"The Story Continues: The Alabaster Jar"
Dean AngellMarch 13/14, 2004
Mark, Chapter 14, Verses 1-9
Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. "But not during the Feast," they said, "or the people may riot." While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages[1] and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly. "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
One of the most unique and amazing stories of Jesus life. Now let me set the scene.
A Jewish celebration called the Passover is just about ready to happen in the city of Jerusalem. For that city it is the biggest annual celebration of the year - which means that the city has ballooned in size from 50,000 people to several hundred thousand, now think about it, that's like bringing all of Calgary and stuffing it into Saskatoon. What would that do - traffic problems - line ups at restaurants - general chaos . . . ( and some of you thought parking @ the Brier patch was a challenge this week - that was nothing . . .). This event put a lot of stress on the city of Jerusalem obviously - but also it brought incredible excitement - everybody was fired up because this celebration was the high point in the Jewish calendar, a time when they remembered the faithfulness of God in their past - as a people. So everyone at this moment in Jerusalem is excited, except a few religious leaders who were plotting to get rid of Jesus. See, He was getting too powerful in their minds and they needed to deal with him, but they knew they shouldn't do this during this celebration week - because they might start a riot and that wouldn't be good for their political careers.
So that's the scene that's going on in Jerusalem as our story takes place, now the story switches scenes. Scene 2 of the story is this - we see Jesus in Bethany, just a few miles away from Jerusalem.
Now why was He there and not at the celebration yet ? (Probably to get away from the crowds). He's at the home of Simon - reclining by the table eating supper. Now Simon was a guy who had been healed of leprosy by Jesus several months earlier (the book of John tells us that) Most - (if not all) of Jesus' disciples are there at Simon's house too, and Lazarus - was there as well . . . remember Lazarus - the guy that Jesus had raised from the dead. Lazarus is there . . . with his sisters, Mary and Martha and a few other followers.
Now - this got me thinking . . .wouldn't it have been fun to have been there - listening to those guys swap stories around the supper table?
(Simon) "look at my skin . . . I had leprosy. No one would associate with me - 'unclean' - Jesus changed my life."
(Peter) "I was a nobody - a rough, foul-mouthed fisherman - but Jesus changed my life. Did I ever tell you about the time I walked on water with Jesus?"
And down through the line there would be stories of life-change. Then Lazarus pipes up, "Yeah, you guys got great stories, but I was dead for 3 days . . . and then Jesus gave me a whole new reason to live. He healed my body and my soul . . . " . . . and everyone would laugh because no one would be able to top that story.
Man, what a night . . . and what a group of people . . . what stories and what life they had lived together.
But then something shocking happens . . . and the room goes silent. Something happened that would change their lives forever. Mark says a woman entered the room with a jar of perfume and she breaks the eal on the jar and begins to pour it on Jesus and anoint Him with it. Now that's a good enough story right there . . . but I did a little extra reading this week - to find out a little more about who she was. The gospel of Luke says that the woman who did this was a "sinful woman" - (or a prostitute) - well known for her life of sin and then if you read the gospel of John, John he puts a name on this sinful woman - Mary the sister of Lazarus. Now, there is some question of whether these 4 stories are all the same woman. I am assuming they are.
John 12 says that Mary - the sister of Lazarus - walks in. She enters the room carrying a jar full of very expensive perfume called nard. She walks in, in front of all the guys while they're eating - (which by the way was culturally unacceptable. In that culture, women prepared the meal and then went into the other room to eat by themselves. So she was somewhat out of line just by being there.) Then the book of John says that she let down her hair to wash Jesus' feet .and women were never supposed to do that. Letting down your hair only happened at home, she was breaking Jewish law. But Mary - who was a friend of Jesus until the bitter end - Mary who had once been a prostitute - Mary whose life had been transformed by the grace and love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Mary without hesitation or embarrassment took this gleaming alabaster jar (her most precious of treasures), broke the seal, and extravagantly poured the contents on Jesus' head and feet in an act of love and worship and as she poured, the tears began to fall - tears of overwhelming love for this man who had made such a difference in her life.
And then without self-consciousness or pretense - Luke records that she reached up and unwound her hair and humbly used it to wipe His feet - her tears mingled with the perfume.
And in this simple and yet - profound act of loving devotion, Mary gave everything. She gave her hope and her future . . . and she gave her greatest earthly treasure - and she gave her reputation and herself in humble devotion and commitment and worship to Jesus Christ.
By breaking her alabaster jar - she withheld nothing from Him and expected nothing in return. John says "The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume." Now as you continue to read the story . . .
There are many reactions to her actions in this story and that's what I want to talk about today. 3 different reactions to her sacrifice and her gift!
First, the disciples reacted - Jesus' closest friends. They said: (disappointing)
1) "What A Waste." (Mark 14)
"Some of those at the table were indignant. 'Why was this expensive perfume wasted?' they asked. 'She could have sold it for a small fortune and given the money to the poor!' And they scolded her harshly"
So - some of the guys around the table began to rebuke her openly for doing this to Jesus? See, she thought what she was doing was a great thing and yet they thought it was a horrible waste. Why? Well, it all depends on your perspective. A lot in life depends on perspective . . . whether something is a waste or a blessing, all depends on your perspective.
Sacrifice has a lot to do with perspective. (Let me explain)
Catch this, the disciples weren't used to such extravagance, they were used to sleeping under the stars and eating as they traveled. These are practical blue collar kinda guys. I could hear them say (typical guys), "She wasted the whole jar. Why didn't she just dip her finger in and put a little bit on Him and He'd still smell pretty good."
But you know what: Their reaction isn't all that strange . . .
Men, think about it. Your wife come home with a new dress and puts it on to model for you and says, "What do you think?" Now - we're pretty incredible because often our first reaction after - it's great is this."How much does it cost?" And it blows everything! She wants us to say, "You look amazing " and instead we miss the moment to be practical and say, "How much did it cost?"
The disciples did the exact same thing. They'd been with Jesus for three years and still had the wrong perspective. So they said, "What a waste - you should have sold that to take care of poor people. "
Stick with me folks, you need to know that when you sacrifice something for Jesus - like Mary did - not everyone is gonna see it as a good thing . . .
See - People who sacrifice for Jesus never focus on the immediate, they're thinking long term and for those people it has nothing to do with cost or even sacrifice - it has to do with love and worship. Mary's life had been changed by Jesus . . . and somehow she wanted to give something back and the most expensive and precious thing she could think of, was that perfume and her submission and devotion.
You know, my mom was really good at this whole sacrifice thing. She so often sacrificed for us boys at the cost of having to deflect criticism from some of her closest friends and relatives . . . "Don't give that son money again - he'll just blow it". "Don't drive to see that son again - he never comes to see you" "Don't waste your prayers - don't waste your time - don't waste your conversation - they're not listening".
But . . . Mom continued to sacrifice and give - and she still does - looking farther down the road (not immediate) to someday when all her boys would live walking clearly with Jesus Christ.
Now - the disciples saw only the immediate need. They were not thinking long-term like Mary was. They wanted that money to feed the poor. Now hear this: Jesus was not saying, "Don't ever take care of poor people". He was saying, "You can give a whole year's wages for poor people and tomorrow you'll still have plenty of poor people. You will not always have me."
Jesus and Mary's perspective was long-term. See she realized Jesus was gonna die real soon, and they didn't get that. And she wanted to honor Him as the King of kings and the Lord of lords before He died and no cost was too great for that.
Now, it's amazing to me that the disciples hung out with Jesus everyday and didn't get it, but Mary got it from only after few days with Jesus.
So let me ask you: what's your perspective on Jesus? And what's your perspective on sacrifice?
Jesus calls us to give our lives as a sacrifice in humble service:
To family
To friends
To serve others
To follow Him
Whatever it takes, He says sacrifice. "It's not a waste . . . sacrifice is never a waste."
Any time
Any where
Any cost
To do anything for the cause of Christ, sacrifice is never a waste.
Here's the second response to Mary's sacrifice and it comes from Jesus. Jesus comment was:
2) "What An Investment!"
"Leave her alone,' said Jesus. 'Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me" (Mark 14:6,7).
Jesus had a few principles that come up over and over again in his teaching and his life and Mary was living one of those out.
Your investment will determine your impact. See Mary knew she wasn't wasting, she knew she was making an investment in eternity! Hear the truth. How you invest your life - you time - your eternity - your talent - your money - will determine the impact of your life. So stop and think about your impact in Eternity.
Parents you will not always have your children with you, mom and dads. And at different times and different ages, you're gonna have to sacrifice to make specific impacts on them because they won't always be with you or under your influence and leadership.
Or you will not always have good health - or you will not always be part of a high-impact church.
Parents, you know this one: growing families require greater investment. If you don't believe me, just add another child to your family and see if it doesn't cost more. Growing children require greater investment. We've still got three little kids at home, and I think it's expensive now, but I can see the day when they're all teenagers and Kaden and Kash are eating steak with their dad, great day, but it's not gonna get cheaper. Or wait till they go to college, growing families require greater investment. Or how about growing friendships, require greater investment. Any friendship you've got that you want to grow more and deeper - requires greater time and energy investment. No question! Or how about this?
Growing marriages require greater investment - and if as a couple your thinking at all about being 60 or 65 together and still being excited to be together, you'd better be investing heavy now in that relationship to see the pay off when you're 65.
Folks, are you investing your life in things that are growing - and is your life investment having an eternal impact? That's what Jesus point was.
It's about living a life of significance, not just success - we're talking eternal things here.
People whether it's our kids or your marriage or your friends or your church - The greater the investment - the greater the impact.
Mary had that figured out, so Jesus said - fella's leave her alone, I know it's expensive - I know it seems like a huge sacrifice to you - but she's investing in eternity. So don't question her sacrifice.
Here's reaction number three - and it's the reaction from the masses - from the multitudes - from everyone from then, till now who was heard this story. Their response was and is:
3) What A Memory.
Jesus said, "She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world . . . , what she has done will also be told, in memory of her? (Mark 14:8, 9).
She truly established a memory that people talked about then .and 2000 years later we're still talking about it.
Memories have a way of staying with your for a long time. Think about it! Depending on your age, different dates and memories stick out to you:
December 7, 1941 - the day Pearl Harbour was attacked.
November 22, 1963 - the day JFK was shot. For those who were alive then, you can probably name the place you were on that day when you heard the news. September 11, 2001 - terrorist attacks on the twin towers.
(My wife said - don't forget Lady Diana) Pam - let her go - let her die.
And so, all of us have memories that jump out at us that we hang on to forever, whether it's with family - or friends - or perhaps a sports team. How about Lakeview Church? What about May 24, 1981 when 150 people sacrificed greatly to move into this building with a dream to reach this city for Jesus, that opening Sunday is a memory you'll never forget. (Now we call that Chapter 4).
Or how about chapter 1 - where a woman names Sarah Radke - 1923 - she created a memory with 2 other people - and started this church and guess what? - We're here because she created a memory. Or how about coming for the first time to a Valentine's Party here in the 90's and being amazed at the fun we had in church? (Chapter 5) Or how about Christmas Eve last year - seeing over 1600 people cram into four back to back services to hear the story of Jesus.a great memory. Or how about September 2005 - when we will have our fall kick-off in a new facility and celebrate with 100's - all that God is doing among us!
Or how about Easter 2006 when there will be over 2000 people that weekend that gather as part of Lakeview Church and 100's that will respond in faith to the message of Jesus Christ. Now, those are memories we'll want to be a part of, and memories have a way of staying with you for a long time.
Or how about the day your gave your life to Jesus Christ? (incredible memory)
Or how about the day you were baptized? (this June, think about it!)
How about the day maybe you and your family did something extravagant . . . summer vacations are like that for us, not because of me - Pam is great for this - we picnic - hike and - bike - see sights and do whatever it takes to create memories with your kids. We invest heavily in our vacations as a family.
Or how about the time you surprised your spouse with a getaway - just the two of you and it was a get away for a lifetime.
You see, when me make memories - we often do some pretty extravagant things to show others how much we love them - how much we'll sacrifice for them. A memory is a demonstration of your love.
And that's why Mary did something for Jesus that was rather extravagant. She poured a year's salary worth of perfume over Jesus. Why? Because Jesus mattered to her, because she wanted to show Him her love. He had changed her life forever.
Now - think about it. This was the beginning of the last week of Jesus' life. And the gift she gave - the fragrance of her perfume would go with Jesus to the last days of Jesus' life, that fragrance would go:
To the garden of Gethsemene where He prayed and cried in agony the day before he died
To the court of the high priests (shamed)
Into the presence of Pontias Pilate (condemned) to the place where he was whipped and beaten
That perfume was even on the hands of those who gambled for His clothes at the foot of the cross . . .
See, what Jesus knew for sure and what Mary caught a glimpse of was this: that her gift of love and devotion and worship and commitment and perfume was part of the reason Jesus was able to endure the cross. And I'm sure (I'm confident of this . . . ) that when Jesus was hanging there in agony and pain, for your sins and mine, when He was gasping for His last breath on the cross (for sure) one of the faces He kept seeing in His mind (on the cross) was that of Mary, one lone woman whose life has been utterly changed, whose future had been transformed.
One lone woman, who understood love and grace and sacrifice and the call to give everything for the cause of Christ, and folks, I guess I just wanted us to understand Christ's call on our lives.
Hear this, He doesn't want portions of our life and He doesn't call us to give a part of ourselves to Him or just when we feel like it or not (once in a while).
Jesus said if you follow me - It's about your whole life, not just parts of it. He said - if you're gonna walk with me then understand, its all or nothing, it's a life for a life. In fact, Jesus said I'll give you my life, so your soul can be transformed and forgive and be made new. I'll give you my life and I'm asking for yours in exchange.
It's a life for a life . . .
People He wants it all, all of our :
Minds - Hearts - Families - Careers - Marriages - Friendships - Money - Bodies - Futures.
People everything, all of us is spiritual and somehow - we've got to figure out what that means - and learn to apply it everyday.
Enough for today, but if you seek and listen, over the next weeks and months, you're gonna hear how to apply this into your life and your gonna be given opportunities to take what you have - all of it, and break it and pour it out in love and worship and sacrifice to Jesus Christ. And when you do that, your life will be transformed and your future sealed and your soul strengthened.
