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How does love manifest itself? We see the emotion of love evidenced in our actions. How does your husband, parent, or child express their love for you? Perhaps your husband brings you flowers, or he sits by your side during an intensive illness. A child might make a craft at school, bring it home, and present it to you with a smile and a hug. A parent might demonstrate love through their provision for you, and as they age, you provide for them.
How does God demonstrate His love towards us? We could fill a book with those answers, but let’s look at a familiar verse in John’s gospel:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV)
How can we show our gratitude and love toward Jesus Christ for such a wonderous gift? Let’s dive deep into the two separate accounts where women demonstrated their love to Jesus by sacrificing a valuable treasure, the alabaster box. In both cases, the alabaster flask contained an expensive perfume. What made this flask so special? According to John MacArthur (The MacArthur Study Bible), alabaster was a fine type of marble quarried in Egypt. The spikenard it contained came from a special plant which grew in the Himalaya Mountains, according to Easton’s Bible Dictionary (Blue Letter Bible app).
John’s account began six days before Passover. Jesus arrived in Bethany for a dinner given in His honor (John 12:1-2). Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus while Martha served as usual. Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary, exhibited a deep and abiding love for Jesus, and they became close friends.
Mary always sat at the feet of Jesus, learning and worshipping, but Martha served in the kitchen on most occasions. As the time for the death of Christ drew near, Mary wanted to anoint her Savior for His burial, so she brought her pure nard, an expensive perfume valued at a year’s wages and poured it out on the feet of Jesus (John 12:3, Mark 14:5). Then, she wiped His feet with her hair.
Judas Iscariot, the disciple who soon betrayed Jesus, questioned Mary’s act of love. He suggested it should have been sold and given to the poor (John 12:4-5). John informed us that Judas had no concern for the poor, but as the treasurer of the group, he stole from the money bag often (John 12:7). Jesus rebuked Judas, insisting that the poor will always exist, but not the Lord in the flesh.
We discover more about this same anointing in Matthew’s gospel (Matt. 26:6-13). Again, it occurred in Bethany prior to Passover at the house of Simon the leper, most likely one of many lepers healed by Christ. Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts differ from John by saying it occurred two days before Passover, rather than six.
Again, a woman came to Jesus with an alabaster flask of expensive perfume, but she poured it on His head. The exact same conversation ensued among the disciples, regarding the wastefulness of such valuable perfume and how much it could have helped the impoverished Jews.
Matthew gave us the additional details of the name of the host, and he added that the unnamed woman anointed His head. Most theologians consider these two accounts to be one in the same, since the differences are minimal. If Simon the leper had no wife or family, Martha, the queen of hospitality, may have volunteered to serve. Matthew’s account also includes this memorable statement from Jesus:
"Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Matthew 26:13 NIV)
Jesus knew we’d still be having conversations about this act of worship centuries later. The selfless gift Mary gave Jesus exemplified the worship and generosity we should honor Him with today.
Mark also included an account of the same incident in his gospel in Mark 14:3-9. His account reads much like the account of Matthew, but when we turn to the gospel of Luke, we find a definite distinction in the narrative.
In Luke 7:36-50, we find an account that transpired earlier in the ministry of Jesus than the one in Bethany. On this occasion, Simon, a Pharisee had invited Jesus to his home for dinner. Simon was a common Jewish name, and we cannot allow that similarity to confuse us. Although Luke didn’t give us an exact location for the home of Simon the Pharisee, the previous incidences in chapter seven all occurred in the region of Galilee.
A woman only identified as a sinner brought an alabaster flask of oil, and she knelt at the feet of Jesus. She began weeping, using her hair to wipe the tears from His feet as she anointed Jesus with the oil. Scripture tells us we are all sinners, so the use of this word to identify this woman leads us to believe she was a prostitute. This explains how she possessed such a valuable commodity.
As a physician and historian, Luke had a passion for details. Many people believe this sinner woman was Mary Magdalene, but that doesn’t line up with Luke’s series of events, since he introduced Mary Magdalene in the next chapter.
Unlike the anointing at Bethany, no one objected to the wasteful use of such an expensive perfume. Instead, Simon the Pharisee thought to himself that if Jesus Christ claimed to be a prophet, He would know what kind of woman anointed Him and put a stop to it.
Reading Simon’s thoughts, Jesus presented him with a parable. Jesus made the point that those who have been forgiven much, love much. Then He rebuked Simon for failing to greet Him with a kiss or to provide a basin of water to clean His feet. Simon had failed as a hospitable host, while this sinner spared no expense to show Jesus her love.
How can we look at this memorable alabaster box in light of our modern times? While a costly bottle of perfume might not be the sum of our tangible resources, Jesus hasn’t changed.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NIV)
Jesus honors sacrificial worship and giving today in 2022 just as much as He honored it when He walked this earth. He protected the reputation of each woman when their bold actions received criticism.
Neither Mary nor the prostitute gave in abundance out of obligation, but their gifts flowed from their deep love streaming from their hearts. Jesus desires that same gracious love from us today.
Love loosens our grip. God saved me as a single mom living off of child support, a disability check, and assistance from social services. God convicted me to give my tithe no matter how difficult it seemed. When I gave out of an obedient heart, an unexplainable amount of money remained in my checking account at the end of each month. When we loosen our grip and allow money to flow out, blessings flow in. A closed fist clinging tight to what we value cannot receive blessings.
Are you a giver or a getter? When you become a giver, you will also become a getter. Allow God to speak to you concerning your regular giving and possibly a special one-time gift. Perhaps He seeks more in worship and praise. The alabaster box we break today will look different than it did so many years ago, but the blessings that follow will never change. We give to Jesus because He first gave to us.
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