Broken and Poured Out

Broken and Poured Out
Words of Faith 3-18-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 14
[3] 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.

During the dinner at Bethany, an unusual thing happened. In the midst of the dinner and testimonies, a woman came to where Jesus was reclining, broke open a jar of costly perfume, and poured all the contents on His head.
It was customary in the time of Jesus to anoint the head of an important guest with a drop of oil or even perfume, but this woman's action was extreme. The perfume was an oil from a root, probably imported from India or South Arabia. It was worth a year of a common laborer's wages. In terms of our own economy, that would be well over $16,000. The perfume was typically a family heirloom passed from mother to daughter as part of a dowry and represented a significant status symbol. Its fragrance was preserved by sealing it in alabaster.
I have often wondered what went through the mind of this woman. "Shall I put a drop of perfume on his head as I would a normal guest? No. Perhaps I should put two drops on his head as twice the normal guest? No. A bit more? No..."
Perhaps she reflected upon His ministry these short years. Had Jesus ever held anything back from anyone? Was there any price that Jesus was not willing to pay? In fact, Jesus had often worked Himself to the point of exhaustion, healing the sick and giving ministry to the hurting.
Perhaps she even reflected on some of the testimonies in that room. Simon "the Leper" could now be called Simon the "former Leper." Lazarus, who had been dead for four days, was raised to life. What would be the appropriate symbol of gratitude to a person such as Jesus? How does one express thanksgiving? Honor? There was no other answer.
Really, the only answer was the one that she came to. The only appropriate response to the presence of Jesus was to break the entire jar of the most valuable essence and pour it out as a blessing, never to be given to anyone else.
As we honor Jesus, we might ask ourselves if we have been wastefully extreme or are usually "properly prudent."Have you ever honored Jesus in a way that others would not understand? Have you ever done something or given something that could only be understood in the context of His love-- the fact that He poured Himself out completely, so I will pour out a sacrifice of love for Him?

The truth is that we tend to give drops of blessing to Jesus rather than broken vessels poured out. It is easy to find ourselves carefully calculating a tithe to the penny or prudently scrutinizing a special offering. We may wisely prepare a will that judiciously divides resources among deserving parties and then thoughtfully includes a portion of the Lord's work. Day to day, we are careful to give some time to the Lord out of our busy schedules. We must be careful to guard our energy and restrict involvement. But aren't you glad that Jesus did not do the same?
Aren't you glad that Jesus was not stingy with His blood? He did not "tithe" toward our salvation. Aren't you glad that Jesus was generous with His inheritance? Aren't you glad that Jesus did not limit His involvement? Aren't you happy that Jesus held nothing back? She was. Something to think about.

Lord, I thank You for Your unrestrained love poured out for me. Teach me to love as You love. Teach me to give as You give. Teach me to serve as You served. Teach me to pour out in gratitude all that I have for Your sake. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.