Tha Alabaster Box

Serving – March 2022 – Grace & Truth Magazine

“The Alabaster Box”

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head, as He sat at meat. But when His disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, He said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon Me. For ye have the poor always with you; but Me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. —Matthew 26:6-13 KJV

It is very needful to bear in mind in this day of busy doing and restless activity that God looks at everything from one standpoint, measures everything by one rule, tries everything by one touchstone. That touchstone, that rule, that standpoint is Christ. He values things just so far as they stand connected with the Son of His love, and no farther. Whatever is done to Christ, whatever is done for Him, is precious to God. All else has no value.

A large amount of work may be done, and a great deal of praise drawn forth thereby from human lips, but when God comes to examine it He will simply look for one thing: the measure in which it stands connected with Christ. His great question will be, “Has it been done in and to the name of Jesus?” If it has, it will stand approved and be rewarded; if not, it will be rejected and burnt up.

It does not matter in the least what men’s thoughts may be about any particular piece of work. They may praise a person to the skies for something he is doing; they may parade his name in the news; they may make him the subject of conversation. He may have a great name as a preacher, teacher, writer or moral reformer. However, if God cannot connect the man’s work with the name of Jesus – if it is not done to Him and to His glory – if it is not the fruit of the constraining love of Christ, it will all be blown away like the chaff of the summer threshing floor and sunk into eternal oblivion.

On the contrary, a man may pursue a quiet, humble, lowly path of service, unknown and unnoticed. His name may never be heard, his work may never be thought of; but what he has done was in simple love to Christ. He has worked in obscurity with his eye on his Master. The smile of his Lord has been quite enough for him. He has never thought for one moment of seeking man’s approval or to catch his smile or shun his frown. Instead, he has pursued the even tenor of his way, simply looking to Christ and acting for Him. His work will stand. It will be remembered and rewarded, though he did not do it for remembrance or reward but from simple love to Jesus. It is work of the right kind – genuine – which will abide the fire of the day of the Lord.

It is an unspeakable mercy to be delivered from the time-serving, men-pleasing spirit of the present day and to be enabled to walk ever and only before the Lord. Let us look for a few moments at the lovely and most touching illustration of this, presented to us in “the house of Simon the leper, there came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head, as He sat at meat” (vv,6-7).

Now, if we inquire as to this woman’s object, what was it? Was it to display the exquisite perfume of her ointment, or the material and form of her alabaster box? Was it to obtain the praise of men for her act? Was it to get a name for extraordinary devotedness to Christ among the personal friends of the Savior? No, it was none of these things. How do we know? Because, the Most High God, the Creator of all things, who knows the deepest secrets of all hearts and the true motive of every action, was there in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

His holy and all-penetrating eye went right down into the very depths of this woman’s soul. He knew not only what she had done but how and why she had done it, and He declared, “She hath wrought a good work upon Me” (v.10). In a word then, Christ Himself was the immediate object of this woman’s soul; and it was this which gave value to her act and sent the odor of her ointment straight up to the throne of God.

He not only vindicated her at the moment, but He also handed it down into the future. This was quite enough for the heart of this woman. Having the approval of her Lord she could well afford to bear the “indignation” even of “His disciples” and to hear her act pronounced, “waste” (v.8). It was sufficient for her that His heart had been refreshed. All the rest might go for what it was worth. She had never thought of securing man’s praise or of avoiding his scorn. Her one undivided object, from first to last, was Christ.

From the moment she laid her hand on that alabaster box until she broke it and poured its contents upon His sacred person, it was of Himself alone she thought. She had a kind of intuitive perception of what would be suitable and grateful to her Lord in the solemn circumstances in which He was placed at the moment, and with exquisite tact she did that thing. She had never thought of what the ointment might fetch; or if she had, she felt that He was worth 10,000 times as much. As to “the poor” (v.11), they had their place, no doubt, and their claims also; but she felt that Jesus was more to her than all the poor in the world.

In short, the woman’s heart was filled with Christ, and it was this which gave character to her action. Others might pronounce it, “waste;” but we may rest assured that nothing is wasted which is spent for Christ. So the woman judged, and she was right. To put honor upon Him at the very moment when earth and hell were rising up against Him was the very highest act of service that man or angel could perform. He was going to be offered up. The shadows were lengthening, the gloom was deepening, the darkness thickening. The cross with all its horrors was at hand, and this woman anticipated it all and came beforehand to anoint the body of her adorable Lord. Mark the result.

Notice how immediately the blessed Lord entered upon her defense and shielded her from the indignation and scorn of those who ought to have known better. “When Jesus understood it, He said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good work upon Me. For ye have the poor always with you; but Me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. Verily, I say unto you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (vv.10-13).

See that you keep your eye directly on the Master in all you do. Make Jesus the immediate object of every little act of service, no matter what. Seek to do your every work so He may say, “It is a good work upon Me.” Don’t be occupied with the thoughts of men as to your path or work. Do not mind their indignation or their misunderstanding, but pour your alabaster box of ointment upon the person of your Lord. See that your every act of service is the fruit of your heart’s appreciation of Him and be assured He will appreciate your work and vindicate you before assembled myriads.

Thus it was with the woman of whom we have been reading. She took her alabaster box and made her way to the house of Simon the leper with one goal in her heart, namely Jesus and what was before Him. This woman was absorbed in Him. She thought of none besides, and poured her precious ointment on His head. And note the blessed issue: her act has come down to us in the gospel record coupled with His wonderful name. No one can read the gospel without reading the memorial of her personal devotedness.

Empires have risen, flourished and passed away into the region of silence and oblivion. Monuments have been erected to commemorate human genius and greatness – and these monuments have crumbled into dust. But the act of this woman still lives and shall live forever. May we have grace to imitate her.

By Alan H. Crosby

She who came with her ointment realized what those around Him did not: death was now near Him. The effect was to make Him more absorbingly the object for her heart, and whatever was precious for her went into death with Him. Her use of the ointment testifies of this, as well as of the fragrance of the death itself, which will abide with us for eternity. In this we too abide and shall abide – in the sweet savor of this wonderful obedience.

True disciples were caught by the cry of utilitarianism: that which was spent upon Christ alone is “waste” and taken from the poor. For many, such pleas become effectual arguments against what true devotedness to Him demands. Those who would understand and appreciate the laying down of life for His sake can often not understand the sacrifice of usefulness on His account. They will say that duty cannot really demand such sacrifice. But it does very often demand that we leave entirely out of question all consideration of results, and follow simply and without reserve the dictates of the Word. —F. W. Grant, The Numerical Bible, adapted