Have you ever been in a situation where you tried to follow Jesus in His commandments, being vigilant, and even so, you are still making the same mistakes? Could it be a lack of patience and self-control, or when you don’t know how to deal with the situation because you haven’t experienced that before, so you go for the same “your traditional way” to solve the problem and find yourself in a worse spot than ever?
Then, welcome to the group, you are not the oddball! This feeling of being stuck is exactly what the alabaster jar story can help us with. Let’s reflect on the Scriptures: The apostle Paul says in Romans 7:19:
“For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.” (NIV)
Paul was a great man of God and was struggling with that as we do daily. He keeps telling us about his battle between the sin that lives within him and his delight in God’s law, fighting constantly in his mind and heart. He recognises his weakness and gives thanks to Jesus, who has the power to deliver any one of us from this rough condition.
So, we no longer hang the badge of guilt, because we have the opportunity to repent, to be forgiven, to be restored and to do the right thing in the next opportunity. For this reason, Jesus Christ gives us a new chance every morning to choose to do good, making progress in following Him. The prophet Jeremiah says in Lamentations 3:22:
“Through the Lord’s mercies, we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.” (NKJV)
Breaking the Circle
Even though we acknowledge this truth, we still find ourselves living in the same cycles, just as Paul did. It would be better to stop for a while and do something unexpected, as Mary did to Jesus in the city of Bethany, to break the circle of hit and miss (Mark 14:3-9).
Mary purchased the most expensive oil in a beautiful alabaster jar. She ran towards Jesus, broke the jar and poured the oil on His head. Kneeling down while kissing his feet, she cried without a single word and used her hair to gently dry His feet.
Perhaps she was done with the sinful circles of her life, then she found in Jesus everything she needed to break all of them at once. Mary stopped every effort she was making and just gave everything to Jesus in complete worship mode. There was nothing left, neither words. Only surrender.
Jesus was there receiving her dependence on Him and honouring her before the ones who were there to judge her attitude. I imagine when she finished her worship, she was full of joy and prepared to live a new life, not based on her attempts but through Jesus’ goodness and mercy, expressed by His sweet and lovely vision at the moment she gave Him her everything, represented by the alabaster jar.
Our Alabaster Jar
It’s no different for us today. The key to breaking our own cycle of mistakes and guilt is to stop relying on our own efforts. We must come before Jesus and, with a heart of complete surrender, break our lives open like Mary’s alabaster jar.
We can pour out all that is within us at His feet, whether it’s our deepest struggles or our silent tears of worship. In this act of giving our all to Him, we discover the truth of the words of the Lord Jesus himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ He takes joy in restoring us and giving us a new life – one full of joy and hope that we could never earn on our own, but which is freely given to those who give their all to Him.
If you want to worship God with us, subscribe to our YouTube channel and support our Ministry by getting some inspired resources from our shop. Fill up your alabaster jar and surrender an overflowing act of worship before Jesus today!
