Welcome to Article 2 of the first book in the Hidden Heroes series.
Article 1 is a preview. Additional articles are available as they are published to PLM+ members. CLICK HERE for more information.
In this article:
Chapter 4: The Woman with the Alabaster Jar
Chapter 5: The Man with the Water Jar
Chapter 6: Malchus, The High Priest’s Servant
Chapter 4: The Woman with the Alabaster Jar
Anointing Jesus for Burial Before Anyone Understood
1. Opening Story: “What a Waste…”
Most of us have watched someone make a decision with their money or time and quietly thought, That’s a waste.
Maybe it was:
A large gift to a cause you’re not sure will last
A career choice that made no financial sense
Hours poured into a person who didn’t seem grateful
A big, lavish gesture on something that would be over in a moment
From the outside, we shake our heads.
“If they were going to give that away, there were better uses.”
“If they were going to spend that much time, it should have been on something more productive.”
“If they wanted to make a difference, there had to be a smarter way.”
We aren’t always wrong; sometimes we’re being wise stewards. But sometimes, if we’re honest, our “What a waste” is just a more respectable way of saying, “I don’t understand that kind of love.”
In Bethany, in the days just before the cross, a woman walks into a room where Jesus is eating. She is carrying an alabaster jar of perfume so valuable it represents a year’s wages. Without a speech, without asking permission, she breaks the neck of the jar and pours the perfume on Jesus.
The fragrance fills the house. The tension fills the room.
Some people are indignant. What a waste! Jesus says something entirely different:
“She has done a good work for me....”
(see Mark 14:6)
This hidden hero shows us what it looks like to give in a way that may never make sense to the practical critics in the room—but is deeply understood and cherished by Jesus.
