He was a child. But they came from far places to pay their respects. Wisemen came, and kings. His birth had been foretold by prophets, and now here was Jesus, born of Mary. But this representative of the Christ, which is the true idea of Life and Love, was not to be given room in the popular thought. Those who would believe the prophecies would recognize the star, and they alone would find the manger where the child was.
Years later a lowly woman came to pay her respects to the same child. Jesus was now called Master by his prestigious host. By now it was an honor to have him as a guest. But only the uninvited woman recognized the Christ-idea.
When the host, Simon the Pharisee, saw her anointing Jesus' feet with costly oil and wiping them with her long hair—the way she wore it marking her low status—he was indignant. But Jesus saw that she had been touched by the idea of Life and Love, the important part of his nature, and that she was repenting of her material view of man and honoring the Christ-idea—something he longed for others to do. Jesus rebuked Simon and acknowledged her tribute.
