MARY’S ALABASTER BOX
Text: Mark 14:1 – 11
Someone once said that worship is the act of sacrificially giving to Jesus something that is precious to us. What would that be for you? Your money? Your time? Your job? For the woman described in this scripture, it was a container of perfume. Let’s look at her story.
This story takes place just before Jesus rides into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. Sometimes, historians back in Jesus’ day didn’t write things in chronological order; they ordered events together to show a comparison or contrast of some sort. Mark identifies the place as the house of Simon the Leper in Bethany. We know almost nothing about this man, but evidently he had suffered from leprosy, and Jesus had healed him.
Mark doesn’t mention the name of the woman, but John identifies her as Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. John says that Martha was serving at this gathering and that Lazarus was sitting with Jesus. Their presence in the story has caused some to believe that Simon may have been their father, or at least a close relative.
Jesus is the guest of honor at this gathering, and as He sits and eats, Mary enters the room with an alabaster box of perfume. Scripture identifies this perfume as spikenard, which was a very expensive fragrance imported from India. In verse 5, this small container of perfume is valued at three hundred pence, which was the equivalent of a year’s salary for a common worker. Some believe that this perfume may have been Mary’s dowry. If that is true, it was probably all that she really possessed.
It was customary to wash the feet and anoint the head of a guest in your house, but Mary goes above and beyond. John says that she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. She then breaks the container, and pours all of its contents on Jesus’ head.
Immediately, the disciples begin to criticize her. One gospel records that Judas is the most vocal. They claim that Mary has wasted this precious perfume, and that she should have sold it and given the money to the poor instead. Could you imagine how Mary must have felt? After pouring out everything she had as an act of worship, she gets criticized and ridiculed by the disciples of Jesus. I am sure that her heart must have been broken just like the alabaster box that had contained her perfume.
But Jesus puts a stop to their criticism. He tells the disciples to leave her alone, because she has done a good work for Him. He says that they can help the poor anytime they want, but that they will not have very many more opportunities to show their love for Him in person. Jesus had told His disciples on several occasions that He was going to Jerusalem to be put to death, and now He claims that Mary’s act of devotion will serve as the anointing for His death. Although Mary probably didn’t intend for her actions to be interpreted this way, the custom was to first bathe and then anoint the body of a dead person. After the body was anointed, the flask that contained the ointment was to be broken and laid with the body in the tomb. Jesus knew that He would be put to death as a criminal, and that He would be buried without the proper anointing.
Jesus goes on to state that wherever the Gospel is preached that Mary’s act of devotion would be discussed and remembered. We are part of the fulfillment of that prophecy here today as we look at this Scripture.
As I studied this passage, I learned several things. First of all, the alabaster box of ointment contained something that was very precious, but as long as it stayed in the container, it didn’t benefit anyone. John says that when the perfume was poured out upon Jesus that its fragrance filled the house. Jesus called the act a good work, and the original Greek actually means “a beautiful thing.” God has given each one of us a spiritual gift. It may be great faith, acts of service, hospitality, teaching, or some other gift. But if you keep that gift to yourself, it benefits no one. It is your responsibility as a Christian to figure out what your gift is, and then to use it for the glory of God and the benefit of those around you. What good is the gift of preaching if you never preach? What good is the gift of leadership if you never lead?
When Mary wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair, she walked away smelling like Jesus did. When we use what we have for Jesus, others can sense that we have been with Him. If your gift is mercy, you display the mercy that Jesus showed to us when He died in our place. If your gift is evangelism, then you display the love that Jesus has for sinners. The use of our spiritual gifts causes others to sense Jesus’ presence in our lives.
I also learned that Mary couldn’t do much, but she did what she could. That’s what Jesus said about her in verse 8. Mary couldn’t keep the Jewish leaders from falsely accusing Jesus. She couldn’t keep the soldiers from crucifying Him, or the crowds from mocking Him. But she could show her love and devotion by sacrificing the most precious thing that she possessed. You may be sitting here this morning thinking, I can teach, I can’t sing, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, but too often we focus on what we can’t do instead of what we can. So what if you can’t teach? Not everyone is meant to be a teacher. Can you call someone on the phone and invite them to church? Can you go and visit someone who is in the hospital? Can you bring food for the food closet? For us to accomplish great things in God’s kingdom, we must all work together, doing whatever we have the ability to do.
Jesus told the disciples to leave her alone and to stop criticizing her. We must never disregard or devalue anyone else’s acts of service. The sad thing is that I see Christians do that all the time. I have heard preachers get into the pulpit and criticize those that sing praise and worship music because they like southern Gospel. I have heard people complain about preachers because they don’t hack when they preach or because they use a version of the Bible that they don’t like. The people who do these things are just like the disciples in this story…too busy complaining about others to worship their Lord and Savior.
I would like to close by making a comparison. Mark includes this story here to contrast it with the story of Judas. Verses 1 and 2 tell us that the religious leaders were plotting to execute Jesus and were looking for a way to do it that wouldn’t cause the crowds to riot. Some believe that Mary’s act of devotion was the thing that caused Judas to decide to switch teams. John says that Judas was the most vocal of the disciples in criticizing Mary for what she had done, but it wasn’t because he was concerned for the poor, it was because he was the treasurer of the group and had taken some of their money for himself. Judas wanted to get his hands on that money. So when Jesus condemns the disciples for criticizing Mary, Judas decides to get his money another way…by betraying him. Verse 10 says that Judas went to the religious leaders and promised to hand over Jesus for a price. One of the Gospels says that they gave him 30 pieces of silver to do it.
What is Jesus worth to you? To Mary, He was worth everything that she had. To Judas He was worth 30 pieces of silver. Is He worth a dollar in the offering plate every other week? Is He worth getting ready to come to His house on Sunday and Wednesday nights? Is He worth missing your favorite tv program or ballgame so that you can go tell someone about Him? Romans 12 says that we should be “living sacrifices,” which means that we need to give ourselves. Some of us are pleased with ourselves when we give 10 percent and we expect a pat on the back for it. Let me tell you something about tithing. I never preach on tithing because tithing is an Old Testament concept. The New Testament standard of giving is to give all. How many times did Jesus tell His followers to sell everything that they had and give it to the poor and to come and follow Him? The book of Acts records that people that got saved sold everything they owned and brought it to the church. They depended upon God and each other for survival. How many of us live like that?
I’m not just talking about money here…I am talking about you. How much of yourself do you truly give to the Lord? Is it 10 percent? What if this week you gave 20 percent? What if you decided that you would give 50 percent of yourself next month? Are you using what you have to bring glory and honor to Him, or are you keeping all to yourself?
Follow Mary’s example. Ask yourself, “What can I do?” and when you find the answer to that question do it. Maybe generations from now, someone will be talking about your act of devotion just like we are talking about Mary’s today.
