Text:             Matthew 26:13, John 12

By:                Emmanuel Adeoye (Evangelist)

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Bethany is mentioned frequently in the New Testament. … It was the home of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus.

According to the Gospel (John 11), the miracle of Lazarus’s resurrection took place there; the town’s Arabic name, Al-ʿAyzariyyah, is derived from the name Lazarus.

Bethany (Greek: Βηθανία (Bethania), which is probably of Aramaic or Hebrew origin, meaning “house of affliction” or “house of figs”) is a feminine given name derived from the Biblical place name, Bethany, a town near Jerusalem, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where Lazarus lived in the New Testament, along with his …

The New Testament of The Bible tells us four accounts of a woman’s anointing Jesus with perfume or oil, these accounts tend to center on one event. But these accounts differ greatly and it’s most likely the four different events is captured in the books of the New Testament.

These stories of a woman act of service are found in Luke 7, John 12, and Mark 14 & Matthew 26. Each of account tells the woman’s encounters with Jesus is distinct, and each time Jesus defends their actions to those present. Read more about the case that these are three separate women anointing Jesus.

While He was in Bethany [as a guest] at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar (vial) of very costly and precious perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured the perfume over His head.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ALABASTER JAR BEING BROKEN

An alabaster jar was sealed to keep the perfume fresh and pure; it could not be used without breaking the neck of the bottle to open it. This would immediately release the perfume in the air and allow the woman to use the perfume.

The perfume would need to be used at once because there would be no way to stop it back up. By breaking the bottle, the woman with the alabaster jar was honoring Jesus by anointing Him with oil, with something that was valuable to her. It was the best she had to offer, and she willingly poured it out as an act of worship.

Traditionally anointing someone’s head with oil was to sanctify, to set the anointed person or object apart as holy. It was a symbol of honor and that the one being anointed was a chosen vessel by God. What We Can We Learn from the Woman with the Alabaster Jar The woman with the alabaster jar reminds us that we are only serving one person, it doesn’t matter what the world says, what the critics say, or who else is in the room. We are called to worship our King and do His work. God values our offering; in the grand scheme a bottle of perfume is small. But to her it was costly, and her heart was in the right place it doesn’t matter what the world says, what the critics say, or who else is in the room. We are called to worship our King and do His work. God values our offering; in the grand scheme a bottle of perfume is small. But to her it was costly, and her heart was in the right place

WHAT IS YOUR ALABASTER JAR?

The Woman with the alabaster jar can teach us so much about love and sacrifice. How many of us would bring our most costly possession and give it to our King and Lord? What is your alabaster jar? What part of our lives do we need to honor our God with?

WHAT WE CAN WE LEARN FROM THE WOMAN WITH THE ALABASTER JAR

The woman with the alabaster jar reminds us that we are only serving one person, it doesn’t matter what the world says, what the critics say, or who else is in the room. We are called to worship our King and do his work.

1. God values our offering; in the grand scheme a bottle of perfume is small. But to her it was costly, and her heart was in the right place
2. What mattered to the woman with the alabaster jar in the Bible wasn’t concerned about what others would say and think about her actions. Her heart was focused on her King, and she wanted to worship and honor Him.
3. Anointing Jesus as the woman with the alabaster jar did was a testament to her great love for Him. It’s a wonderful reminder of how our love for Christ should look like.
4. This story holds a wonderful picture of what a heart of worship looks like for us, it’s not a show, it’s not bright lights, or loud music, or trying to impress but a heart that fully seeks God and seeks to honor Him.

CONCLUSION

The woman in Mark 14 had come to see Jesus, with her most valuable possession – a costly perfume tucked in an alabaster jar or box-. A vessel that once the narrow neck was broken there would be no going back. All would be laid bare. There would be no stopping it back up, this was her all. With this single act of devotion, love, and sacrifice, she was bringing Jesus her expensive perfume –Spikenard

It was the best she had to offer, and she willingly poured it out as an act of worship. Traditionally anointing someone’s head with oil was to sanctify, to set the anointed person or object apart as holy. It was a symbol of honor and that the one being anointed was a chosen vessel by God.

The woman with the alabaster jar can teach us so much about love and sacrifice. How many of us would bring our most costly possession and give it to our King and Lord? What is your alabaster jar? What part of our lives do we need to honor our God with?

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