I was reading in John 11 about when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. It says in the first few verses that his sister Mary was the one who later poured perfume on Jesus's feet. My team's name is in honor of this story – Alabaster. The thought that came to me while contrasting these stories was that although her brother had been raised from the dead people simply referred to her in the Gospel of Luke as a sinner.
Jesus told the story of a person who'd been forgiven a great debt and a person forgiven a small debt. The one forgiven the most loves the most. When a huge debt is forgiven what a person receives is a second chance, or a new life. When Mary saw her brother raised from the dead did she see an example- a living breathing example of what happens when we are forgiven?
Yesterday I was talking with a friend about the difference in cultures and how it shapes our perception of God and our Christian walk. In Africa because of the pervasiveness of witchcraft some Christians wake up during certain hours of the evening and the early morning to pray against demons every, single night. In the Philippines there is an open sexuality, homosexuality, and revealing clothing. These things are seen in the church as well. I wondered how culture influenced us. My friend said "We are consumers". We consume. We take, and take, and think of our interests. We leave nothing behind.
There's a huge difference between this consumer culture and God's love. A huge difference between this grasping and taking and the woman with the alabaster box. God gives His best extravagantly- we see this in Jesus, and in each fresh day given to us. Mary poured out her love freely, lavishly. I don't want to look like the culture. I want to look like Mary, I want to love like Jesus.
When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. Luke 8:36-38
