The story of the alabaster box is one that we can all relate to. It’s a story about how we often hide our true feelings behind false smiles, and how those smiles can sometimes be mistaken for something else by others. In this case, the story takes place when Jesus visits Mary’s house. She is very happy to see him and wants to show her appreciation by making him a meal. However, she has no money to buy any food, so she goes out into the streets and collects some of the garbage from people’s feet so that she can make him something for lunch.
She brings this garbage back home with her and uses it as ingredients for her meal (Matthew 26:6–13). When Jesus sees what Mary has done, he becomes angry at her because he thinks that she did not appreciate his visit enough by giving him something that was worth nothing in value! He says, “What good thing shall I do for you? You have chosen what is least valuable” (Matthew 26:11).
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).
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Alabaster Box In The Bible
In the Bible, an alabaster box is a container of perfume that is broken and poured out over Jesus’ head by Mary Magdalene at the end of his crucifixion.
The story goes like this: after Jesus dies on the cross and his body is taken down, Mary Magdalene comes to visit him in his tomb. She finds that he has been resurrected, but he’s still dead–so she pours perfume over his head and kisses him.
This is significant because it’s one of the only times in the Bible when women are mentioned as being present at Jesus’ death or resurrection. It also shows how much Mary loved Jesus; she was willing to break this expensive alabaster box just so she could honor him with her love!
Who Was The Woman With The Alabaster Box
Introduction
The alabaster box in the Bible is a lesson in humility, love and selflessness.
What was the Alabaster Box?
Alabaster is a type of marble that was used for making containers for precious oils. It was mined in Egypt, and was very expensive. Alabaster was used for making containers to hold expensive perfumes, ointments and oils.
The Alabaster Box in Mark 14:3
The Alabaster Box in Mark 14:3
In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 14 verse 3, we see the woman with an alabaster box of expensive perfume. She breaks it and pours the perfume over Jesus’s head. His disciples are shocked at her actions because they think she is wasting such a valuable substance. But Jesus says that she was preparing him for burial (Mark 14:8). This story has many parallels with other Biblical stories, such as David killing Goliath and Samson tearing apart ropes. Each story acts as a prophetic act, setting up what will happen later on in these characters’ lives.
6 Takeaways from the story of the Alabaster Box
The alabaster box is a beautiful example of sacrificial worship. How many people do you know who would give up their most prized possession to honor God? While this might sound like an extreme example, it’s actually quite common in the Bible. In fact, it’s the only way to truly worship God.
- The alabaster box was filled with the purest of fragrances—spikenard (an aromatic oil). As we saw earlier in this article, this substance was very expensive and precious. This tells us that Mary wasn’t just throwing something together at the last minute; she had been thinking about this for some time before making her decision. Taking time out for preparation is important when it comes to showing your love for someone else—or, in this case, someone greater than yourself!
- We can learn from Mary what it means when we say, “I love Jesus more than anything else in this world” or “Nothing matters more than Jesus does!” If what we say isn’t backed up by our actions, then our words are empty statements that don’t mean anything at all—and ultimately will hurt our relationship with God if we continue living them out without any care for Him at all times throughout each day’s activities…
What did Mary do when Jesus told her to pour the perfume on his head? She sacrificed herself.
Now, think about what Mary did. She allowed herself to be vulnerable; she was willing to do something that may not have been popular with the other disciples. She did it with joy and faith in Jesus as her Savior, out of love for him.
There is no doubt that Mary sacrificed herself by being willing to pour the perfume on Jesus’ feet.
You can’t take the sacred out of the secular.
Holiness is not a word that you hear thrown around often in our culture. Most people associate holiness with being religious, or thinking that someone’s actions are morally upright. But what does it really mean for us?
Jesus changed everything when he came to earth and sacrificed himself for us on the cross. Because of this sacrifice, we have been given an opportunity to live holy lives—to be changed by God into something better than we could ever imagine. Our lives have worth now because Jesus gave his life so that we could have eternal life with him one day.
In order to become more like Christ, we need to follow his example and sacrifice ourselves for others as well as trust in what he has done for us through his death on the cross. We cannot earn our way into heaven; we must accept God’s gift of salvation and allow him to change us from within so that we may live out who he created us to be!
Love, faith and worship is worth it, no matter what others think or say.
Let’s get one thing straight: love, faith and worship is worth it, no matter what others think or say.
You should be authentic and let your love for God flow out of you. You can’t hide the fact that you are a Christian by keeping quiet about it: the world needs to see what Christ has done in your life!
When we worship God we show him our gratitude for all he has done for us and trust him with our lives each day. Worshiping God shows others that we are thankful to have been saved by His grace through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross (Romans 6:23). In addition, if we live our lives as Christians then they should know who they serve (Matthew 7-10).
When you love Jesus, your whole life changes.
When you love Jesus, your whole life changes.
Love drives out fear. If we are afraid to talk about our faith because someone might be offended or hurt, then it is a sign that we don’t really love Jesus. In fact, if you really loved God and His Word, then the only appropriate response would be courage in sharing the gospel message with others.
Love gives us courage to do what is right instead of what is popular or politically correct. When we fall in love with Jesus our hearts become touched by His grace and kindness towards us; He shows us how much He loves us even though we have been terrible sinners (Romans 5:8). As a result of this love being poured into our hearts through His Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) then it should motivate us to live our lives in such a way as not just please men but also please God (1 Peter 2:12). Just as Jesus did not do anything behind closed doors so we too must go out into public places where people can see who we truly are! Also remember that when someone asks why they need Christ then let them know how much God loves them despite all their sinfulness (John 3:16-17)!
You can never out-give Jesus.
In the story of the alabaster box, we see Jesus give Mary an out-of-this-world gift. He blessed her with an expensive gift that she could never repay. But then she does something amazing: instead of trying to repay him, Jesus takes her debt upon himself and pays it off in full (Matthew 26:13).
If you want to know what it means to be a godly person, look no further than Mary Magdalene. She is a shining example of how someone can live their life fully committed to Christ while still living in the world (John 12:1-8). When we see this kind of selfless love and generosity displayed by people around us at times like this Easter season—it makes me feel confident about our future as Christians because I know that if one person can do it well then many more will surely follow suit!
The Alabaster box is a beautiful picture of sacrificial worship.
What is sacrificial worship?
Worship and sacrifice are not the same thing, but they are intimately related. Worship is a response to God’s grace and greatness, while sacrifice is an expression of gratitude for His provision. In other words, you don’t have to make sacrifices to worship God, but you should always give thanks for all that He has done in your life.
The Bible uses the term “sacrifice” in two ways: 1) as an offering which represents something greater (i.e., a lamb), and 2) as something given up because it’s better than what we have (i.e., our flesh). The first definition refers specifically to animal sacrifices made by Jewish people during biblical times; however today this practice does not exist anymore since Jesus Christ died on the cross once for all time so there’s no need for further blood sacrifices! Moreover every believer now has access into God’s presence through Jesus’ death on our behalf (Hebrews 10:19-20).
What Is the Spiritual Significance of an Alabaster Box?
We hear this term in Scripture and wonder exactly what and alabaster box means? Quite frankly, I have never used an alabaster box. If we do not fully understand what this is, then we cannot fully appreciate the gift of Mary as she poured out her alabaster box over Jesus’ feet.
What Is an Alabaster Box in the Bible?
The alabaster box (or referred to as jar) is mentioned in three places in the Bible. The reference is to the woman Mary of Bethany (The same woman from the story of Mary and Martha). She boldly approached Jesus and poured out her expensive perfume to anoint Him. Her action was looked down upon by fellow onlookers; however, it was greatly appreciated by Christ Himself.
“These boxes were made from a stone found near Alabastron in Egypt…the woman ‘broke’ the vessel; i.e., she broke off, as was usually done, the long and narrow neck so as to reach the contents. This stone resembles marble, but is softer in its texture, and hence very easily wrought into boxes.” The dictionary goes on to share that the breaking of the box and perfume would have been very costly to Mary.
Where Does an Alabaster Box Appear in the Bible?
The alabaster box (or jar) only appears three times in the Bible.
Matthew 26:7 “a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.”
Mark 14:3 “While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.”
Luke 7:37 “A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.”
What Is the Spiritual Meaning of an Alabaster Box?
Mary at Bethany did not just decide to randomly go anoint Jesus and give Him her everything. We see a clear relationship between Mary and Jesus. She sat at His feet many times regularly as she listened and learned from Him as her teacher and her friend (Luke 10). She experienced great loss and Jesus came to comfort during the death of her brother Lazarus, whom Jesus eventually rose from the dead (John 11). The deeper her relationship, the more this moment meant. It was not impulsive; it was from a rooted trust and an action of surrender of Jesus as the Savior.
The Spiritual meaning of an alabaster box can be applied in different ways. In one view, the box can represent our own lives. We ourselves can come broken like the box before a holy God and surrender to His sacrifice over our sins. We can have true freedom in that unhindered release of control.
The alabaster box can also symbolize giving God our best and our all. This was Mary’s “first fruits” in a way. She did not bring the least, she brought her absolute best and most expensive item to pour over a more than worthy Savior. She believed Jesus, she anointed Him even before His death and burial. Mary teaches us to give the Lord our whole hearts and our whole lives. We are called to pick up our crosses and to follow Jesus. Matthew 16:24 says, “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Mary denied herself of her most valuable possession and gave Jesus her everything. All that this world has to offer us is nothing compared to Christ.
A Crosswalk Devotional shares, “Mary loved Jesus so much that she gave all she had. She didn’t just pour out a little perfume to anoint Him, she gave it all (see Mark 14:3-9). She couldn’t put that perfume back in the bottle. She had broken it! Maybe it was her inheritance or hope chest. She didn’t hold back any for a rainy day or her retirement.”
When I think about the alabaster box, I also ponder how the item was made of stone. What a beautiful connection to the stone tomb of Christ? Although death was on the horizon for Jesus, His resurrection would be coming. As she carried in her hand her own stone item, it is a visual of an amazing trade off of our coming eternal death traded for the rolled away stone and eternal life secured through Jesus.
What Lessons Can We Learn from the Story of the Alabaster Box?
1. We like Mary can give Jesus our all, even if others do not understand
“When we give what we can, there may be plenty who don’t understand. There may be plenty who ask, “Why you are ‘wasting” your gift or your time?” Friends, don’t let anyone stop you from sharing your gift the way God has called you to. Do what you can!”
Mary’s offering was not received well by other disciples of Jesus. This reminds us that we are not in the business of awaiting man’s approval for our spiritual acts of worship, but only God alone. Yes, we can be respectful of others; however, we answer to Jesus first. The disciples who thought this act of sacrifice was a waste, missed the beauty of the worship to the Savior. I love how Jesus welcomes her offering and shares its value. Maybe you feel like you are under attack for your obedience to the Lord by fellow believers. It can be a very difficult place to be, but ultimately, we do not serve man, we serve the one true Living God.
2. We Need to Count the Cost of Following Christ
Luke 14:27-28 shares about the cost of discipleship. “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” Mary knew what she was doing. She had planned out and brought her alabaster box of great worth to Jesus where He was, she sought after Him to give her gift. When we are seeking to follow Christ, we need to consider what we are leaving behind and be aware of the weight of that decision. The joy of having Christ far outweighs the cost.
3. We Should be Slow to Judge the Gift Other Bring to Christ
Unfortunately, we all have sinned, and it is easy to fall into the trap of becoming judgmental of others. If we are not careful, we might begin to judge others who are whole-heartedly blessing the Lord with their “alabaster boxes.” Mark 14:4 says, “There were some who said to themselves indignantly, ‘Why was the ointment wasted like that?” After this, Jesus responded in Mark 14:6, “But Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me…”
We need to take that message just as much as the disciples who were being hard on Mary. We need to leave others alone too. What Mary was doing was not sinful, it did not need correction or refining, she was a mature woman of faith who understood the value of giving her everything to Jesus. We can pray that we may we never be stumbling blocks in the way of others who are blessing the heart of God.
Whatever your alabaster box may look like, I pray that you can pour out your offering to the Lord from your heart like Mary. We each have opportunities to give glory to our Savior, let’s start today.
Conclusion
We all have the ability to be like the woman in this story. We all have what it takes to give a gift that can change someone’s life in a single moment. And we don’t need Alabaster Boxes or expensive gifts; what matters is our willingness to use what resources we have and show love through them. I hope that as you read this story, you will feel encouraged by its reminder that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace, and no one’s life is beyond redemption. I also hope that it inspires us, who live in such a hard world where sin abounds and evil thrives, not just to stand there watching those around us struggle but instead to step out into the fray with courage and compassion