Tuesday 9 July 2013

Smashed Alabaster: The Importance of Brokenness


Now one of the Pharisees was requesting [Jesus] to dine with him. And He entered the Pharisee’s house, and reclined at the table. And behold, there was a woman in the city who was an immoral woman; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet, and anointing them with perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is an immoral woman.”

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” “A certain moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” And those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”  (Luke 7:36-50)


God has been doing most of the talking in my life as of late. I have a billion things in my head, a billion things I want to try to say, but God said loud and clear to me - almost audible - "Chew with your mouth closed". So I've been thinking on some things. Chewing. Swallowing. Being nourished. Expelling some waste.

I've been thinking an awful lot about Smashed Alabaster. I've been thinking about how very attached I have been to the memory of that alabaster box that I broke years ago at Jesus' feet. Sentimental. I kept all the pieces of it - poured some cement, pressed them artfully into a nice round mold and made some stepping stones out of them.

I let go the fragrance.

Somewhere I started to have the idea that breaking the alabaster box was about the sacrifice, pouring out tears before my beloved Saviour God, spilling an offering precious and costly and impossible to retrieve. I thought it was about me, about dying to self, about how much I was willing to surrender, about How much do you really love Him?

God is not a narcissist.

So I am interrupting my blogging hiatus, because I really, really wanted to share a little of what I'm chewing on:


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