«And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head» (Mark 14:3).
IN THE APOSTLE JOHN’S VERSION of the account of the feast at the house of Simon the leper, the woman who broke the alabaster flask was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. According to John himself, the event occurred «six days before the Passover» (John 12: 1); this means that the feast was most likely held on a Saturday night. Jesus would die in a matter of days.
Did Mary know this?
According to The Desire of Ages, Mary «had heard Jesus speak of His approaching death, and in her deep love and sorrow she had longed to show Him honor.»—ch. 62, p. 558. How could she express her gratitude to the One who, in addition to forgiving her sins, had resurrected her brother Lazarus?
Upon learning that Jesus would die, Mary acquired «ointment of spikenard, very costly,» in order to anoint His body for burial, but then there was a change of plans: «The fragrant gift which Mary had thought to lavish upon the dead body of the Saviour she poured upon His living form.»—Ibid., p. 560. The Spirit of God had impressed her heart in the sense «that she should not wait.» When Jesus was dead, the fragrance of perfume «could only have pervaded the tomb,» but by pouring it on Him when He lived, it filled the heart of the Savior (Ibid.). What a noble and timely action. She broke her alabaster flask while He was alive!
The lesson for us was expressed very well by W. G. Murdoch: «Let us not keep the alabaster flasks of our love and tenderness closed until tomorrow. Let us open them today.»‘ In other words: Why keep the words of appreciation that so many people around us need today for the day of the funeral?
«Many there are who bring their precious gifts for the dead. As they stand about the cold, silent form, words of love are freely spoken. . . . Had these words been spoken when the weary spirit needed them so much, when the ear could hear and the heart could feel, how precious would have been their fragrance!»—The Desire of Ages, ch. 62,
p. 560.
What will you do with your «alabaster flask» today?
Dear God, I want to break my alabaster flask today.
Please place in my path a soul in need of encouragement; and put in my mouth words of hope that will strengthen the heart of that person and that will also ascend as fragrance to Your throne of grace.
#AdultsDevotional
#RadioJovenAdventista
#MeditacionesDiarias
Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
