Let’s delve into a powerful passage from Mark 14:3-9. The Holy Spirit stirred us to revisit this profound story on Sunday, June 30, 2025, reminding us that there’s always something new and fresh to discover in God’s Word.
Let’s explore the beautiful and challenging message of the woman with the alabaster box.
The Precious Gift: More Than Just Ointment
The scene unfolds in Bethany, at the house of Simon the leper. As Jesus reclined at the table, a woman approached with an alabaster flask of very precious spikenard ointment. What she did next was audacious and deeply symbolic: she broke the box and poured the ointment on His head.
Immediately, some present were indignant, questioning the “waste.” They argued it could have been sold for over 300 pence and given to the poor. But Jesus’ response was unequivocal: “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me.” He then declared a powerful truth: “You always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish, you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.”
This passage is rich with meaning:
- The Alabaster Box and its Contents: The alabaster box itself was valuable, but what was inside – the spikenard ointment – was even more precious. This ointment represents her life, her very essence.
- A Worship Experience: Pouring the oil on His head speaks of acknowledging His Lordship. We must understand and appreciate Jesus not just as Savior, but as the Lord Jesus Christ. Referring to Him as “Lord Jesus Christ” in our daily speech honors His full authority.
- The Breaking of the Box: This is crucial. The box, while valuable, had to be broken for the precious ointment to be released. This symbolizes the necessary breaking of ourselves – our pride, our own will – so that what is truly valuable within us, our spiritual life in Christ, can be poured out.
A Sweet Savor Unto God
The act of pouring out her life, as this woman demonstrated, becomes a “savor unto God.” In 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, Paul speaks of believers as a fragrance: “Now thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the savor of His knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ in them that are saved, and in them that perish; to the one we are the savor of death unto death; and to the other the savor of life unto life.”
God always causes us to triumph in Christ! No matter the situation, His intention for us in Christ is always victory. And through us, He manifests the fragrance of His knowledge, filling every place we go. Just as a beautiful perfume lingers, our lives, poured out in Christ, should leave a divine fragrance. This fragrance, however, is first and foremost a sweet savor unto God.
His Name, Our Ointment
This concept of a “savor” is rooted in the Old Testament, where burnt offerings were a “sweet savor” to the Lord. The ultimate “ram” offered was Jesus Christ Himself – the Lamb slain for us.
In Song of Solomon 1:1-4, the bride speaks to the bridegroom, declaring, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savor of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.”
Here, the “ointment poured forth” is identified with His name. The name of Jesus encapsulates all the characteristics of the Father. When Isaiah prophesied, “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” he was revealing that all that the Father is would be found in the Son.
It is this poured-out “ointment” – His name, His life, His death – that causes the “virgins” (those with pure hearts, set aside for Christ) to love Him. They recognize the value of His sacrifice.
The Value of His Death
The woman with the alabaster box understood the profound significance of Jesus’ impending death. Jesus said she was preparing Him for His burial. His death on the cross was the pinnacle of His work. Without it, we would not be saved.
Ecclesiastes 7:1 declares: “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.” While His birth was miraculous, it was His death that secured our salvation. Jesus in the manger couldn’t save us; Jesus on the cross did.
This woman, symbolizing the “virgin church,” identified with His death. Her willingness to break her box and pour out her life was a testament to her understanding of the value of His death for her. When He went to the cross, that “ointment” that was her went with Him. And when He rose, she rose with Him, seated at the Father’s right hand in Him.
Are We Willing to Be Broken?
This powerful message calls us to reflect on our own lives. Do we, like the woman with the alabaster box, truly value the death of Christ for us? And are we, in turn, willing to break our own “boxes” – to pour out our lives in devotion and sacrifice for Him?
Love, after all, is always a demonstration. God demonstrated His love for us through the death of His Son. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). If we truly recognize His love for us, we will respond with a demonstration of our own love – a life poured out for Him.
It is required of us that the box be broken, because without the breaking, what’s inside cannot come forth. God often arranges situations to bring us to that place, but we must be willing participants. He wants what’s in your “box” – your spirit, your very life – to be poured out. Only then does it become a “sweet savor” to Him, a holy and acceptable sacrifice.
May our lives be that fragrant offering, continually poured out for the Lord Jesus Christ.