“The Alabaster Box”
September 30, 2012
Luke 7:36-50
36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
This is such a fascinating event in Jesus’ life. The obvious thing is the woman and the alabaster box of perfume – but there is so much more. Let’s spend a little time in studying this well known event.
First of all, there is Simon. We know a little bit about Simon, the one whose house Jesus went to. Luke records him as being a Pharisee. A Pharisee was a very devoted follower of God. They sought to be pure and pious. They considered themselves to be especially loved of God. It appears to me that at their beginning they probably had good and pure intentions. But, as so often happens with second hand holiness, the emphasis was not on relationship with God – but on rules – as a way of pleasing God. And as they got good at keeping those man-made rules – pride crept in. Spiritual pride kills relationships – relationship with people and relationship with God. Simon was a part of that.
But the point I want you to see about Simon was that he belonged to a very holy and religious sect. He was a very religious man. He was well educated in the Scriptures. He had some very definite ideas of man’s relationship with God. Understand this about Simon - he loved God. He was proud of his religion. Is this why He invited Jesus to His home? Maybe!
We also know something else about Simon. He was a leper, according to Matthew and Luke. Apparently he had been healed. We know this because lepers were outcasts – and Simon was no longer an outcast. Some scholars suggest that he may have been one of the lepers Jesus healed. We don’t know. But Jesus healed many lepers and this incident happened toward the end of his ministry. Maybe Simon invited Jesus to dinner in appreciation for being healed. We don’t know. It is purely speculation. But it is plausible.
This we do know. Simon was a Pharisee and was or had been a leper at one time – AND he invited Jesus to his home for dinner.
If Simon was a leper at one time and was outcast – he probably got to know the outcasts pretty well. He may have known this woman at her worst. He may have observed her plying her trade. We don’t know. He may have known her as belonging to his own household, otherwise how could she have been there? We aren’t sure. But we know he considered her a sinner.
So I see Simon as someone Jesus loves. Someone Jesus possibly healed. Jesus dealt with Simon gently and compassionately as He corrected his thinking. He could have sternly corrected him or rebuked him. But He didn’t. He told Simon a little story to get His point across. That tells me Jesus valued Simon. Jesus loved Simon. He goes to Simon’s house for dinner. He takes the time to teach a lesson with a story. That shows me the gentleness and love of Jesus.
I’m not sure of the seating arrangements or the customs in this day and age, but somehow this woman makes her way into the room Jesus was eating and fellowshipping in. How did she get in? Did she belong there? Was she a member of Simon’s household? Let’s take a look at her. 2. The Woman
I think this woman may have been Mary. Her name is not mentioned in any of the gospels that record this event, but John says,
“Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)” John 11:1-2
So I think that this woman was Mary, Martha and Lazarus’ sister. Some think she may have been Mary Magdalene. Today’s scholars generally hold they were two different women, but the older writings often depict them as the same person. Today it is thought that one Mary was from Bethany and the other from Magdala. Luke 8:2 says that she was actually "called Magdalene." In Hebrew that words means "tower", or "fortress"; in Aramaic, "Magdala" means "tower" or "elevated, great, magnificent". So Mary from Bethany could have also been known as being ‘magnificent’.
It is pretty sketchy detective work, so take it for what it’s worth, but I think this woman who was pouring perfume on Jesus’ feet was the woman who had seven demons in her and who had made her living as a prostitute. I think Jesus had cast out the demons from her and set her free.
Can you imagine what that must have been like? Can you imagine having seven demons and the depths they could take you? I think Mary, Martha and Lazarus came from a wealthy, respected home. There father was Simon, a Pharisee; a respected leader in the community – but then he got leprosy and their world came crashing down. He was outcast – and the family was on their own. Mary was probably beautiful and spoiled. The only option to her may have seemed to be prostitution – and with that lifestyle came the demonic possession. And what happened to mom? Did she die in childbirth? Did she take her own life when things came crashing down? We don’t know. Nothing is mentioned of her.
So I see a family and a number of people who had experienced so much pain and so much humiliation. They were rich – but became poor. They were respected but then became outcast. How painful their lives must have been. How hopeless! How desperate they must have been.
But then they met Jesus – and everything changed! He cast out demons! He forgave sins! He restored life! He healed leprosy. And in a great show of love and gratitude Mary gets the most precious, most valuable thing she has – her alabaster jar of perfume. One gospel says it is pure nard. It was worth about a year’s wages. The average salary in the US, according to the internet, is about 40 to 50 thousand dollars a year. So imagine taking a $50,000 bottle of perfume and pouring it out. That is what happened.
This alabaster jar represented financial security. It was probably Mary’s investment for future financial security. She probably got it by doing the most discussing, and vial things possible. This was her way out. This was her insurance against her disgusting past. And now she was taking care of her family. There was a little hope in their life. And that jar represented EVERYTHING. It was her LIFE! And weeping, maybe in shame of how she got it; maybe in gratitude for a new life; maybe in fear for what this act meant to her, she kneels at Jesus’ feet.
Her tears pour out of her eyes and wet Jesus’ dirty feet. Simon had neglected to wash them, as was the custom. But it didn’t matter. Tears gushed from her eyes onto Jesus feet – and she took her hair – her beautiful raven hair, the glory of a women, – and wiped the dirt and the mud from Jesus’ feet. And she began to kiss those dirty, stinky, feet of Jesus. And when His feet were clean – she took the most precious thing she owned – the perfume – and in a great act of love and faith –she poured thousands of dollars of hard won perfume on the Master’s feet.
Did Jesus ask that of her? No. Of course not. That could only come from a heart of love. You can’t ask for that level of sacrifice. You can’t ask for that kind of faith. You can’t ask for that that kind of trust. This woman gave her all to Jesus. She gave her past. She gave her present. She gave her future.
What was the reaction to this expression of love? Some of you woman would say, “Aaaaahh!” Some may say, “Oh, what a wonderful thing. The folks there didn’t do that. Listen,
“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.”
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.” Mark 14:4-10
The disciples were indignant! They were poor fisherman. They were hard working blue collar people. Money like that was hard to come by. Those with compassionate hearts were thinking if this woman wanted to give away her fortune – she could have given it to them. They would have wisely used it to take care of the poor. Yeah! Right!
There was another figure in this scene. His name is 3. Judas. Judas was incensed! He had all kinds of plans for that money – mostly involving himself! And when Jesus rebuked THEM – instead of that wasteful, sinful woman – that was the last straw. Judas knew how to get some easy money. He went to the Chief Priest to betray Jesus.
I wonder what YOU would have done if YOU were in this crowd. I wonder what I would have done. I like to think it would be right and noble. But would it?
I wonder what YOU or I would have done – had we have been in this woman’s place. A year’s wages is a lot of money. How much is gratitude worth? How much is forgiveness worth? How much is a salvation from a depraved life worth? What is it worth to you? Is it worth EVERYTHING?
No one can ask that you give everything to Jesus. It has to come from a heart of love. It has to come from a grateful heart. But let me ask you a question. Has Jesus touched YOUR life? Have you experienced Jesus’ forgiveness? Have you experienced a regenerated life? And if so – are you grateful? Do you appreciate it? How have you expressed it?
It is easy to say – so hard to do. I’m sure every one of the disciples that day would have expressed love and gratitude to Jesus. But only one was willing to give her all.
Have you given YOUR all to Jesus yet? What is it that holds the most value in your life? Is it money? Is it a person? Is it a pleasure you enjoy? What is it that would be the greatest demonstration of your love today? Jesus may not have even asked that you give it up. Jesus may not have even asked for that thing. You continue to do it because you enjoy it so much. It brings you pleasure. It is a security blanket for you. Maybe it is even your future.
There is another step of spiritual maturity that is placed before you today. Most people will accept and follow Jesus; they will receive his forgiveness and even repent of their sins. But to give EVERYTHING! That is just too much!
But Jesus gave everything for us. Can we not surrender everything for Him?
God is talking to you about something; some issue; some relationship; some pleasurable thing. He is asking for it all. Are you willing to kneel at His feet and pour it all out on Him?
I’m going to play the song, “The Alabaster Box” and as I do – if you are willing to give it all to Jesus – come and kneel here at this alter.
