Broken and Spilled Out

 John 12:1-3 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

Full of meaty meaning, this portion of Scripture has been discussed and debated since it was originally written. I love to read it over again, and consider all the facets of this jewel.

The alabaster box was costly, and likewise the spikenard it contained. This was an extravagance, unheard of in this situation. Similar gifts would likely be offered to kings or other dignitaries, never an ordinary man, a carpenter.

Mary anointed Jesus as her king, the King. 

I think all of us are like that alabaster box. We are merely a shell, a vessel for the priceless object it contains. Our souls are highly prized by God. When we are broken, released from our vessel, then we can be used for God. Poured out in service for our King.


***


Notable Quote:


"In the kingdom of God, service is not a stepping-stone to nobility; it is nobility, the only kind of nobility that is recognized."--T.W. Manson

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