Mark 14: 3-9
“While He was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of 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 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. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’”
A Lane cedar chest graces the sitting room off of our master bedroom, storing some of our girls’ baby clothes along with other items that belonged to my mother. At one time it was my mother’s “hope” chest, a customary place to store items that would be needed in the future life of a hopeful bride-to-be, a tradition that was held for years. In some cases, a Lane chest was all a young woman had in which to place her hope if there was so suitor in her sights.
The woman we read about with her alabaster jar containing very expensive perfume was probably saving it as a dowry for a future husband. She may have looked at it every day, running her hands over the smooth, expensive alabaster, dreaming of opening the jar on her wedding day. But this day, she had decided to bring her precious, treasured jar to Jesus, the One who offered hope for her future and freedom from her past. She was met with judgment and ridicule from the other houseguests who criticized her for wasting such expensive perfume that could have been sold to help the poor. In her mind nothing was too precious, nothing was too expensive for Jesus. By opening her jar before she was married, she sacrificed her hopes and dreams of wearing the perfume as a bride, acknowledging that Christ was more deserving and instead she lavished it on her Lord as an act of worship. He then spoke forgiveness and freedom into her life, “Thy sins are forgiven…thy faith has saved thee; go in peace.” She came in a prisoner to her past, and left her eternal hope secure, forgiven and free. But let us not forget the other part of the story—with the contents of her alabaster jar, the woman not only lovingly and reverently anointed the Lord Jesus, she prepared the Lord in a way no one realized but Jesus Himself. Her precious gift, her loving, extravagant act of worship, had prepared the Lord’s body, soon to be broken, for burial.
Lord, help me to love you extravagantly just as Mary did. May the words from the last stanza of this hymn, “Take My Life and Let it Be,” by Francis Havergal be our prayer today:
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
Ever, only, all for Thee. Amen.
