November 29,2007
And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. KJV Mark 14:3-11
See this was a gathering of believers and unbelievers; a gathering of the disciples, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, the Sadducees and the Scribes. This oil Mary poured on his head was costly; oil worth a years wages, it represented her sweat, her handwork, her sacrifice, a labor to achieve something worthwhile. As she anointed Jesus with this oil, she broke the alabaster jar letting the oil pour over him filling the house with its sweet aroma. She kneeled at the Savior's feet bathing his feet in her tears, wiping his feet dry with her hair, her glory. She not only pours out her oil but she pours out her soul falling in tears as she lovingly humbles herself before the house of guests.
In each of the visitors eyes, each held their own selfish desires above that of this lowly woman seeking nothing more from Jesus than to show her love for him. Which eyes are you looking at Jesus through tonight? Are you arguing over your position in heaven as the disciples did? Are you arguing over scripture like the scribes? Perhaps you are talking with the Pharisees about the sins of others? Or are you concerned over the cost of the oil and what you would have done instead of using it for yourself? Is there not a slight hint of Judas in you as you gaze upon the savior and this outward display of devotion? What are your eyes on this night? The plans of yours or the plans of God?
What is it you’re concealing in your alabaster jar that is so precious to you that you can’t give it all to the Savior? What kind of smell does this oil of yours have? Is it the sweet smell of obedience, humbleness and love? Or is it tainted with a stench of pride, self-will, or selfishness? So this alabaster jar of yours, do you give it all at the feet of Jesus, or do you instead carefully measure each drop counting the cost to your own self? Can you truly break your alabaster jar tonight without a thought for you, without a thought of what others will say or think? How are you coming to Jesus tonight? What eyes are you looking at him through, that of man or that of the disciples, or fearfully that of Judas?
If you truly want Jesus, you have to give everything you hold dear and everything you want to hold on to. You must break your alabaster jar. Jesus wants your brokenness so he can heal you and make you whole. Jesus on the cross broke his alabaster box pouring out healing, salvation, and forgiveness of sin for all of us, so why do we still sit here holding our jar, letting only a trickle of our true selves fall at his feet? Jesus never regretted breaking his jar and you won’t either if you will truly break yours.
So
these eyes, the light of your soul, are they on Jesus tonight- Jesus and Jesus
alone? Do you not realize that we
really aren’t worthy even to wash his feet, while holding on to our past, our
guilt, our doubt, our worry, our jar full of self?
So what is it you brought tonight in your alabaster jar?
Is it one you need to break? I
suppose we all should break our jar tonight before it is too late.
The breaking of our alabaster jar entails a faith, a love of Jesus that holds nothing back. So what is your faith like tonight? Is it a faith that will throw your Bible down at the first sign of trouble? Is it a faith that keeps your Bible on the book shelf gathering dust? Is it a faith that says I’ll read the Bible when I have time? Is it a faith that gives up because you didn't get your way about something or because you had a bad week? Or is it a faith that will break your alabaster jar pouring out yourself to a loving Savior that gave his very life for you?
A Savior that wants you to truly surrender all, right here right now!
Darrel Mason
from the book by Darrel Mason
The Discipleship of a Christian Journey
copyright 2001 Trafford Publishing