box breakers

BOX BREAKERS...a learning taken from a beautiful story found in MARK 14:1-10...

MARY OF BETHANY, SISTER OF LAZARUS(the resurrected) AND MARTHA (the busy), WAS ONE OF THE CLOSEST PEOPLE TO JESUS. WE'RE NOT REALLY TOLD WHY...SHE JUST WAS.

A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE PASSOVER WHEN JESUS KNEW HE WOULD BE CRUCIFIED, HE WAS INVITED TO THE HOUSE OF SIMON (the leper). (WHAT DOES THIS TELL US ABOUT JESUS?…)

IT WAS A PLOT, OR SO MARY THOUGHT, TO ENTRAP HIM SO THE JEWS COULD KILL HIM. SHE MAY HAVE BEEN RIGHT...BUT IN ANY CASE, MARY LOVED HIM SO MUCH SHE WAS WILLING TO DO WHAT WOMEN WERE NOT ALLOWED TO DO…ENTER A ROOM WHERE MEN WERE EATING AND SECRETLY WHISPER IN JESUS’ EAR WHAT SHE THOUGHT HE DIDN’T KNOW (oh sweet innocence of protective adoration)… “LORD, BE CAREFUL, THEY ARE GOING TO TRAP YOU AND KILL YOU…”

NOTHING GIVES US COURAGE LIKE DESPERATE LOVE.

SHE BROKE HER BOX OF PERFUME ON HIM...WE ALL KNOW THE STORY AND JESUS' REACTION TO IT..."THIS STORY WILL BE TOLD THROUGHOUT ALL THE WORLD..."

SHE SPENT IT ALL. YEARS AGO A HEART-RENDING SONG "BROKEN AND SPILLED OUT" WAS POPULAR. I EVEN SANG IT ONCE. THERE IS A MORE RECENT ONE CALLED "ALABASTER BOX". MARY'S STORY HAS INSPIRED MUSIC...DEDICATION...PRAISE...BLAME...CONFLICT...

SHE BROKE HER BOX. HER TREASURE. VIOLATED CULTURAL MORES. DARED IT ALL. SHE LOVED HIM. SHE WANTED TO PROTECT HIM. DAYS LATER, SHE STOOD AT THE CROSS AND NO DOUBT THE FRAGRANCE OF THAT COSTLY PERFUME WAFTED TO HIS NOSTRILS THROUGH THE STENCH OF BLOOD AND DEATH AND DYING. SHE AND JESUS WERE UNITED IN HIS AGONIZING FINAL HOURS BY THAT PRECIOUS OINTMENT.

I THINK OF 3 THINGS ABOUT BOX BREAKERS…

1. THEY ARE WILLING TO TAKE A RISK
2. THEY ARE WILLING TO GIVE SOMETHING COSTLY
3. THEY ARE PROPHETIC TO THE POINT OF MOVING THE HEART OF JESUS

THE FRAGRANCE OF MARY’S PERFUME WOULD HAVE LINGERED ON JUDAS AS HE WENT TO BETRAY JESUS…IT WOULD HAVE STAYED ON JESUS' ROBE AS HE WENT TO PILATE’S HALL OF JUDGMENT AND AS HE WAS ON THE CROSS, AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SMELLED BY THE SOLDIERS WHO GAMBLED FOR IT AS HE WAS DYING…

AM I WILLING TO DO AS MARY DID…TO RISK MY ALL FOR JESUS…TO GIVE HIM EVERYTHING IMPORTANT TO ME...AND AS A PROPHETIC ACT TO LAY DOWN MY MOST PRICELESS TREASURE, ANOINT HIS HEAD AND FEET AND WEEP OVER HIS FEET WITH MY TEARS?

THE QUESTION THROBS IN THE SILENCE OF MY HEART.

AND HIS GRACE HELPS ME TO SAY, AGAIN, "YES".