The Way Forward for Us as a Church — Santosh Poonen

God Hides His Truth from Intellectual Pride

I'd like to speak today on what I, the Lord's laid on my heart as the way forward for us as a church. The road ahead for us as a church. And children I hope to speak as simply as possible in a way that you all can understand as well.

I always try to do that. I think one of the things I love about our church is we try to speak as simply as possible. For me that's a struggle. I'm honestly a little too educated to be used by the Lord, by God.

And I have to forsake a lot of that intellectual ability I might have that is useful in the world for our jobs. But I have to set that aside whenever I seek to get revelation from God's Word. I have to set that aside whenever I speak to preach, seek to preach God's Word.

I can't bring, I dare not bring any intellect into the kingdom of God. The moment I try God will hide things from me. Do you know that there are things that God is hidden? Can you imagine that one of your children you play hide-and-seek and they try to find something and you as the adult every time a child gets near something you hide it somewhere else without their knowing it.

You think that's mean? It's actually the love of God that hides things. Maybe I should begin there Matthew chapter 11. He's known as a God who hides himself also even in the Old Testament. Why would God want to hide himself?

Why wouldn't God just proclaim a banner in the heavens that says Jesus is the true God. Believe in him. Why doesn't he manifest himself plainly in physical ways so that everybody would believe in him.

Nobody would go to hell. God's ways are not our ways. He hides himself. Because if he didn't hide himself it would be our knowledge of him based on our own sight. Our eyes, our eyes will have seen him in some physical way and we can take credit for it.

Our minds will have comprehended him, understood him in some way that we can take credit for. But when God hides himself so that all my ability, all my effort, all my study of God's Word and applying of my intellect and listening to this message and listening to that message and looking up in the concordance and studying this and studying the Greek and the Hebrew and all of that in in my self-promoting way comes to nothing.

And I picture it like this that let's say I had two children. It's an imaginary story. It's not not really true. An imaginary story. I had two children. One is a an 18 year old let's say that's full of themselves and full of their own ability and I've got an 18 month old and they're both on a treasure hunt in the house and because the 18 year old thinks I'm gonna get this that 18 month old he's not gonna get it.

Me 18 year old I'm gonna get it. I'm smart. I finished high school and every time they get near the treasure I go and hide it somewhere else without their knowing it. But I call the 18 month old and say here here it is.

This is what God does. He hides it from the those who are proud of their ability. And you wonder why so many who spend so much time studying God's Word going to seminaries and applying and applying and applying like Paul himself.

But there was something about Paul. There was something about the sincerity of Paul that God saw that Jesus said I'm gonna blind you on the road to Damascus and turn you from an 18 year old to a blind 18 and a 18 month old.

Imagine if I could take that 18 year old and blindfold him now. And now they lose their ability, their intellect and their strength, their self-confidence is broken. They can't even see anything and they're feeling their way and then I take that child by the hand and say here's the treasure.

Matthew 11 Jesus said verse 25 at that time Jesus said I praise you father. See Jesus came from heaven. See he understood exactly what heaven was really like. And when he came from heaven down to this earth and saw from an earthly perspective how the father hides these things from all those intellectual seminarians and other people proud of their ability.

He says I praise you this is a taste of heaven. There will be no intellectuals in heaven because God will have hidden the truths from them. I praise you father Lord of heaven and earth that you with all your wisdom being the Lord of heaven and earth you who understand how everything is supposed to work know that the right thing to do is to hide these things from the wise and the intelligent.

And you've revealed them to 18 and 18 month olds. You've hidden them from 18 year olds or 28 year olds and 38 year old and you reveal them to 18 months old. That's why Jesus said unless you become like a little child you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

So pray for me pray for us whenever we speak. I tell you brothers and sisters when you pray for us there's one thing you can really pray for us consistently. Any one of us who get up and speak teach God's Word.

Pray that it'll be simple. That it won't be fancy impressive. I won't have big words that you'll go away thinking man what an intellectual person or anything like that. That I will set aside all that knowledge of English that I have and the desire to be impressive to people and present it simply in a way that the intellectuals will mock.

What kind of a message is that? Fit for a six-year-old and I say yes Lord I wanted to be fit for a five-year-old next time. We're going the other way from the world. The world and including worldly churches Christendom that's seeking to be more and more attractive and impressive to the world and to people in the world.

We're seeking to go the other way and my dear family this is the only way to build a church. That God can be so pleased with the simplicity and the nothingness and the weakness of us that we're forsaking the intellectuality the big earthly wisdom and he says that's a church that I can send my people to.

And may we always be a church that we're not the ones drawing people but God himself is. Supernaturally where he sees these are my people who trust, who have no confidence in themselves, no confidence in their ability, nothing impressive that they can boast about.

Let me find a miraculous way to bring my people who are hungering for the same life. Who want a life that's not impressive to the world but is pleasing to Jesus Christ. And hasn't he done that? I think I look around at your faces and even think of those who aren't here and think how supernaturally God brought you here.

We didn't seek some marketing program. We didn't make our website fancy and all that. We didn't you know transform this building to be some cool hip place that you come to. We're into simplicity. We're into yeah we have comforts.

We have decent chairs to sit on but we're not trying to be the place that is attracting people because of something outward. But a place where God sees our faithfulness in secret and he says these are people that I can bring my people to.

Whether it's online or here in person. So the road ahead for us as a church. I believe first of all we must not be distracted from devotion to the Lord. We must not be distracted from devotion to the Lord.

Undistracted Devotion to Jesus

Let's turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 7. I see it in my own life dear brothers and sisters. And if you look carefully I believe you'll see it in your own life as well. It's very easy for us when things are going well as a church and we've got meetings and we've got a good system of things.

Where we've got our Sunday meetings and we've got our Wednesday meetings. We've got prayer meetings and we've got interactions. We've got interactions that happen through contact or phone during the week and all these things.

In the midst of all of that and I believe we get good teaching. We have conferences where people come and are blessed here. We pack this place up. We have people that watch us online every Sunday. Want to join us during the week.

In the midst of all of that especially local church. Don't be distracted from devotion to Jesus. Things will fall apart. Things have already fallen apart if we have been distracted from devotion to Jesus.

In the midst of all the things that are going around going on in your workplace or in your home. All the ambitions and goals you have for your children and and your family and all of that. Don't be distracted from devotion to Jesus.

1st Corinthians 7 we read in verse 32. He's actually talking about whether it's good to be married or not. Now God called Paul to be unmarried. That was his calling. A very specific calling that he gave Paul like he gave Jesus.

The calling for Jesus was to be unmarried. The calling for Paul was to be unmarried. That probably is not the calling for most of us. I really believe that. I don't believe it's God's calling for most of us to be unmarried.

But the principle of the truth here is that even as married couples and as parents of children we must live in such a way when it comes to devotion to the Lord as if we are unmarried. And he says that it's better not to marry because then you can be 100 devoted to the Lord.

A hundred percent devoted to the Lord. I want you to be free verse 32 from concern. I want you to be free from distraction you can say. That's the meaning of that word concern. There's something else that would take up your mind and your thoughts and your affection from Jesus Christ himself.

So he says one who is unmarried is taken up with the things of the Lord. Concerned about the things of the Lord. How he may please the Lord. That's 100 all. If you're unmarried, you young people, young teenagers and children, you have a tremendous blessing in the fact that you're not married.

I know many of you as you get a little older you think I can't wait to be married as well. But you know there are there's something precious about your unmarried years that most single people miss out on because they have such a desire to be married.

In your unmarried years there's a wonderful testimony that we're given here is that if you're single you can be 100 devoted to the Lord. It's easier to do that when you're single. Now you may think well it's so difficult.

I get lonely at times and I'm all by myself and nobody understands my thoughts. If only I had a wife or a husband that I could pour out my heart to. Wouldn't it be so much easier? And I want you to know the truth from God's Word.

That's a lie of the devil. God wants you. Jesus wants you in those times of loneliness to go to him. To pour out your heart to him. Where you can be a hundred percent devoted to him. We are not waiting to have an earthly companion necessarily.

But you're so devoted to him you've known Jesus as the friend above all friends. One who is unmarried is taken up with the things of the Lord how he may please the Lord. But verse 33 one who is married is taken up about the things of the world how we may please his wife or she may please her husband.

And again marriage is of the Lord. God instituted marriage and it's God's will for I believe most if not all of us listening to this to be married. God may call very specific ones to be unmarried. But so then what is the point if he's saying well the married one is taken up with the things of the Lord how he may please his wife and his interests are divided as it were.

I believe what Paul is talking about here is the natural approach to marriage which is that I haven't gone into marriage as a disciple. What did Jesus say a disciple must be? Luke chapter 14. Let's keep a finger in first Corinthians 7.

I'll come back come back there. Luke 14 Jesus said if anyone comes to me and does not hate his husband or wife. I'm skipping over some of that father mother wife children brothers sisters yes even his own life.

If somebody doesn't hate his wife if somebody doesn't hate her husband you cannot be my disciple. That's the condition of discipleship. So going back to first Corinthians 7 if you are married but you're not in that marriage as a disciple of Jesus who is 100 devoted to Jesus completely then your interests are divided.

You're thinking about how to make my wife happy how to make my husband happy how to have a good little life here on this earth in my marriage and also be devoted to the Lord. This divided life where I'm trying to please my wife or my husband and please the Lord is not Christianity.

Christianity is a hundred percent devotion to Jesus devoted to Jesus where I honestly have to say to my wife I don't have room in my heart for you because I've given my heart completely to Jesus and out of that I give my wife a heart that's full of Jesus and I come to my wife and I say honey my heart is full of Jesus now you can have it.

If you want any part of my heart that's outside of Jesus you can't have it and likewise if wives can say to their husbands I've given my heart completely to Jesus not 90 of Jesus 10 to you spouse or 99 of Jesus 1 is that the marriage you are living husbands and wives 99 for Jesus 1 for my wife 1 for my husband that's not Christianity.

True Christianity is a hundred percent to Jesus and I give my wife give your husband a 100 Jesus owned heart. That is the only way to have a godly marriage. Going back to 1st Corinthians 7 verse in the middle of verse 34 he continues the woman who is unmarried and the virgin is concerned or taken up with the things of the Lord that she may be holy both in body and spirit but one who is married is taken up about the things of the world how she may please her husband.

There's a little phrase in there that gives us the clue of what it means to be a hundred percent devoted to Jesus and then give my spouse that hundred percent devoted heart devoted to Jesus heart is this how to be holy in body and spirit.

Preserve holiness in body and spirit in your body that includes your soul in your mind your thoughts be holy. Be holy men take it seriously be holy. Let there be no trace of unholiness or impurity in body or in spirit in us wives likewise this I say for your own benefit not to put a restraint upon you but to promote what is appropriate and look why was Paul saying all of this.

He says I want you to be taken up secure. Secure means safe security. They talk about it with banks. They talk about it with homes. They talk about it with software secure. That's everybody's talking about security these days you can have security.

You can have security. You know what Paul was interested in. I want to make sure that you wrap up this thing and you don't lose sight of that. Keep it safe. Maybe other things will come and go. Ministry that may come and go.

A local church appearance that may come and go. But don't let anybody rob this from you. Keep this secure. What. Undistracted devotion to the Lord. Keep it safe. Brothers and sisters keep it safe. Keep your devotion to the Lord safe and secure devotion to the Lord.

If you go back a few verses you'll see that. What does this actually mean. Let's go back to verse 29. This I say brethren the time has been shortened. Did you know that the time has been shortened. I don't know what that actually means.

Like I know that before the foundations of the world the father planned out time and he decided the time of Christ's return. Jesus is coming back at a specific time. But when it says has been shortened I don't know.

I just think it means it's sooner than you think it is. It's really short. And this was written 2 ,000 years ago. When Paul said the time is short. Jesus is coming back soon. Be ready. So what should we do if you really believe that Jesus is coming.

You see what's going on in the Middle East. People say has this Jesus gonna come soon. I don't know. I don't need to hear the read the news to know that Jesus coming is very soon. Honestly I have first Corinthians 7 verse 29 in my Bible as did you.

And that's been there for 2 ,000 years. The time has been shortened. You don't have to say oh wow this the battle the war World War three. Jesus. I better get my act together. Really I think if it took what's happening in Palestine to to get my act together you're probably lost already.

I don't know if you will be in eternity with Christ because you care. You take Fox News and CNN's word over God's Word. It was here all along. The time has been shortened. So that verse 29 from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none.

They're not 99 for God and 1 for your wife. A hundred percent for God and giving your spouse that hundred percent for God. Heart. Those who had wives should be as those as though they had none. Those who wept who weep as though they did not weep.

Are you sad over something on this earth. Is there some loss you've experienced. Wake up. That thing that you lost here on this earth. That opportunity that you don't have. It's not gonna matter in a matter of minutes when Christ comes.

Don't weep for the things of this earth. Those who weep as though they did not weep. Those who rejoice. Are you excited about some extra gain you have on this earth a little bit more money. That you got a promotion.

You're making a little bit more money. You have a bigger house or a better car or something like that. And you rejoice over that. Don't rejoice. Those who buy as though they did not possess. Did you buy something new.

Don't possess it. What does that mean. If you bought it let the Lord take it away from you in a moment you bought it. Yes you spent a lot of money to get it. The Lord took it away. Let it go. Because in a matter of seconds from eternity's perspective it's not gonna matter whether you had that or not.

Did you start a new job. Or you'd got this other promotion or something else a little bit more money. Don't possess it. And those who use the world as though they did not make full use of it. I wanted to be ridden over my tombstone.

If you guys are around after I die please write on my tombstone. Santosh did not make full use of this world. There's so much more he could have done with the world. He could have made a little bit more money.

He could have had a bigger this and a better that he didn't make full use of the world. It's in your Bible isn't it. Those who use the world as though they did not make full use of it that means what.

There will be an opportunity in your workplace to make a little bit more money and to rise up a little bit more in your career. But you will know that that will come at the expense of the kingdom of God.

In your own marriage first of all. Perhaps. Or in your own home. Or in how the Lord wants to use you in the church to be a servant to others. You'll say I can take that a little bit more and I'll give God what's left over after I retire.

Those who use the world who use their jobs as though they did not make full use of their jobs. Those who use their money as though they did not make full use of it. Why. Because there's something else I'm taking up with for the form of this world is passing away.

The form of this world is passing away. So that means I don't have time to waste. I deal sparingly with what the world thrusts on me. That means if the world gives me this opportunity I'm saying yeah.

That's okay. It's good to have. But you know I can live without it. It's okay because I've got something else that I'm more interested in. This ought to build in our hearts. Dear brothers and sisters a holy desperation for the things of God the kingdom of heaven.

And be watchful. Be watchful. Don't let anything distract you from devotion to the Lord. Don't let anything distract you from devotion to the Lord. What a wonderful testimony. Not. Not just when I'm dead.

See that's by then. It's too late right. Can the people in your workplace say you know what Santosh. He could do so much more in the workplace. He could. He could be this. He could be more successful even he could make a little bit more money.

He could you know give up something else. Why is he so taken up with this church thing. You know he could give that up and make a little bit more money and make a better name for himself here on this earth.

But I don't know. Does your boss say man you're not living up to your potential now. I'm not talking about being lazy. Please understand that we must work hard. Our employees must our employers must know that we give them diligence.

But they must also know. But you know what when it comes to like if I call him on a Sunday morning he say I'm sorry. There's something else I'm more taken up with when I call him on a Wednesday evening and to work late and say sorry that I've got something else that's more important I'm taken up with this.

Don't be legalistic about it. I know sometimes you might have to work late. But there must be a principle that guides our life that at the end of the day there's nothing that comes ahead of the kingdom of God in my life.

I'm not making full use of this earth. I could. Is it really true brothers sisters that there's more you could do with the king with the kingdom of this world. But you reject it because you know it'll take away from the kingdom of heaven.

I hope it's true. Don't be distracted from devotion to the Lord. If you go back to let's look at a verse in Jeremiah chapter 2. I read recently which really blessed me. What are the things that will I talked about how the attractions of this world and the success of this world can distract us.

On the other side there are also other things that can distract us and that is the lack of it where I don't have something and I and that lack that desert place as it were. I feel like I'm in a desert.

When it comes to the things of this world I I could have a better job or I you know I like this or I'd like that other thing. And I look at others that have those things. I think oh I wish I had that in if God has allowed you to be in a place of lack in some way in a desert place in some way that could be a distraction as well.

Look at what God describes his walk with Judah now the Word of the Lord verse 1. Jeremiah 2. Verse 1. The Word of the Lord came to me saying go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem saying thus says the Lord.

I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth. I remember when we were I think it's the Living Bible this is when we were newlyweds. Jesus is saying when you were newly born again and you didn't have much but you were so taken up with the fact that I'd forgiven your sins.

I'd cleansed you I I loved you I lavished my love on you and we were like newlyweds we were enough for each other. That's kind of like the father telling the prodigal son. I remember when you first came home young man you'd spent you'd wasted all your time in the world and you'd wasted my money and all that.

But you came home and I threw a feast for you. And I remember the look in your eyes when you looked at me that look of gratitude that look of love for me. And you were just happy to be at home. That's it.

Even even if I hadn't thrown a feast it would have been fine. And years have gone by prodigal son and now you've become an elder brother. Now you want something more from me. I'm not enough for you. The father saying you've you've lost you've left your first love.

You've left the attitude you had when you came home and said father just let me be among your hired servants. But I said no you're more than that to me. You're my son. And I welcomed you home with a hug and a kiss and I put sandals on your feet and a ring on your finger.

I put the best robe. I killed the fatted calf and rejoiced over you. But now you want something else besides me. Now you want another fatted calf. Perhaps you want another robe and I am NOT enough for you.

I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth the love of your betrothals. You're following after me in the wilderness through a desert place through a land not sown. I missed that many times when I read this verse.

What Jesus what God was saying there to the people of Judah was. I remember when you and I were in such love with each other and you love me. Now Jesus has always loved us with an everlasting love. But he's saying you Judah my loved the object of my love.

I remember when you looked at me with such delight and gee I was enough for you. It's like Jesus is saying to us today. I remember when I would look at you deep in your eyes and you would look me deep in my eyes and that was enough.

But now I find that you're asking me for this and you're asking me for that. And you want something else earthly. And you're in a wilderness. You following after me in the wilderness where Jesus went through the wilderness and you saw the wilderness and you said Jesus I'm gonna follow you.

I don't care about the wilderness. I don't care about the land that's not sown where there's nothing to reap. How will we eat. I don't know Lord there's nothing sown in this land. But I'm with you. I'll have you.

You'll be enough for me as long as you're with me. I don't care. Well wilderness desert whatever mountain mountainous region. Then God is saying I remember the devotion of your youth. But today you and I are walking through the wilderness and you're looking around you and you're thinking man there's nothing to eat over here.

Why would you bring me to this place. Why have you left me here. And Jesus is there all along. And he's saying you you're taken up with the fact that it's a wilderness. Now I'm not enough for you. You've been distracted from me by the wilderness that we are in together.

Are you walking through a wilderness with Jesus. Some wilderness in your life. Some emptiness. Perhaps some lack. Perhaps it's a healing that you're waiting for. Perhaps it's an opportunity you're waiting for.

Perhaps it's uncertainty. You don't know. You wish things could be different in the midst of that circumstance in the midst of that wilderness. Don't be distracted from devotion to Jesus. Verse 3. Israel was holy to the Lord the first of his harvest the delight of his eye.

Don't be distracted from devotion to the Lord. Turn to Luke chapter 7. This morning I was meditating on this and I got a picture of what our church meeting could be like. And I wonder you think about the road ahead for us as a church.

What does it look like. What was it like when you came to this meeting this morning. Dear brothers dear sisters dear children. Even what was it like. I thought of her. I thought of it like this story of Simon the Pharisee.

He invited Jesus to his house just like we have invited Jesus to come to this meeting. But there were. There were two key characters in that story besides Jesus. And they represent to me. Two ways in which you can have a meeting that Jesus is present in two ways in which we can have church meetings where Jesus is present.

And this is the road ahead for us. You have a choice. I hope and pray that RLCF will pick the right way the way that we see here. You know the story this verse 36. One of the Pharisees his name was Simon as we know from another from later on in requested Jesus to dine with him.

And I imagine what it must have been like for Simon now Simon. I don't know if he was one of those Pharisees who condemned Jesus to death. I don't know why he invited Jesus. I don't think he was there to just make fun of him.

I think he thought. Let me throw a distinguished party for this man Jesus. Let me throw a respectable banquet for Jesus. Let's invite all these other important guests. Let's see if we can get some politicians to show up.

Let's get somebody from Herod's Palace. Let's somebody from Pilate's Palace. Let's get distinguished guests. Let's invite a few of the other distinguished Pharisees. Let's all sit down have a banquet and let's have Jesus come.

Let's bring his disciples too. Is that the church meeting that we've been having a respectable church important people sitting there. I hear many churches that brag. Or the mayor of our town comes to our church.

Or the governor attends our church. Or the president attends our church. I don't know if any of them will ever. I would be afraid if any of them comes to our church because it's a different world system.

Now again we're not against anybody. But that's definitely not something we would brag about. But that's what it was like for Simon. And a distinguished party a distinguished meeting. And I pray that our meeting will never be such a distinguished respectable everything nice and orderly.

Type of meeting where Jesus sits there. Yeah maybe Jesus was sat there. But there was somebody else who had a different type of meeting with Jesus. And that's the woman. And it says in verse 37 there was a woman in the city who also planned a meeting with Jesus.

She didn't have money. She didn't have a lot of money. She didn't have a house in which to throw the big feast. She didn't have a lot of food. She didn't have any friends to invite. But she had a bottle of perfume that she spent everything that she had to get there was one thing that mattered to her.

And that was Jesus himself says this woman. It says she was a sinner. Verse 37 when she learned that he was reclining at somebody else's house. I've thought about it like this. Here we are at RLCF. We have a nice building.

We have comfortable chairs to sit in. We have friends and family that we meet every Sunday. But perhaps we've been organizing this meeting like Simon the Pharisee a nice distinguished meeting. We come dressed up look nice with.

The thing that I'm most worried about is is how do I look for the meeting today. And who else is going to be there. Are my friends going to be there. Who else is coming to this meeting. Yeah I know Jesus is invited.

But who else. Who else. This is distracted devotion. It's not Jesus alone. See that woman she didn't care. Who else was at that meeting. She didn't care. Oh the mayor's gonna be. I don't know. There's one person I care about Jesus.

He's gonna be there. That's why I want to go. And I imagined a future RLCF if we don't choose the right path. If we choose the path where we're distracted by so many other things. And we have we've been distracted from devotion to Jesus.

And we're continuing to have the meetings and the children are here and all these everything else looks the same. And somebody comes and sits in the back a stranger perhaps who's not invited to the meeting.

They aren't part of the church. They sit in the back and they're here for one reason. They want to meet with Jesus. And they sit there and in the quietness of their heart while we're all singing and sound so good singing.

And while the message is going on this person likely a woman pours out a heart to Jesus and says Lord I'm a sinner but I just want to be devoted to you. And Jesus is with her. The road ahead for RLCF.

I believe we face a choice brothers and sisters. Or whether we will can where we will just be a church that continues with meetings and continues with events. And and going to the park when it's nice and having meals here the children have friends and all of that.

These things become organizations in a banquet. We're not. We've lost sight of devotion to Jesus. Like this woman had we don't need a building. I don't see if we don't need a building we don't need shares.

It doesn't matter who's here. Do you have such undistracted devotion to Jesus. Is that you're the only one that's left standing. Everybody else is taken up with a banquet. But you're coming here and says Lord I'm here simply to be devoted to you.

And I will be until the end of my life. That's the person who who represents RLCF. I will say. And what's RLCF. It's not. It's gonna die if not when Jesus comes sometime before that. But may we imagine if the characteristic of this church is that 100 of the people here simply want Jesus.

They don't care how things look. They don't care how they looked. They don't care how things sound. They don't care whether the heats on or off it doesn't matter. Yeah we'll try to keep the heat at a comfortable temperature.

But is Jesus here. And it's not why you're here. This is the road ahead for us. I tell you my brothers and sisters I believe in all my heart that us elders all four of us that's the way we want to go.

100 I mean know it my heart. And I believe that for most of you at least the core of this church that's the way we're going. And I hope all of us a hundred percent will go that way. I'm not looking to fill this room.

There are empty chairs here. Yes. I'm not looking to fill that empty chair. I'll tell you that if God wants it so be it. But I pray that every chair that's filled is here filled for the right reason undistracted devotion to Jesus that you simply hear.

Like this woman who learned that he was reclining at the table in the Pharisees house she heard Oh Jesus is gonna come to RLCF. Okay then I'm gonna go there and I'm gonna sit in the back. It says that she reclined behind him brought an alabaster vial of perfume and standing behind him at his feet she wept and wet his feet with her tears and kept wiping them with the hair of her head and kissing his feet and anointing him with a perfume.