The Right Spiritual Posture: Lessons from the Woman Who Anointed Jesus
Notes from the message preached by Matt Procter at New City Church in Albuquerque, NM, on June 7, 2026.
Have you ever noticed how your physical posture affects everything about your day? Poor posture doesn't just make you look awkward - it impacts how you breathe, how your body functions, and even how you approach challenges. But there's something even more important than physical posture that shapes our entire experience as believers: our spiritual posture.
In Luke 7, we find a powerful story that reveals the dramatic difference between right and wrong spiritual postures, and how they completely transform our relationship with God and our effectiveness in life.
What Is Spiritual Posture?
Spiritual posture is the way you position yourself before God - it's your "conscious, mental and outward behavioral attitude" toward Him. More specifically, it's your capability in the particular circumstances of life, shaped by how you view yourself and how you view God.
Think of it this way: Your spiritual posture = Your view of yourself + Your view of God
This combination determines everything about how you interact with the world and respond to life's challenges.
The Dinner Party That Changed Everything
The scene in Luke 7 takes place at a Pharisee's house where Jesus was invited to dinner. This wasn't just a casual meal - it was a public event where religious leaders would exchange ideas while crowds gathered to watch and learn.
"One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house, and he reclined at the table. Behold, a woman of the city who is a sinner. When she learned that he was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment." - Luke 7:36-37
Two characters emerge with completely different spiritual postures: Simon the Pharisee - wealthy, influential, composed, and calculating - and an unnamed woman described as "a sinner," likely a prostitute, who was shameful and seemingly unhinged.
Four Types of Spiritual Posture
We can map different spiritual postures based on how we view God and ourselves:
Hopelessness (Low View of God + Low View of Self)
This posture is characterized by fear, despair, and victimhood. You feel like God is absent or even against you, and you have no control over your circumstances.
The Israelites demonstrated this perfectly when they reached the Promised Land but were terrified of the giants: "We seemed ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them as well" (Numbers 13:33). Despite God's faithfulness, they wanted to return to slavery rather than trust Him with their challenges.
False Self-Sufficiency (Low View of God + High View of Self)
This is the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality. You believe you can handle everything yourself, treating God like a lucky charm at best. Jesus illustrated this in the parable of the rich fool who built bigger barns, saying to himself, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry" (Luke 12:19).
This works temporarily, but eventually you'll face something beyond your capability.
Self-Righteousness (High View of God + High View of Self)
This posture combines genuine belief in God with confidence in your own ability to please Him through your efforts. It's characterized by judgmental attitudes, constant striving, and weariness because you're never righteous enough.
Simon the Pharisee lived here. When he saw the woman anointing Jesus, "he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet, he would know what sort of woman this is touching him, for she is a sinner'" (Luke 7:39).
Forgiven and Empowered (High View of God + Low View of Self)
This is the posture of the woman in our story. It's characterized by humility, brokenness before God, and paradoxically, incredible spiritual power. This posture recognizes that strength comes through weakness.
Why the Woman's Posture Was So Powerful
The woman's actions were scandalous by social standards. She let down her hair in public, wept openly, and touched a rabbi's feet - all culturally shocking behaviors. Yet Jesus commended her:
"Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little" (Luke 7:47).
Her spiritual posture of complete brokenness and humility before God positioned her to receive His grace and power in ways that Simon's self-righteous posture could not.
The Parable That Explains Everything
Jesus told a simple story to illustrate the difference: "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed 500 denarii and the other 50. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" (Luke 7:41-42).
The key insight is that Jesus used a word for "debtors" that described not just what they owed, but who they were - their very identity was defined by their debt. When you truly understand that you are spiritually bankrupt before God, forgiveness becomes overwhelming and transformative.
The Alabaster Flask: What Are You Clinging To?
The woman brought an alabaster flask of expensive ointment - likely a tool of her trade that represented both her livelihood and her shame. Yet she poured it all out at Jesus' feet, sacrificing the very thing she had depended on.
We all have our own "alabaster flasks" - things we depend on for security, identity, or capability:
Over-planning and control
Wealth and financial security
Appearance and reputation
Intelligence and problem-solving abilities
Self-medicating behaviors
The path to the right spiritual posture often requires pouring out the very thing we've been clinging to most tightly.
The Paradox of Spiritual Strength
Paul understood this principle: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me... For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
The woman's apparent weakness - her brokenness, her public display of emotion, her complete vulnerability - became the very channel through which God's power flowed.
Moving Toward the Right Posture
If you find yourself in one of the other postures, here's how to move toward "forgiven and empowered":
From Hopelessness: Start by redefining your perception of who God is before trying to change your view of yourself. Like David in the Psalms, look first to God's character and throne, then let that reshape your identity.
From False Self-Sufficiency: Raise your view of God while embracing humility about your own limitations. Replace trust in yourself with trust in Him.
From Self-Righteousness: Recognize that you are not just someone who has done bad things, but someone who is spiritually bankrupt without God's grace. Your identity is "debtor," not "good person who needs a little help."
Life Application
The right spiritual posture changes everything about your experience as a believer. When you position yourself in humility before God - recognizing both His greatness and your need - you open yourself to receive His grace and power in ways that self-sufficiency and self-righteousness never can.
This week, identify your "alabaster flask" - that thing you've been depending on for security or identity more than God. Be willing to pour it out before Him, trusting that His strength is made perfect in your weakness.
Consider these questions:
Which spiritual posture do I most often find myself in throughout my day?
What is my "alabaster flask" - the thing I depend on most for security or capability?
Am I willing to be "unhinged" in my worship and surrender like the woman in this story?
How might embracing weakness actually position me to experience more of God's power?
Remember, we all move between these postures throughout our lives. The goal isn't perfection, but awareness - and the willingness to keep returning to the posture of humility that opens us to God's transforming grace.
