Palm Sunday Alabaster Box

MARY’S ALABASTER BOX

Text: Mark 14:1 – 11

Good Morning! Welcome to The Baptist Fellowship! I want to take a minute to remind everyone that next week, Easter Sunday, we will be collecting for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. Please focus on the screen as we watch this short video clip.

So remember, our goal is collect at least $1000.00 to give to the Easter offering. So please come next week ready to give as much as the Lord is leading you to do.

Today Palm Sunday! Traditionally today starts off the Holy week. This week many Christians around the world choose to take each day and remember the journey of Jesus to the Cross, to the Grave, and to the Resurrection! We have chosen to have special services to remember 3 of these days. Today, Palm Sunday, to remember Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem, this Friday, to remember Christ going to the Cross to give His life for the sins of the World, and next Sunday, Easter Sunday, to celebrate the Resurrection, when Christ defeated sin and death and Hell for all eternity.

Today, Palm Sunday, we traditionally hear sermons about Jesus selecting the donkey to ride into Jerusalem on, or about the owner of the donkey and his willingness to give it away. Or we hear about the crowds of people shouting HOSANNA to the KING while laying down palms in the streets as Jesus entered Jerusalem. Or we hear about Jesus telling the religious leaders that if the people do not shout and worship, then the very Rocks will Shout and Worship!

However, this morning I want us to take a look at an event that took place the friday before the triumphant entry. I want to talk about someone that is perhaps overlooked in this sequence of events leading up to the Holy Week. I want to look at the events in Mark Chapter 14 that take place in a Leper’s house named Simon.

Mark 14:1–11 ESV

1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” 3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” 10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.

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 very expensive 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, 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?

Practice your Gifts that God has given you!

As we get better organized and begin to grow, we will be starting our discipleship classes. The second part of that class is called Discover your Spiritual Gifts. The entire purpose of this class is to help you discover what your skills and gifts are and how to use them for the Kingdom of God. Hopefully we will be able to offer this class before the end of this year.

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.

Produce Christlikeness all around you!

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’t 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 call someone and encourage them or pray with them? Can you decorate, or organize, or clean, or cook, or draw, or write?

Pour Yourself out for Christ!

Each of you have a gift, a skill, an amazing and precious something to pour out for Christ. 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.

Prohibit yourself from Putting Down others for their acts service!

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 it is a style that they do not like. I have heard people complain about preachers because they don’t speak a certain way 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 make 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. Judas wanted to get his hands on that money. So, when Jesus condemns the disciples for criticizing Mary, Judas decides to get 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.

Place the Proper Value in Christ!

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 of ourselves. Some of us are pleased with ourselves when we give 10 percent, and we expect a pat on the back for it.

Present Your All to Christ!

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 gave their lives to Christ, were baptized, and sold everything they owned and brought it to the church to help the cause of Christ and provide for each other. 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. Christ said,

Mark 14:9 HCSB

9 I assure you: Wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Proclaim the Gospel!

Christ honors and remembers those who give their all. Mary was honored lifted up among believers because of her faith and willingness to give her all to the Lord. Christ says that what she did was so important that the telling of it would accompany the Good News. What is the Good news? Well, we will talk more about it next week for our Easter services, but the short of it is this… God Loves you. He hates that your sin has separated you from Him. He wants to have a relationship with you. And through the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and the miracle of His resurrection, you can have that relationship. All you need to do is call of His name in repentance of your sin.

Call on the Name of the Lord and you will be saved!

Christians, proclaim this Good News as you give your all as Mary has demonstrated! Those that are still searching, why wait? Give your life to Christ this morning!