Mary Broke an Alabaster Jar Matthew 26:6-13, NIV While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, 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. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Hallelujah! I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “Mary Broke an Alabaster Jar,” based on Matthew 26:6-13. Could you please repeat after me? “Mary Broke an Alabaster Jar. Mary Broke an Alabaster Jar.” We have only one life to live. What is important is that our life is evaluated according to how we have lived it and how we end it. A Belgium poet once said that our life was like a book. Our daily life is written on each page of the book of our life. Some people are writing beautiful stories in their books of life, while some are writing ugly and wicked stories. Some people are writing stories about their faithful and honest lives, while some are writing stories about their hypocritical and deceitful lives. What we have to remember is that the records cannot be altered or erased. Once they are written, they will remain that way forever. As the children of God, we must forget the old patterns of our lives. I pray that you will live a life that is pleasing to God for the rest of your life, giving glory to Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” We have become new creations in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must fill the pages of the storybook of our lives with things that are pleasing to God and with things that are dedicated for the glory of God. I want to introduce a woman to you who wrote the most beautiful story in her storybook of life. Our Lord Jesus greatly recognized and praised her. She impressed the Lord so much that He said, in memory of her, what she had done would be told wherever the Gospel was preached. Her story is being told to us even today. Let us think about what kind of dedication she made and how she did it, to be praised by the Lord to this extent. First, I want to speak about the faith that breaks an alabaster jar. Matthew 26:7 says, “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 says, “While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as 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.” When Jesus was eating in the home of Simon the leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar, broke the jar, and poured the perfume on His head. The whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. The disciples were angry with her and rebuked her for the waste, but Jesus praised her. According to John, that woman was Mary. John 12:2-3 says, “Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 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.” Mary loved the Lord Jesus so much that she brought to Him what was the most precious to her. Moreover, she broke it and poured the perfume on Him. In those days, the Israelite maidens bought perfume drops whenever they had extra money. They would collect the drops of perfume in an alabaster jar. When the jar was full, they would seal it with wax so they could take it with them when they got married. They would break the jar and sell the perfume for money when they had an emergency. It was considered as a dowry. Mary was far from being well-to-do. She had no parents. She was living with a brother and a sister. However, Mary gave the Lord Jesus the only thing that she had, the thing that was most important to her. Pure nard was a very expensive kind of perfume in the Orient. It was extracted from spikenard. The plant grew mostly in India, and the Persian Empire highly cherished the nard perfume. Mary brought such precious perfume to the Lord and gave it to Him. What made her bring it and give it to the Lord? Mary loved the Lord so much that she broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head as an expression of her gratitude and love for His grace. Mary was a spiritual person. She knew that Jesus would leave them soon. She thought, What am I going to give Him? He is leaving soon. Do I have anything to give Him? Then she decided to give the Lord the pure perfume, which was the most precious thing she had. We are miraculously saved by the wonderful grace of our Lord Jesus. Even when we did not know Him, He died on the Cross for our sins and opened the way to salvation for us. We have become the children of God by this grace. We must give thanks to the Lord for His wonderful grace. Hymn No. 98 sings, “I’ve found a Friend, oh, such a friend! He loved me ere I knew Him; He drew me with the cords of love, and thus He bound me to Him. And ’round my heart still closely twine Those ties which naught can sever; For I am His, and He is mine, Forever and forever.” Hallelujah! Jesus loved us before we knew Him. We have become the children of God through His wonderful love. Mary could never forget this love. Jesus had raised her beloved brother, Lazarus, from the dead. The Lord had always stopped by her house on His way to Jerusalem and preached. She could not sustain herself now that she could not see Him anymore. She had received so much grace from the Lord but how could she repay it? This was the reason why she gave the Lord Jesus all that she had. The perfume was in the alabaster jar, completely sealed with wax, so it could not be used unless the jar was broken. Although the alabaster jar itself was beautiful and expensive, it was nothing compared to the perfume inside of the jar. The jar had to be broken to release the perfume inside of it. What is an alabaster jar? An alabaster jar signifies us. Unless we are broken, we cannot shed or spread the fragrance of the Lord Jesus. We need to be broken for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. The more broken we are, the more grace of the Lord will be manifested through our lives. Even though we may be as beautiful as an alabaster jar, we cannot be compared to the Lord Jesus?the perfume itself. When we humble ourselves and dedicate ourselves to the Lord, He will receive glory from us. Mary, overwhelmed by the grace of the Lord, broke the alabaster jar and poured the perfume on the Lord. Alexander Duff was a well-known missionary to India. In 1816, a small church in Scotland collected a mission offering in a basket. The ushers were going to put the offering basket on the pulpit when Alexander Duff, then a 10-year-old boy, came to the platform and sat on the basket. Then he prayed, “Heavenly Father, I do not have any money to give now. Therefore, I give myself as an offering. Please, take me.” Fourteen years later, he arrived in Calcutta with his wife and dedicated his whole life to missions in India. He made a great contribution to Indian Christianity. Through his dedication in his missionary work, many lower class Indians as well as upper class came to the Lord Jesus. We must give all we have to the Lord. Just as a little boy offered himself to the Lord, we must also confess, “I want to dedicate my whole life to the Lord. I want to offer my entire life as a holy and living sacrifice to Him.” The fact that Mary poured the perfume on Jesus’ head signifies her utmost respect for the Lord. Wiping His feet with her hair signifies her humility in serving the Lord. We, too, must honor and worship the Lord with humility. Second, I want to speak about the faith that overcomes trouble. Matthew 26:8-9 says, “When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’” The disciples could not understand what Mary was doing. That was why they rebuked Mary for wasting money. According to John 12:5, Judas Iscariot was quick in calculating. He calculated the value of the perfume and rebuked Mary for wasting that much money. John 12:5 says, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages?” One denarius was the daily wage of a day laborer. Three hundred denarii were worth about a year’s wages. Judas Iscariot thought that the perfume was worth about a year’s wages and was angry that Mary was wasting it. Jesus fed 5,000 men with five loaves of bread and two fish in Bethsaida. The total number of people He fed must have been around 20,000 to 30,000. The estimate to feed all of them was 200 denarii. Compared to this, we can see that 300 denarii was a quite a large amount of money. Mary gave all of it to the Lord without hesitation. The disciples, however, were angry with Mary. They rebuked her because she was wasting a lot of money. She gave it to the Lord but, ironically, the Lord’s disciples rebuked her. Sometimes other people criticize us when we serve the Lord. People blame or rebuke us because we serve the Lord with all our might. When I was ministering in a church in the United States, we were building our church. During a revival meeting, a guest speaker preached on Abraham sacrificing Isaac. A couple were deeply moved by the sermon and offered their house as an offering to the church. After that, they were severely criticized by their parents, brothers, and sisters who said, “Why should you be so extreme in your faith?” Even though they broke their alabaster jar and gave their own house to the church, they received severe criticism from their brothers and sisters. When we do a good work for the Lord, we sometimes face suffering and persecution. Even so, we should not step backward with frustration by listening to other people. When we march forward with faith, fixing our eyes on Jesus Christ even in the midst of trouble and hardship, God will pour His abundant grace upon us. Romans 5:3-4 says, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Matthew 5:10 says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:12 also says, “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Do not be dismayed even if you are persecuted for your service and dedication to the Lord. Never step backward. Our Lord knows everything very well. The Lord will say to you, “Great is your reward in heaven.” Hallelujah! Sometimes we face problems in our homes in the process of serving and pleasing the Lord. A wife may give an offering to the church with joy and gratitude, but the husband may not like it, ending up with a domestic fight. Let me tell you a story. Rev. Jin Kwan Han from Queens Korean Church, New York, came to my church for revival meetings and told us the following story. As you know, all American banknotes are the same size and the same color: a one-dollar bill, a five-dollar bill, a ten-dollar bill, a twenty-dollar bill, and a hundred-dollar bill. A deaconess brought her husband to church one Sunday after a long time of persuasion and prayer. It was time for the offering. The husband searched in his pocket and found a one-dollar bill and a twenty-dollar bill. He thought he needed to be careful not to get mixed up, and he WAS careful. However, when they got home, he realized that he had given the twenty-dollar bill by mistake. He had an argument with his wife. He told her to go to church and bring back the change in the sum of nineteen dollars, saying, “I was going to give one dollar but gave twenty dollars by mistake. Go and get the change and bring it back to me.” His wife protested, “How can we ask for the change from what we have given to God?” He said, “I meant to give one dollar. I am entitled to get my money back.” She said, “If you really want it back, let’s go together next Sunday.” The next Sunday he went to church with her and accepted the Lord Jesus. After he became an ordained deacon, he gave this testimony. Sometimes a small thing may cause problems when we serve the Lord. When a husband and a wife have different levels of faith, they may fight over the amount of offerings. Sometimes we are criticized and offended by other Christians. When newcomers are enthusiastically involved in service for the Lord, the old members may not like it very much and criticize the newcomers. However, we should not step backward or give up our zeal for the Lord, or leave the church. Instead of backing off with resentment, we need to go closer to the Lord. I want you to be comforted by the Lord and experience God’s blessing. God does not delight in those who step backward. Rejoice in suffering, for great is your reward in heaven. When we endure such persecution, our faith will grow, and God will pour His grace and blessings upon us. Never listen to negative words or criticism from others. Do not even think about them. I urge you to march forward with faith in the Lord. Never forget that the Lord who has overcome the world is with us. John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." The Lord tells us to take heart. He is telling us to be confident in times of suffering or trouble. The Lord who has overcome the world is with us. Even though Jesus’ disciples were angry with Mary and rebuked her, she continued her work without arguing with them. She showed her love for the Lord Jesus. We need this kind of confidence in serving the Lord. I pray that you will dedicate yourself to the Lord if it pleases the Lord?no matter what other people may say. As long as we are faithful to the Lord?no matter what others may say?the Lord will see our faithfulness and will pour His grace upon us. That is why our relationship with God is very important. When we please the Lord, giving glory to Him, God will use our lives for His wonderful work. Third, we must give glory to the Lord Jesus Christ through our faith. Mary made a monumental achievement for the Lord Jesus. In Matthew 26:13, Jesus praised her dedication by adding this clause, “I tell you the truth.” “I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Hallelujah! When we add, “I tell you the truth,” we put strong emphasis on the sentence. The Lord was emphasizing His praise, meaning, “Wherever and whenever the gospel is preached, even right now in Yoido Full Gospel Church, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Hallelujah! People all over the world remember her beautiful dedication. I pray that you will also serve the Lord with such beautiful dedication like Mary. Our life is short and irrevocable. Let us live a life that is pleasing to God. Let us leave a beautiful record in the book of our life. The Lord knows our love for Him. Matthew 26:10 says, “Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.’” The Lord said that Mary had done a beautiful thing to Him. Indeed Mary did a beautiful thing to the Lord. Jesus was saying that she had done a beautiful thing, which was pleasing to Him, and which would be remembered throughout all ages. Mary showed her dedication and love to the Lord so that He could bear the suffering on the cross with joy. Matthew 26:11 says, “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.” The Lord said that they would not always have Him. He meant that He was going to be crucified soon. The Lord said again, in Matthew 26:12, “When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.” He was saying, “She prepared me for burial. You have followed me for three and a half years. I have taught you that I came to earth to give myself as an atoning sacrifice, to save all humankind from sin. I have let you know that the time has almost arrived, but none of you have understood. However, Mary understood and has poured the perfume on my body to prepare Me for burial.” Since Mary loved the Lord so much, and since she knew that He would leave them soon, she gave Him what was most precious to her. What should we give if we love our Lord? If it pleases the Lord, we should be willing to give our wealth, our talents, and even our lives to Him. Seeing such dedication in Mary, Jesus praised her. I want you to remember His words in Matthew 26:13, “I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Amen. What Mary did will also be told, in memory of her. Audrey Hepburn became a world-famous movie star through the motion picture, Roman Holiday. After being involved with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), she was appointed as a goodwill ambassador to UNICEF in March 1988. UNICEF is a UN organization, working for children’s rights and their survival. Hepburn dedicated the remainder of her life to helping impoverished children in the poorest of nations such as Ethiopia, Sudan, Bangladesh, and Somalia. She worked very hard to take care of the children. However, she was struck by colon cancer. Even though her doctor said that she did not have much time to live, she continued her dedication for poor children. Although her weight decreased to 35 kilograms, she kept on praying ardently for the African children who were dying of hunger. Hepburn died on January 20, 1993 with her family and friends present. She was 64. She had loved the poor and innocent children, and now she was taken to be with the Lord in a most beautiful and noble death. People say, “We met the most beautiful Audrey Hepburn?not in the film, Roman Holiday?but in Africa. It was a miraculous blessing to have a movie star like her.” Audrey Hepburn’s faith resulted from her endurance in suffering. Her parents divorced when she was little. She was a weak and unhealthy child. Her first film was a failure. She was also divorced. She had much suffering in her life but dedicated the remainder of her life to a most precious cause: helping impoverished children in Africa. She rose above her own suffering and gave glory to God. She left a trace of the love of Jesus Christ wherever she visited. We must also live a life in which we leave the trace of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we love our Lord with all our hearts, He will take care of our lives. He will bless us. I pray that you will break your alabaster jars for the Lord Jesus as Mary did. I want to think about what kind of alabaster jars we have. What kind of alabaster jars do we have? They could be our pride, stubbornness, egoism, wealth, or even our children. We may summarize all of them as self. We must break the alabaster jar of self. The Lord Jesus died on the Cross for sinners like us, but we are eager to show off with pride and stubbornness, trying to build up something for self. Even though the Lord Jesus reconciled us to our Heavenly Father, our sin is so deep-rooted that we tightly cover the jar, confining the Lord Jesus within ourselves. Although the Lord is within our hearts, we manifest ourselves?not the Lord?because we are not broken. We keep on having conflicts, fights, and fury with others even in our Christian lives, because we are not broken. The jar itself may be beautiful, but it is nothing, compared to the perfume inside. However, people are too concerned about their outward appearance. They care too much about their pride and their positions to be completely broken or to manifest the Lord Jesus. Let us not be too concerned about our outer appearance but be broken so that the Lord may be glorified. The perfume can shed its fragrance?only when the alabaster jar is broken. When the perfume was poured, the whole house was filled with its fragrance. Since there were many people, there may have been body odors and other bad odors, but the fragrance removed all the bad odors. Likewise, when we are broken, manifesting the Lord Jesus, all the bad things like worry, pain, and suffering will be driven away. I urge you to love the Lord Jesus. I urge you to be broken for the Lord every day. Our life centered on materialism needs to be broken. Our desire for fame and popularity also needs to be broken. Our pride needs to be broken. Our love for our family more than for the Lord Jesus needs to be broken. Our failure in repenting of our sins and committing sins repeatedly needs to be broken. Our hatred and condemnation toward others needs to be broken. Our short temper and anger over small things needs to be broken. We can shed the fragrance of the Lord Jesus only when we are broken. Just as the alabaster jar was broken letting the perfume emit its fragrance, when we are broken, the fragrance of the Lord Jesus will fill the entire world. Since we are not broken, we have many problems in our lives. We have many problems in our homes, among family members, in our workplaces, schools, and businesses. The Lord Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Be broken for the Lord Jesus. The moment you are broken, the Lord will control your lives and resolve all your problems, shedding His fragrance in your lives. When we die in the Lord, He lives in us and does wonderful things in our lives. When we die in the Lord, He will live in our place, reviving our homes, workplaces, our campuses, and the whole community. This kind of faith breaks an alabaster jar. We need to be broken. We need to be humble. We need to die in the Lord. When we crucify ourselves, remembering the grace of the redemption through the Cross of the Lord Jesus, we can be broken. Then the Lord within our hearts will live and receive glory from us, changing the whole world into a beautiful one with His overflowing grace. I earnestly pray that you will experience His wonderful grace by being broken in the Lord. Let us pray. Our Father of infinite love, grace, and mercy, we have many problems, because we are not broken. Since we are not broken, we cannot show the Lord Jesus in our relationships with our families and other people. We repent of our sins because we have been self-centered, hurting other people. Lord, break us and make us humble. Cover us with the precious blood of the Lord. Help us to dedicate ourselves and to spread your fragrance all over the world. Help us to commit ourselves to You and lead lives of sacrifice for You. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.