My wife & I like to entertain and every time we spend time with friends over dinner, she always makes a delicious meal fresh that night. She would never think of serving leftovers or holding back because that would send a message of a lack of gratefulness, appreciation, and value of our relationship. I presume you do the same when entertaining. Then why do we often hold back parts of us when walking with Jesus?
“While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman (Mary) 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.” — Mark 14:3-9
Jesus and friends have just finished dinner at the house of Simon the Leper (BTW what a nickname!) and Mary sensed something that the others did not– that Jesus was just days away from being the Passover lamb. This triggered a response of gratefulness for what Jesus had done for her and for her brother Lazarus that she decided to break a jar of the most expensive perfume she had to pour on Him provoking an outrage from the others. To Mary, nothing was off limits in her heart, as she sacrificed everything she had, a year’s income in fact, and poured herself out on him.
This breaking is significant marking a transformational act we see throughout the Bible;
- When Moses struck the rock with his rod, he broke the rock, and the water poured out.
- Gideon’s three hundred men broke their pitchers to let out the light.
- Jesus broke His own body on the cross that He might save the world.
Sure Mary could have held back some of the perfume or could have used it on herself at another time, but by breaking it and pouring it all out on the King of Kings, it symbolized the perfect and blameless sacrifice that Jesus represented. Mary could have put the perfume on herself knowing that it will fade over time but what she did was put it on Jesus to smell it forever. How about you? Have you broken a jar for Christ or are you just twisting the cap?
- I’ll give you my church jar but I’m holding on to my swearing at work.
- I’ll give you my finance jar but I’m holding on to my reckless spending habits.
- I’ll give you my TV jar but I’m holding on to my harmless inappropriate shows.
If He died for me, the least I can do is break the jar of an area in my life that He is speaking into now.
Question |
What jar do you need to break for Jesus today?