The Alabaster Jar in the Bible is a significant object that appears in the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is mentioned during a meal at the home of Simon the Leper, where Jesus is present. A woman, known as Mary of Bethany, approaches Jesus with a costly alabaster jar filled with an expensive perfume.
The features of the Alabaster Jar in the Bible are twofold. Firstly, the material of the jar itself is noteworthy. Alabaster is a fine-grained, translucent mineral, often white or light-colored, that was prized in ancient times for its beauty and durability.
The Bible is a source of timeless stories that touch upon various aspects of human existence, from faith and redemption to love and devotion. One such poignant story is that of the alabaster jar, a symbol of profound love and sacrifice. In this blog post, we will explore the significance of the alabaster jar in the Bible and the valuable lessons it imparts about the nature of love and devotion.
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The Alabaster Jar in the Bible: A Fragrant Act of Love and Devotion
The Alabaster Jar: A Costly Gift:
The alabaster jar is introduced in the New Testament, in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is the container that an unnamed woman used to anoint Jesus during a dinner in Simon the Leper’s home. The significance of this act is profound for several reasons:
- The Precious Ointment: The ointment contained within the alabaster jar is described as “very precious” and of great value. This underscores the costly and sacrificial nature of the gift.
- A Symbol of Deep Love: The act of anointing Jesus with this precious ointment is an expression of profound love and devotion. The woman’s actions go beyond mere words; they are a heartfelt and selfless demonstration of love.
- A Foreshadowing of Jesus’s Death: In all three Gospel accounts, Jesus acknowledges the significance of this act by linking it to His impending death and burial. The anointing foreshadows His ultimate sacrifice for humanity.
Lessons from the Alabaster Jar:
- Sacrificial Love: The alabaster jar teaches us about the depth of sacrificial love. The woman’s willingness to use such a valuable possession as an act of love demonstrates the selflessness and generosity that should characterize our love for others and our devotion to God.
- Recognition of Christ’s Sacrifice: By acknowledging the connection between her act and Jesus’s future sacrifice, the alabaster jar story reminds us of the importance of recognizing and appreciating the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus for our salvation.
- An Invitation to Love: This story serves as an invitation for each of us to express our love and devotion through selfless acts of kindness and service to others. Just as the woman gave her most precious possession, we are called to offer our best in the service of God and humanity.
Alabaster Jar Bible Meaning
Here are five lessons that we can apply to our everyday lives.
1. Give It All
Once the woman removed the seal of the alabaster box, all of the perfume poured out. None was spared. She held nothing back from Jesus. Nothing. This act of such love and devotion was done to prepare Jesus for His burial.
The disciples and those around her mocked her for her extravagant love for Jesus. They saw her sacrifice as foolish, a total waste. But Jesus honored her for her great love for Him. He even explained that this story would be told wherever the gospel is preached in memory of her.
God will sometimes ask us to sacrifice in order to obey Him. It is not always easy, but it is worth it. The risk is nothing in comparison to the reward.
2. Peace with God
We know that the Lord is into the details, so the type of perfume used is no accident.
Spikenard is mentioned in Song of Solomon 4:12–14, where Jesus describes the heart of His Bride as a garden with nine choices of fruits and spices. These nine spices correspond to the nine fruits of the Spirit Paul mentions in Galatians 5:22–23. Nard is mentioned third in the list and is also repeated twice for added emphasis. If we match these spices with the fruits of the Spirit, spikenard would represent peace.
The woman anointed Jesus just before His crucifixion with a very expensive perfume, which represents peace. Jesus was about to pay a great price to reconcile us to the Father, so we could have peace with Him (Rom. 5:1, Isaiah 53:5). His body would be broken, just like the alabaster box, and the result would be an acceptable, fragrant offering to God (Eph. 5:2). Our peace with God was expensive, just like the great worth of spikenard.
3. Healing
As mentioned previously, these events took place in Bethany, a town where there were many lepers and sick people. When the alabaster box was broken, the perfume filled the house of the poor and afflicted them with peace, which brings healing.
The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, is synonymous with health, wholeness, and welfare. (5) This peace is an internal rest, but it also extends to prosperity in our bodies and physical health.
Jesus body was broken and crushed for our peace as well as our healing (Isaiah 53:5, Psalm 103:2-3). He paid the price for our physical, mental, and emotional healing. He still heals bodies and mends broken hearts to this day.
4. Release His Fragrance
Alabaster stone was one of the materials used in constructing the temple that Solomon built for the Lord (1 Chron. 29:2). We are now the temple of God, and we have the kingdom of God within us (1 Cor. 6:19, Luke 17:21). The kingdom of God is “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).
When we posture ourselves in obedience to the Lord, His kingdom can flow out of us into our surroundings, and we can fill the world around us with His peace, which brings healing and restoration to what is broken. We can spread the fragrance of Christ to a world in need (2 Cor. 2:15–17).
All we have to do is be an available vessel for God to work through. In doing this, His fragrance will not just stay within us, but it will be released from our lives and impact those around us. I encourage you to be bold and break the seal. Let His love pour out of you. Do not keep it inside.
5. Surrender Brings Peace
Notice that once the woman chose to surrender, the spikenard, which represents peace, poured out. As she surrendered her wealth, her reputation, and her pride, the perfume of peace began to fill the air.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Here we have a chance to exchange. To exchange our cares for His peace. As we surrender our worries and anxieties to God in prayer, He will give us His peace that surpasses understanding. This requires humility and a willingness to admit that we need God. We must surrender our pride and remain dependent on Him in order to experience His peace.
Shortly before the death of Jesus, on an occasion when He was visiting Simon the Leper, “a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table” (Matthew 26:7).
In verse 8, Matthew states that his disciples (plural, not just Judas) “were indignant, saying, ‘Why this waste?’.”
The beginning of verse 10 surprises me: “But when Jesus was aware of it…” The verse seems to be saying that it was only some time later that Jesus became aware of something. However, if we check other translations, we find one which renders this, “But Jesus was aware of it,” That translation leaves the when out. Was Jesus ever slow to be aware? Of course not! Jesus was aware of their thoughts before they had them. Jesus was probably properly a little concerned that His disciples seemed to care more about the value of the ointment than the reason that the woman had lavished it on Jesus.
Christ’s written words, however, calmed me down; as I am sure, His spoken words calmed all (except possibly Judas) who were present at that time. “She has done good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, but me you do not have always.” (Matthew 26:10-11).
God’s Word, the Holy Bible, counsels us to be doers of the word and not just hearers (James 1:22), but in this situation, at that exact time, Jesus showed an important distinction: love for God (in this case, Christ) trumps love for mankind. Both are essential, but true love, shown by humble obedience to God’s Word must come first. I don’t think we are told why the woman showed this outstanding love for Jesus, but we do know that He applied it to His death and burial. .
To prove this point, look back in your Bibles a couple of pages to Matthew 25 and read Matthew 25:31–40. Jesus states that real, understanding, true love shown to the brothers is in fact love shown to Him! (Matthew 25:40) From these verses, we should be able to see that the opportunity to serve Christ is all around us. We don’t have to search for Christ.
But what if we spend our lives, our fortunes, and our very strength doing good works for all those poor that we will always have with us? Is that good enough? “Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” (Matthew 7:22) All of those are good works truly. Jesus never disputes their claims, but His retort reverberates in my head: “I never knew you!” (Matthew 7:23)
If we don’t have love for God—real understanding, true love shown by humble obedience to God’s Word—then love for mankind will not be enough. Matthew 7:22 seems to me to say that good preaching, relieving people’s suffering, and even doing other “wonders” is not enough. We must know and do God’s Law.
Alabaster Box Spiritual Meaning
In Matthew’s gospel, supplemented by Mark’s, this symbiotic lesson is elegantly displayed. We should notice the two approaches. Matt 19:16 states “Now behold, one came and said, ‘Good teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’” Good question – great question! Isn’t that what we all want to know? Was the questioner being pompous? We know from the parallel account in Mark 10:21: that “Then Jesus beholding him, loved him…” Why did Jesus love him? Part of the reason may have been that just before this, at Mark 10:19, Jesus listed significant parts of 5 of the final six commandments that we all must obey: “Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor thy father and mother.” The young man answered that he had always obeyed these! At this point Mark records, “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” Could it be that what the young man said was “good” in Jesus perspective? I think so.
Now let’s go to the other stone tablet that Moses carried down from the mountain. We have to leave Matthew; only Mark records this. Mark 12:28–34 is the more complete conversation. But notice three verses: Mark 12:29–31, and especially 29 “The first of all the commandments…” That word, first, means “foremost,” or we might say “most important.” All of God’s commandments are important, but Jesus clearly shows us what is most important: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel… thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength…”
If we do not love God first with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, we will not, we cannot, love our neighbor as ourselves, because we will not understand true love at all.
The woman with the alabaster flask may have come very close to true love for God. She may not have known Jesus was God, but she may have believed He was the Messiah. In a way, she illustrates Matthew 25:31–46. As she did it to the Holy Man of God, she was doing it to God.
Conclusion
The story of the alabaster jar in the Bible is a powerful reminder of the profound impact of love and devotion. It challenges us to consider the depth of our love for others and our devotion to God. The woman’s act of anointing Jesus with the precious ointment serves as an enduring symbol of the sacrificial love and selflessness that lie at the heart of Christian faith. It invites us to reflect on the value of our own acts of love and devotion and to recognize the significance of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice for our redemption.