The Alabaster Jar

I love the story of the woman who poured the alabaster jar of perfume on Jesus' feet. I picture her getting up the nerve to go into the house of a Pharisee, the strictest of religious leaders at that time. She is the town prostitute. They hated her! She was despised and looked down upon. But she wanted to worship Jesus. She was so driven to worship Him that she was willing to risk everything! Who knew what these religious men would think of her, say to her, or do to her? People have been stoned to death for less! She wanted to give Jesus the most precious thing she owned. An alabaster jar of perfume. It was all she owned of worth. 

I've read that her little alabaster jar of perfume was worth a year of wages. The average yearly income in the U.S. last year was about $50,000. That's the equivalent of giving Jesus a brand new BMW. Can you imagine? Why did a prostitute have such an expensive bottle of perfume? 

I think it made her feel beautiful. 

Sometimes as women we equate feeling beautiful to being loved. She wanted to feel beautiful and be loved and she was trying to fill that void in her life with all the wrong things. But she recognized the fact that none of those things filled the hole in her heart and offered the very thing that made her feel loved to the only One who could truly love her the way she wanted to be loved—unconditionally. Not because of how she looked or what she could do for Him, just as she was, because of Who He is. She broke the jar and poured it over Jesus' feet. Then she cried tears of love and years of shame on His feet and wiped them clean with her hair. This woman was desperate. Desperate to be forgiven. Desperate to love and be loved.

And Jesus did both for her. 

The fragrance of the perfume filled the whole house. Her act of worship was written in the Bible for all to see for ages and ages to come. A woman that was despised had become a woman forgiven and loved and remembered by all with one brave act of worship.

Lord, let me be more like her and less like those judgmental, religious leaders. 

One of the Pharisees asked him over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down at the dinner table. Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him.” Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Oh? Tell me.” “Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.” “That’s right,” said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.” Then he spoke to her: “I forgive your sins.” That set the dinner guests talking behind his back: “Who does he think he is, forgiving sins!” He ignored them and said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” (Luke 7:36-50 MSG)