5 lessons from the woman with the alabaster jar

 

⁠Do you feel like you don’t measure up to being a God girl or feel like you love Him the wrong way? Maybe you feel insecure about your brief prayers and stiff dancing versus the marathon of bone-breaking praise offered to the Lord by others. Or perhaps you question the ability of your modest efforts to adequately ascend the skies and grab His attention?  If you answered yes to any of these; you are not alone. I have been there and sometimes I live there, but today I would like to share how I found my way through.

My journey to realization

⁠I recently packed into a new apartment and a week had barely gone by before I heard my neighbor praying out loud for what seemed like the entire night. I noticed early on that this was a ritual of his.
A ritual that took the sleep from my eyes and replaced it with
doubts about my love for God or at the very least its genuineness because I definitely do not pray or shout this long or loud. I turned to the Bible as a response to the insecurity, the insecurity that came about from weeks of frequently comparing myself and my love for God to my neighbors. I sought reassurance from Ephesians 2: 10 and Romans 8: 28 on who I am. You see, these scriptures were my go-to in times of indecision, but no matter what I read it didn’t seem to solve my crisis. The first breakthrough came when I decided to approach the problem differently. Instead of asking what the Bible says about me, I asked a different question; how does God handle people who display insecurities? Luke 7:36-50.

The prostitute and pharisee with Jesus.

⁠It is ironic how the story of an anonymous prostitute brought me peace of heart at the time I was struggling with my identity in Christ. The verses describe an unnamed woman who heard about Jesus having dinner at Simon’s home. She enters the home and proceeds to anoint Jesus’ feet with alabaster oil as well as her tears, wiping them with her hair. The host deems her undeserving of Jesus’ attention because what he sees is a sinner.

In this story, the prostitute didn’t have the house or the food to offer Jesus, she was a sinner with a reputation to match but was unconcerned about it. She paid no attention to what others would say or think of her actions. All that was on her mind was what she had to offer and the manner of her offering – she walked in, focused on worshiping and honoring Jesus.

Lessons learned

Feelings of insecurity and inferiority can come about from paying undue attention to others.

⁠Her attitude was a profound lesson in the situation I found myself in. Here is a lady without a name, a prostitute. It would be safe to assume that wherever she went, whispers followed but yet she remained focused on her mission. In her mind, it was Simon’s roof and a hot meal versus her alabaster box. She was only watching Jesus and had no attention to spare on such vain comparisons. If she had placed her own offering or method of love side by side with others she would not have been moved to act. This is funny because the more I pay attention and compare my worship with my neighbor the more it takes away from my other facets of praise. ⁠ This woman reminded me that I only serve one person, it doesn’t matter what the world says or who else is in the room. In the place of worship, I focus on Jesus, not on myself or on others. God searches the heart. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, I am reminded that we are all running our race not competing with anyone for the great prize ahead 

The attitude of our heart makes us a worshiper or worrier 

⁠In the story, Simon got distracted and missed the chance to play host to God in his own home worrying about what the prostitute was doing. 

The brokenness of the heart is a good seed for righteousness and love.

I have realized that pain and tears are marks that accompany genuine repentance. For the woman, this implies that one, she knows how much of a sinner she is, and two, she is aware that ONLY Jesus can set her free. Worship is incomplete without the knowledge and appreciation of whom you are worshiping. Simon knew it was Jesus but only the prostitute appreciated it 

Offerings to God is a stylish testament of our love

Your stylish love for God can be unrestrained praise, a grand bottle of perfume, or even hosting Jesus for dinner. Before you say that we cannot physically host Him, remember that Jesus has told us to feed the poor…. It can be anything but what is more important is doing it all in honor of Jesus. This story gives me a picture of what a heart of worship looks like, it is not a show, there are no stage lights and no audience to impress. It is simply my heart that seeks to honor Jesus. 

How Jesus will respond to our love toward Him is all that matters
Who else should we look up to if not the one who can guarantee forgiveness and eternal life.  When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, there is nothing He cannot do. The woman’s action was pleasing to God and that granted her mercy. Simon had decided who deserved his attention and how they can be honored, yet was surprised and shocked when Jesus allowed a prostitute to touch Him. So now, before I wrap myself in the cloak of social respectability or close my mind off to others, I will always remember how Jesus handled Simon.

 44Then turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house [but you failed to extend to Me the usual courtesies shown to a guest]; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair [demonstrating her love]. 45 You gave Me no [welcoming] kiss, but from the moment I came in, she has not ceased to kiss My feet. 46 You did not [even] anoint My head with [ordinary] oil, but she has anointed My feet with [costly and rare] perfume. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”  Luke 7:44-48. What we hear God says is actually more important than what we think

Conclusion

⁠The worth of God can only be manifested to us when we see Him the way He is, the prostitute and Simon the Pharisee were both in the company of Jesus and both went in different directions with their expressions of love. Simon was hospitable and normally when you invite someone for dinner you want to spend time getting to know them, right?

My admonition to you is this; like the prostitute, don’t consider yourself unworthy to be in Jesus’s presence but consider yourself honored to fall at his feet in worship. Sometimes the best worship can be in silence. The worship of this woman was without a word, this is for the benefit of those who insist they cannot worship in public.

What do you have to offer? 

What is your alabaster jar? 

What is your stylish love?