Worship From An Alabaster Flask Part 2

 We continue our journey of Worship from an Alabaster Flask with a Part 2 in which we take the account of St John Chapter 12:1-9. Like we said in the previous article Jesus was anointed with oil twice in his life, at the start of his ministry just after he chosen the 12 disciples. The second time he was anointed was at the end of his ministry in the house of Martha (it was Martha’s house) whose brother was raised from the dead Lazarus and it was just before Jesus was crucified.

It’s amazing how the same incident would happen in the life of our Lord and the most amazing thing about these two incidents is that the first anointing from the flask prepared Jesus into his ministry and the last time it prepared Jesus into his death. The worship of both these women met a need that was not seen or conceived by the human eye. I pray that God opens our eyes to understand the value and importance of what we do.

Martha and Mary were hosting Jesus and the disciples in their house in Bethany and at the table eating with them is Lazarus. Mary was a worshipper who had set his heart to seek God with all she had. Mary’s lifestyle of worship can be seen in her earlier encounters with Jesus.

The first time Martha hosted Jesus in her house Martha complained to Jesus because Mary was not helping her and Jesus’ reply in Luke 10:41-42 is “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her”. Mary set and listened when the Lord taught and the question is how many of us take time to sit at the feet of the Lord and learn what worship is all about. When was the last time you searched to learn about worship?

The second thing that shows us that Mary was an alabaster worship is seen in when Lazarus dies and they are mourning him in John 11: 11-45. The bible says as soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming she ran to meet him but Mary was seated at the house and it was only when Martha told Mary that Jesus was looking for her. Martha went to Jesus wailing and complaining to the Lord.

As soon as Mary heard that the Lord called for her she ran to him and the only thing she said when she saw him was “if you had been here my brother wouldn’t have died” and she started to cry. Martha complained and wailed before Jesus but what made Jesus to cry and ask to see the tomb. Mary was a worshipper whose heart was already broken for God and that is what prompted the Lord into crying and then resurrecting Lazarus.

 Now back to our story in John 12, Martha was busy serving food to the disciples and as usual Mary was sitting at the table listening. She took a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly oil. Spikenard was an ointment used for anointing people and it was worth 300 denarius at that time, it was costly a man yearly wage.

She came to Jesus and

·         Anointed the feet of Jesus:  she knew  that worship is don at the feet she could have anointed an part of the body but she anointed the feet because worship starts at the feet of Jesus

·         Wiped his feet with her hair: Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:15 states that “But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering” Mary worshipped because she had a revelation that the Lord was her covering though her hair was her beauty but she understood that her beauty and covering came from the Lord.

·         The house was filled with the odour of the ointment: Worship has an aroma, they are some people you meet you can tell they are worshippers just by the cloud, anointing and presence they walk with her worship filled the whole house. She walked with all these but it was when she let all of these at the feet of Jesus that her private worship became public and filled the house. What burst out of your life when your worship is exposed at the feet of the Lord

·         Judas Iscariot asked “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor” broken worship, exuberant worship and abandonment worship always connects with Heaven and when it does the devils kingdom feels it power. Judas only then initiated his plot to crucify Jesus after a Mary worshipped with everything she had.

Jesus said that “Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her”. Mark 14:1-10 KJV. Jesus said such words not by just by looking at this one incident but related to Mary’s life as a worshipper that caused he wasn’t just talking about one incident the Lord.

Let our worship come from deep within let our worship be give with everything within us. There is a void in every man a deep well that I have come to believe that when we connect with Christ he turns it into an alabaster flask. Let our worship come from deep within our lives and may it come from the alabaster flask within

 "Worship Him In The Beauty Of His Holiness"