One woman's gift...

John 12. The woman with the alabaster jar.

Each of the Gospels records a similar story. A woman with a jar of expensive perfume. Lavishing it on Jesus. Rebuked by those around her. The accounts in Matthew, Mark and John are of the same incident but the event that Luke relays is of a different woman, different point in Christ’s ministry, different response from the crowd.

But both convey to us an act of immense love and profound worship.

Let’s look at both events and see what we can see..

One woman (the one in Luke 7:36-50) is a “sinner”, likely a prostitute. The encounter takes place early in Jesus’s ministry and is at the home of a Pharisee. She is silently condemned by the religious leader as being unworthy to perform such an act. He thought his condemnation was private, but Jesus knew! And Jesus rebuked him for a lack of love and praised the woman for her lavish display.

The other three Gospels all tell of Mary, the sister of Lazarus, who also anointed Jesus with “costly perfume of pure nard”. She was rebuked by the disciples (primarily Judas) who condemned her as wasteful. They thought the perfume should have been sold and used to care for the poor. Jesus, however, commends her greatly - her use of nard was evidence of her faith because nard was an ointment used when preparing a body for burial. Mary knew that Jesus was headed to the cross…and why…and Jesus gives her high praise for “getting it”. Even His disciples didn’t demonstrate this level of belief!

The watching world saw one woman as worthless. The other woman as wasteful. But Jesus. Jesus declared both actions as worship.

What can you glean from this? I’d love to hear from you as you process these two acts of love.

Don't Quit

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised” Hebrews 10:36.
We need endurance all the time. We need it in times of pain and difficulty, so as not to give up. We need it in times of temptation, so that we won’t give in. We need it when we are weary of the battle and no sign of victory is in sight. We need endurance in prayer when the answers are not coming…and when the answer comes and it is “no”. We need it when the attacks of the Enemy are so very real and frightening that we feel defeat is inevitable. We need it when we feel that no one notices – or cares – about our battles and our pain. And we need it in times of prosperity so that we won’t give away our faith and find our pleasure in that which will not satisfy truly. We need endurance, that consistent satisfaction in knowing Christ and making Him known, all the time.
How can we endure to the end, how can we persevere throughout the valleys and mountains of life? Probably lots of things are helpful but I want to focus on a couple today -

1. Absolute confidence in the love and sovereignty of God
Knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt, regardless of what goes on all around me, that God is simultaneously 100% love and 100% sovereign is a great faith-builder in my life. Without this confidence, I am tempted to fear or dismay or even bitterness when things seem to not be going “according to plan”. With this certain assurance, I am able to trust that whatever things seem like is not what is important. Instead, I am relying on God’s sovereign love to work all things for His glory and my good. That helps me persevere, waiting to receive what has been promised.
2. Consistent times with the Lord, on a daily basis
I can know all the right things, believe all the right Truth, but without a steady, regular commitment to times of prayer and Bible study, I will inevitably stumble and fall away. Consistent time with the Lord strengthen our souls. Read Romans 15:4 and see what how it exhorts us:

Daily handling of the Sword of the Spirit makes us better warriors. Read Ephesians 5:16-19 and see how this urges us towards perseverance.
Finally, read Romans 10:17 and see what builds our faith.

Living Stones

There are some folks with whom I meet, regularly and intentionally, to encourage one another in our pursuit to become more like Jesus.  The church body that I call home, a small group of women, a group of married couples, and some close friends that know me (and still love me!) all are part of God’s blessed design to strengthen my faith, mold me into Christlikeness, and overall to enjoy following Him together. One of the groups I belong to was reading an assigned passage together and it struck me in a fresh way.  Ephesians 2:19-22 says ”So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,  built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,  in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

You’ve probably read those verses hundreds of times, as I have, but one little phrase stood out to me. “Being fitted together”.  What does it mean to be fitted together?

The phrase conveys the meaning of smoothing out an edge here, rubbing off an edge there, so that two pieces can be joined in construction, dovetailed, coordinated, harmonized.  “Fitted together” is different from “piled up together” or even “seated together”. It implies change, adjustments, connections, contributions, modifications. All done in order to accomplish an intended design.

Since I Peter 2:5 calls us “living stones”, it is helpful to include that as we apply this verse.  Think of an accumulation of stones, piled upon the Rock, Jesus Christ our Cornerstone. Being randomly stacked together is much like the folks I see on my regular trips to Kroger, especially Stephanie, my favorite checkout clerk. We smile and chat and are glad to see one another but there is nothing required to “fit together”. Sort of like Christians visiting around churches but never settling on one.

Or we can be closely aligned (but still not “fitted together”). Such as the great group of folks I do step class with at St Marys Wellness Center.  They are my friends, my workout buddies, and absolutely precious people.  We are even all pretty committed to our wellness routines!  But not “fitted together”. The most required of us amongst ourselves is to arrange our step benches so that we all can fit. Kind of like regular attenders at church….no real commitment or change required.

So what does it mean to be “living stones”,  “fitted together”, as the apostles Peter and Paul exhort us? First, we cannot skip over Christ as our Cornerstone.  This “stone which the builders rejected” is of primary importance. He is our foundation (holds us secure) , blueprint (for the dwelling place of God), and our purpose(to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God). Without Him, we are just meaningless rocks – not living stones!

Not only are we built upon Christ, He also intends for us to be “fitted together” with one another. This means we have been designed to not be a solitary rock, nor piled up randomly,  nor even to lie close beside other living stones.  Rather we are to be customized in order to be a useful piece in the overall structure. Beginning with our original motif (our gifts and talents), we progress through shaping and sharpening(sanctification) so that we mesh perfectly with other living stones for the sake of becoming a beautiful and beneficial display of the glory of God. “Fitted together” means we must be in committed community with other “living stones”. Not just enjoying church, not only regularly attending, not even only being a church member. Instead, it is being committed to a local group of believers with whom we can learn and grow and serve and change …”fitted together”.

This is how we are able to display to the world the essence of who God is, edify other believers, and become conformed to the image of The Cornerstone, Jesus Christ. I hope you will commit yourself to be “fitted together” for Him.