kind of freedom?
What practical steps can you take to move toward a more "I don't care" attitude in your worship?
Of the four requirements discussed, humility, affection, total abandonment, and sacrifice, which one do you find most challenging to live out in your own worship, and why?
Deep Humility:
True worship begins with a humble posture that recognizes our unworthiness before God. This woman approached Jesus from behind, at His feet, demonstrating that she understood who she was and where she came from. Her humility flowed from her memory, she remembered her past sins and the forgiveness she had received. When we recall our own lowliness and the grace that saved us, we are naturally led to a deep humility that is the foundation of all authentic worship. Remembering our worst sins and God's mercy crushes our pride and births sincere worship within us.
Fervent Affection & Total Abandonment:
Worship requires deep emotional engagement and passionate affection for Jesus. The woman wept at Jesus' feet, her tears expressing what words could not convey, overwhelming gratitude and love. True worship is not a cold intellectual exercise, but an emotional response from a heart deeply in love with God. We cannot be true worshippers without investing our emotions. The problem is not a lack of emotion, but rather where our heart is attached. It demands that we abandon our dignity, our reputation, and our concern for others' opinions. The woman unbound her hair in public a scandalous act to wipe Jesus' feet, demonstrating that she no longer cared about others' judgment. A true worshipper reaches the "I don't care" level, where only God's opinion matters.
Costly Sacrifice:
Lastly, authentic worship costs something precious. The woman broke an alabaster jar containing perfume worth 300 denarii (the equivalent of a year's salary), probably representing all her savings. She gave everything at Jesus' feet. This extravagant sacrifice was a reaction to the revelation she had received concerning Jesus' imminent death and the ultimate sacrifice He was about to make for her. When we truly understand the price Christ paid on the cross for our forgiveness, no sacrifice we make seems too great. True worship always involves a cost, we give our most precious treasures to the One who gave everything for us.
