Breaking Your Alabaster Box
(Mark 14:1–9) Jesus said what Mary did was, “a good work.” Here are 5 things that made her act of worship such a good work.
I. It was a Criticized Act
a. (Mark 14:4-5) A year’s labor and it was gone, just like that. Broken and poured out. They said what she did was a waste. And you are going to be criticized if you pour your life out to the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t let someone else’s criticism keep you from worshipping the Lord! He’s worth it all and more!
II. It was a Small Act
a. (Mark 14:8) Mary wanted to express her love for the Lord and she remembered that alabaster box of ointment, so she used it. That’s all she could do. Jesus said, “She hath done what she could.” The question is not, “What can they do?”; but, “Are you doing what YOU can?” The only thing God is going to demand of you is that which He has given you. Mary did what she could. That’s what moved Jesus. Don’t compare yourself to others. There’s something only you can do and therefore something you ought to do for Jesus.
III. It was an Incredible Act
a. (Mark 14:8) She gave it all to Jesus. She held nothing back. She broke the box! It could never be unbroken. It was an incredible act because of the object of it and the finality of it. The object of it: it was upon Him. The finality of it: she broke that alabaster box. No wonder Jesus was so moved and said, “She hath wrought a good work on me.”
IV. It was a Significant Act
a. (Mark 14:8) Verse 8: “She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.” In a week, Jesus will go to the cross. And Mary had come before time to anoint the body of Jesus. He would soon be crucified, buried, and risen from the dead. Had Mary not anointed Jesus when she did, she never would have had the opportunity. Don’t miss your opportunity to give it all to Jesus!
V. It was an Unforgettable Act
a. (Mark 14:9) What Mary did two-thousand years ago, what she could, is still remembered today. A thousand years from now, many things we think are so important are not going to matter at all. Yet, wherever the gospel is preached, through the centuries and into all eternity, it’s still going to matter that Mary broke her alabaster box. Her “good work” will never ever end, because she did what she could, she did all she could, and she did it when she could.