Articles
Breaking The Alabaster Box
"Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, 'Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?' This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, 'Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always'." (John 12:1-8 - NKJV; compare Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3)
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This account, six days before the betrayal and death of Jesus, has Jesus among his friends. Evidently this dinner was in appreciation for Jesus and his disciples and, as Martha served and prepared, Mary desired to show Jesus of her own appreciation. Consider with me some valuable lessons we may learn from Mary and her "alabaster box of very costly fragrant oil" which she "broke" to anoint Jesus (Mark 14:3).
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First, Mary did what she could in serving the Lord. Evidently she was not very domestic and failed to help Martha serve again (see Luke 10:38-42) but she was still valuable to the Lord. And what she did represented real sacrifice. Thanks to Judas we learn the value of the ointment as 300 denarii, which represented about 300 days labor wages. This is truly sacrificial!
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Obviously then, Mary gave of her best and the only motive we see is an expression of love and appreciation. Mary sought no fame other than the recognition of Jesus. Yet Jesus said that the story would be told throughout the world as a memorial to her (Matthew 26:13). She was not commanded to do this; she did so of her own volition, free from the heart.
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In addition, Mary did this while she had the opportunity - while Jesus was still alive. Jesus said, "she has kept this for the day of My burial." Mary wanted Jesus to know then how she felt; not after his death when it would be too late in this life.
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I suppose you already see the lessons for us but I shall point out the obvious.
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We should also be breakers of alabaster boxes. We should be sacrificial in our service to our Lord - He deserves more than what we just throw away. This pertains to our time, our energy and our money. We should do so, not looking for what men have for us in recognition and rewards, but because we want to serve with what ability we have. The benefit, of course, is a reward of laying up treasures in heaven and not on earth (Matthew 6:19-21). And we should do this while there is still "today" (2 Corinthians 6:2; James 4:13-16).
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We should break our alabaster boxes for one another also. This includes our homes as spouses, parents and children. We need to learn to show appreciation for one another in these relationships while we still have today. The same is true in the church with our spiritual family and in our community with our family of humanity. How often do we go that extra mile in service to one another? How often do we really give of our best with no motive of gain but only from gratitude and love? And why should we not do so today, while there is opportunity on all sides? Why not tell those whom we appreciate how much and those we love how much?
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Let us thank God for this lesson in service from the example of Mary and the alabaster box. May we learn from it and profit in our service to God and others.
