Poured Out

Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. Matthew 26:13

Two days before the Jewish Passover, Jesus and His disciples came to Bethany where Lazarus and his two sisters lived. It was Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Jesus was invited to dine at the house of a man named Simon, who was a leper. While there, a woman entered the room carrying an alabaster box that was filled with a very expensive ointment. The box itself was very beautiful. Alabaster was similar to onyx in appearance and must have been fashioned into a very attractive container to house such a precious ointment. The cost of the ointment was equivalent to about $50.00 in today’s currency. This would be an expensive possession today, but at that time it was a very valuable treasure. It was certainly this woman’s greatest possession and something that she had guarded and cherished.

It is commonly accepted that this woman was Mary, the sister of Lazarus. At some previous occasion, Jesus had commended Mary for her devotion to Himself. Martha, her sister, was very busy on that day trying to serve all who were in her house; but Mary, instead of helping her sister, sat at Jesus feet and heard His words. Martha, of course, was a little put out and asked the Lord to have Mary help her; but Jesus said to her, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41, 42)

As Mary entered Simon’s house bearing her precious gift, she approached Jesus, broke the seal on the vessel, and poured the costly ointment on His head. Scripture tells us that the disciples were indignant and said, “To what purpose is this waste?” They felt that this ointment could have been sold, and the money used to care for the poor rather than wastefully poured out on the head of their Lord. Jesus defended the action of the woman, however, and said, “in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.”

I see in this story something much more significant than just what appears on the surface. The alabaster vessel represents our life – our flesh. Jesus was about to willingly give His body to be broken. He knew that unless His outward vessel was broken, the precious fragrance of eternal life could not come forth. Just as the seal on the alabaster box had to be broken before the aroma of the ointment could be sensed, so, also, did Jesus’ earthen vessel have to be broken to release the resurrection life that was within Him. Mary must have understood this because she had spent time at Jesus’ feet and had heard His word. Also, she had witnessed the resurrection of her own brother from the dead, and had received Jesus’ word that He was the Resurrection and the Life.

Beyond the example of Jesus, though, I believe that this story holds the secret to the release of the Spirit in our lives. Unless we are willing to die to ourselves – to our own selfish ways – we will never know the fullness of life in Christ Jesus. Unfortunately, though, we tend to put more importance on the vessel than on the ointment. Truly, the vessel is beautiful. It looks very impressive as it sits on the shelf – but utterly useless. It is the ointment that is the true treasure, not the bottle. Once it is poured forth, it fills the house with its fragrance, and everyone is blessed by its aroma. The vessel must first be broken however.

In St. John, chapter 12, Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” We find here the same principle. A kernel of wheat, or any other seed for that matter, is useless by itself unless it is planted. Once planted, it softens and dies as a seed; but the life that is within it germinates and sprouts forth. That tiny sprout, in turn, becomes a plant and, ultimately, bears fruit. It not only bears fruit, but also many more seeds by which the process can be repeated. Our life is like the seed. If we love our life, we will refuse to die to the things that God shows us are not like Himself. We will sink our heels in, and refuse to be changed. We will justify, make excuses, and generally protect our “alabaster box.”

In saving our life, however, we will lose the opportunity to know the real life that is waiting to germinate within us – the life that comes from God. On the other hand, if we hate the things about ourselves that are unlike Christ, and are willing to surrender them to God, we find that we are transformed; and the life of Christ begins to manifest itself in and through us.

Many today are like Martha - always busy doing good things, but missing the one needful thing: to sit at Jesus’ feet and hear His word. It is by His word that we are changed. All our good works do not get us an inch closer to heaven if they aren’t born out of our fellowship with the Lord Himself. If we are spending time at Jesus’ feet, we will soon realize that, as beautiful as our alabaster boxes are, they must be broken to release the treasure within.

Do not be satisfied with just displaying your bottle to the world, but never knowing the release of the Spirit in your life. Learn to be pliable in the Master’s hands, and allow Him to mold you into the thing that He has created you for in the first place. He loves you, and He knows what is best for your life more than what you do. Above all, you can trust Him, for He cares for you.

Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. John 12:27, 28a