What Fills Your Jar?

”A woman came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.“

‭‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭37‬-‭38‬

”Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.“ John‬ ‭12‬:‭3‬ ‭

Both women knew who Jesus was. They knew in their hearts that He was worthy. When they were in His presence, they each had a jar with them and poured the jar, or a container full of very expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus and wiped it with their hair.

The perfume was probably the most valuable thing they owned. The perfume was worth a year’s wages. Pouring out what was very valuable to them was an act of humility, honor and worship. The perfume was costly but NOT magical. It was the act of pouring it out on Jesus that made it valuable, not the perfume itself. If He came to my house today, what would I pour at His feet? Would it be sweet perfume or something else?

Not only was the perfume inside valuable, but the alabaster jar it came in was made of a hard marble stone which was very difficult to break open. It was designed to be opened only once, by breaking the box itself. Usually, if something is made to be broken, only once, it might be a little tougher to break it open, and it must be done with great intention. If we are going to break open our valuable jar and its valuable contents at His feet, we must be all in! It will take great intention to break it open. Once it’s open, its contents will come pouring out. You cannot change your mind after you’ve broken it open. You cannot put it back in either.

If our jar or outer shell represents our flesh and it is broken before Him, what would pour out? There could plain water or there could be perfume. Would what I pour forth be water or perfume with the sweet fragrance of the Holy Spirit? What’s in our jars of flesh? What fragrance of us fills the air? Are we afraid of being broken before Him and spilled out? Are we afraid to let Him see what’s inside us? Are our jars full of us or full of Him? As believers, I would hope our jars are filled with sweet perfume. No matter what’s inside, He’s worthy of pouring ourselves at His feet.

What better place to be broken than at the feet of Jesus, the master potter. He’s the one who created us in the first place. What humility it takes to put ourselves in a position of lowliness to pour what’s in our jar on His feet and wipe them in servanthood and submission.

Once these women’s jars were broken open, the smooth liquid and powerful fragrance poured forth. Not only does it touch Jesus, but the fragrance permeates or “fills the room.” The overflow of the perfume and fragrance affects everything around it. They didn’t have to use their hands, or do anything physically to cause the fragrance of the perfume to saturate everything around them. Even after being wiped off, the fragrance remained. When we are broken as believers and we have the sweet fragrance of the Holy Spirit, it saturates everything around us. I want my perfume to be the priceless treasure of His Holy Spirit. I want it kept in my alabaster jar of a human being but be made to be broken at His feet.

Mary’s story is an example to us that true humility and worship, in response to all Jesus has done for us, is costly. We must bring whatever is of great worth to offer to Him as a gift. We must be broken before Him breaking our own alabasters jars.

The joy of having the sweet fragrance in the room with Christ is enough and it outweighs the cost of the perfume. Only those who have been broken know the cost and the value of sitting at His feet and worshiping Him. It may go against our traditions, and what people expect but we will become the fragrance that spreads through other people’s souls. The fragrance of our praise fills the whole earth and touches every person.

Mary’s act cost her greatly and was a great sacrifice of love. Likewise, Jesus’s death was the breaking of an alabaster jar for us. It cost Him greatly and was a sacrifice of love for us. At what point, will we take our jar and break it at the feet of Jesus? What will spill out?

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”