Today, I was having a conversation with one of my bestests about "what in Jesus' name is an Alabaster Box and why do people keep talking about it?"
I'm on this new kick that causes me to immediately jump to my net bible www.youversion.com (which is a super awesome digital bible source)
Anyway, so, I hit the net and checked out scriptures about this whole Alabaster Box idea, because I mean, the only thing I knew about it was that it made for a pretty song that CeCe Winans made! (don't judge me)
Upon doing my research, I discovered that this box isn't really a box at all!
It's a Jar, a Vessel (get where I'm going with this yet?)
This vessel - back in biblical times - housed very expensive, pure (or as we'd say today "Organic") fragrances/perfumes/oils.
As the story goes in all four gospels, a woman named Mary of Bethany came to Jesus as he was supping at Simon the Leper's house. She broke open this vessel made of alabaster and poured the expensive, oily contents over Jesus annointing him.
The disciples were definitely none-too-pleased about this and began rebuking the woman for her actions.
Judas Iscariot, in particular, remarked on the expensive nature of the perfume (shocking right...no? Didn't think so, seeing as he gave Jesus over to the Pharisees for 30 peices of silver).
To continue, Jesus explains to the disciples that the woman has blessed him, annointed him for burial with all that she had of value and that her act has blessed him and will be reviled for generations to come (as we see it today with songs written about the Alabaster Box).
SO...
WHAT is Alabaster?
Well. . .dictionary.com says alabaster is a type of stone: a very elegant type of stone that is usually white and translucent and is much like marble.
This Alabaster jar this woman had (as explained in Mark 14:3-9) was of incredible value, as was the perfume oil that lay encased within the Alabaster vessel and this woman poured it on Jesus to show that HE IS THE UNMEASURABLE, VALUED, IRREPLACABLE TREASURE.
*Ready for the connection???*
WE are vessels.
Saved or unsaved. Our flesh, we are vessels that hold deeper things within us.
There's a Christian Rock song that explains this: God-shaped Hole by Plumb
If there's truly a God-shaped hole in all of us, that means something must fill it.
We try to fill it with things like, other people, material things, hopes and aspirations for things that we know will not edify our Father which is in Heaven.
Only the best, the pure, highly valued perfume was encased in that Alabaster Jar that Mary of Bethany. The beauty of the casing called for a deeper beauty to be held inside and poured out at the moment necessary.
Our vessels, created by GOD are beautiful, of a quality that can only be expressed with equality to the finest of stones: Marble and Alabaster.
Our vessels deserve to house the BEST.
ARE YOU PUTTING THE BEST IN YOUR VESSEL? IN YOUR ALABASTER JAR?
DOES JESUS CHRIST TRULY RESIDE IN YOU?
ARE YOU LETTING OTHER THINGS THAT FADE AWAY AND RUST YOUR STONE CROWD THE SPACE WITHIN YOU?
How will you know?
Mary broke the vessel to pour the perfume of Jesus. There was no way to open those Alabaster jars but to break them.
Trials and tribulations break us.
When we are at our weakest point, our true inner-character comes out.
<< 2 Corinthians 12:9 >>
If you've ever been broken or are broken now. . .
Think of what came out of you
Think of what you ran to
Think of what you most often fed your spirit with musically
Check you Alabaster Vessel and be sure it hasn't begun to rust by the unhealthy things that have been dwelling within.
Choose Jesus to pour out all of your value, give it to him, so HE can fill the hole that was made specifically FOR HIM.
