Jesus and the woman with the alabaster box

The story of the woman with the alabaster box has been preached around the world in every country, just as Jesus said it would. It is a very important depiction of a believer's relationship with Jesus, as I will try to reveal. It is a special story I hope to do justice. Below is the excerpt from Luke (Luke 7:36-50), though it is found in each of the gospel accounts. It appears there are two similar, separate accounts of two different women. One involves Mary, brother of Lazarus. She is named. This woman is not named, though she is designated a sinner (aren't we all?). This particular account occurred about a year before Jesus was crucified. It could be she knew Jesus would die for her sins. We don't know. What we do know is she knew Jesus was the Savior. She was genuinely repentant and full of love for Jesus. But, there is more to the story. Let's begin.

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³⁶ And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.

³⁷ And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

³⁸ And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

³⁹ Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

⁴⁰ And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.

⁴¹ There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

⁴² And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?

⁴³ Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

⁴⁴ And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

⁴⁵ Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

⁴⁶ My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

⁴⁷ Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

⁴⁸ And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

⁴⁹ And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?

⁵⁰ And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

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This story is one of the few times someone brought a gift to Jesus. Mostly, people went to Him for what they wanted (and some didn't even return to thank Him). Here, she brings Him something, a precious perfume encased in hard, beautiful stone. The stone didn't allow the perfume to leach out in any way. It was completely contained. We see people bring things to Jesus in the account of Mary and the perfume mentioned above, as well as the children who brought Jesus loaves and fishes. What we see in all instances is brokenness, which is what we often bring Jesus. The thing I want to highlight here is all of these stories of brokenness are for a purpose. Jesus broke the loaves and fishes, gave thanks, and then worked miracles. This story involves brokenness, too. Brokenness in the Christian faith is often preparation for God using us. It is not the brokenness of the world, which has no utility. God is near to the brokenhearted, and, as this story points out, it is a nearness which cannot be understood by those who are not broken (Pharisees), and cannot be obtained any other way. It is a special and unique place. This woman was in a roomful of people, yet Jesus was the only one who understood what was happening. 

It also shows this type of brokenness has no end. The alabaster box cannot be fixed. This woman, like the box, was broken and spilled out. Whatever was poured into her after this (like the love of her Savior), surely leaked out to those around her. Do you want to walk closer to Jesus than you've ever imagined? Ask Him to break your alabaster box. Your life will never again be the same, but you will understand this story like no one else. A warning: if you do that, you can never go back. But it's worth it. 

This woman was a sinner, most likely a prostitute. Jesus knew the inner thoughts of the religious man who sat with Him. He surely knew everything this woman ever did, yet He allowed her to anoint Him and kiss His feet. His attitude, compared to the religious man, is telling. Religion judges and condemns. Jesus forgives. Many sinners are turned away from churches because they feel judged and condemned. God's people should have the attitude of Jesus. Note He did mention her sin, though, when He said her sins were forgiven. Those who come to repentance like this woman do not need a hard sell for the gospel. They are already there. Don't yell at them. Don't make things harder for them. They've already been through so much. There is a big difference in the attitude of this woman and so many who are proudly living in sin. Some people do need to be broken down, but this woman was already there. She was broken. 

Brokenness leads to service. She gave herself to Jesus. She washed His feet with her tears. Anointed Him. Wiped His feet with her hair. Kissed his feet. It was quite a display. She knew she had nothing to repay Him. She did everything she could. When you love Jesus, you give what you have, even if it is mere brokenness, but it leads to service. These gestures were despised by the religious men, but Jesus understood their importance. What a wonderful and intimate story of repentance. Many people will not understand our devotion to our Savior, just as this religious man did not. 

Another aspect of the alabaster box story is the knowledge of what Jesus accomplished at the cross — and the immense cost of it, the love, the completeness — can break anyone. Speaking of Himself as the cornerstone of our faith, Jesus said, "Whosoever falls on this stone will be broken ..." If one truly understands, even in part, what He accomplished on the cross and what it took to save us, one will be forever changed. As for myself, whenever I think of what Jesus did, I can't help but cry. It's not a sign of weakness but of absolute adoration and wonder. There is no chance I will ever repay even a small part of what He did for me. But I can offer myself — broken as I am — as a living sacrifice. It may not be much, but in God's hands, something miraculous can come of it. 

Thank you for reading (if anyone is still reading). And God bless.

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Recently, I wrote a post that took me the better part of a week to complete. When I finished, I felt God was telling me not to post it. So, I didn't. Some may see that as a waste of time. I can't entirely disagree. But, here's an analogy of what I do in this space. Consider what a scientist does when he or she looks at a phenomenon, say an earthquake. They look at it within the parameters of what is considered normal. Anything outside of that perceived normal is of special interest and deserves more study. The spikes are what get attention. That's what I try to write about here: the spikes or anomalies of my life. The rest has already been covered. However, I did have the following to say at the end of my disqualified post. 

My country is not out of the woods yet. While many were more concerned about the lack of sports than seeing their rights taken away at every turn, I have to say I'm just as anxious to get back to normal. But I'm not talking about football. I feel something big is planned for the rest of the year, which will extend into 2021. I've done some research on Agenda 21 and Event 201 (2021?) and believe the "infamous they" are planning something even more destructive around the election and into next year. I pray constantly against these things. In early May, I started fasting and praying each Saturday and kept it up until now. I don't know how much longer I will do it, but I sense a great need to set aside time to fight what is happening. I'm not pointing this out to say how devoted I am. NO, I am pointing this out to say I am absolutely powerless, clueless, and desperate. A man who loves food who forsakes it for 36 hours is driven to do so because of pressure in his spirit and a seeking of God that demands he put away his body's desires. It says to God I am serious. I want real power. I want real answers. I need help. Oh, help us. God gave me much knowledge about what is coming not in order to brag but to act, to pray, to do something. To whom much is given, much is required. This battle was raging long before I came to exist on this planet. But, as long as I am alive, I will fight in it.

I suffered my entire life at the hands of the devil. I won't miss the chance to crush him, to dance on his skull. I do believe in living your life and planning for the future like it's going to be there. But I know the devil is going to continue to harass me as long as I live, so I may as well get in a few blows, too. My life may be worthless on the surface and seem like garbage to most people (I cannot disagree), but God is using whatever I give Him to literally change the world. There is always hope. When things look their bleakest (i.e., Esther), God is able to work His biggest victories. His army is victorious not because it is great but because He is great. And He is always recruiting. Will you join the fight?