. . . she broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head (Mark 14:3-9)
As
far as I know I’ve never seen an alabaster jar.
True,
I probably wouldn’t know alabaster from aluminum, but I’m pretty sure my house is
an alabaster free zone. As the gospel of Mark tells the story of Jesus’s
anointing in Bethany, Mark provides a detail not found in John’s narrative: the
alabaster jar.
Both
stories mention the pure nard – an ointment made from a plant found primarily in
India and thus quite expensive. John says there was a pound of it, roughly 12
ounces of perfume. Enough to fill a soft drink can. But only Mark mentions the
alabaster jar. James Brooks, a New Testament scholar, describes the ‘jar’ as a
flask with a long thin neck, no handles. This was no common or ordinary vessel.
Both container and contents were quite valuable.
And
this is what Mary broke. There’s no hint of a screw top or flip lid that
allowed for a dainty squeeze of ointment like a dab in the hand. Mary broke
this alabaster jar, and once broken the contents had to be used entirely.
Poured out. Nothing stored away for future use. Nothing held back.
I
can’t find any alabaster jars in my house. But my life is full of them. Unlike
Mary, I am reluctant to shatter them and pour out what they hold or represent
to me.
Our Treasures
Exposed
The
biblical text tells us nothing about the alabaster jar beyond the valuable
perfume within it. Our imaginations provide details omitted by the gospel
writers. Perhaps this jar was kept on a shelf, maybe in a drawer, maybe in a
box hidden beneath the bed. Was it a family heirloom? Was it a gift with a
fascinating backstory?
The
Bible doesn’t tell us, and we should be cautious in speculating where the text is
silent. We know nothing about the alabaster jar except this: once Mary broke
it, it was empty. Once emptied, there was nothing left to keep. One treasure
was sacrificed for a greater treasure. And this gave rise to the criticism from
Judas.
Mary
treasured Jesus. Judas treasured, well . . . treasures. Money. The value of a
dollar.
Devotion
to Jesus will redefine what we treasure in this life. And quite often it will
expose what we truly treasure in this life. I think that’s what this story does
to me. It reveals how my heart clutches at certain things, unwilling to let
them go, to pour them out for the sake of a yet greater treasure.
Jars Carefully
Guarded
Perhaps
in every human soul there’s a shelf or drawer that holds carefully protected
alabaster jars. These are things that we regard as the source of our joy and
security. We hold them tightly and tuck them away. Maybe we put them on display
for others to see. In doing this we forget that these things came to us as a
gift and we hold them back from the giver.
What
does it mean to let Jesus have your career?
What
would it mean to trust Jesus with the well-being of your family?
What
would it mean to relinquish your dating life (or lack of the same)?
What
would it mean to open your hands and release your claim on your plans for your
future?
You
can probably come up with plenty of Judas-like rebuttals and reasons for why
the questions I just asked are stupid questions. But don’t reason yourself out
of the point of the matter – knowing Jesus as the highest treasure of your
life. Your deepest devotion. Your greatest good.
Name
the thing you treasure and bring it before a greater treasure. And then pour it
out. Like the fragrance that filled the room of that house in Bethany, the
impact of your surrendered and devoted life can go far and do much.
Don’t
leave that boxed up and hidden away
Prayer:
Gracious God, we are
prone to clutch our lives tightly, even though all good things come from you.
Teach us to live yielded and surrendered to you, bringing our treasures to you
as our highest treasure. We pour this day out before you asking you to work in
us and through us according to your will, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
