Matthew 26

This is a long chapter so I may have to come back to it and write about it some more, but I am fascinated by one point that I've never noticed before. The story of the woman at Bethany and the story of the Last Supper draw the same picture to me that calls me to a deeper understanding of the life He has called us to.

The woman pours out an entire jar full of valuable precious sweet-smelling perfume. The Bible talks a lot about us being jars. And here is the first picture. We are called to live like this woman. Not hoarding what's inside of us for some future use. Not saving up for tomorrow. But completely poured out. Nothing held in reserve. Everything that I am, everything that He Himself has stored inside of me, I am compelled to pour it all out. Every last drop. Waste my life lavishly spent on worshiping Him.

And then again at the Last Supper. The broken bread and poured out wine was His object lesson that He has offered the same thing to us. He held nothing back. He poured his life out completely for me. To wash me. To refresh me. To forgive me. To anoint me. Broken for me. Poured out for me.

And He bids me to "do this" in remembrance of Him. Do what exactly? I've always read it to mean the bread and wine communion ritual. And I'm not saying that's not true. But I think that's only surface level. He is calling me to be poured out just like Him. To do that in His honor. To break the jar and let all of the perfume run out. We are to be this holy sacrament. If a foamy-tasting wafer made in a factory and grape juice from a jar can commemorate what He did for us, how much more can the way we live our lives? We can pour ourselves out as a concrete demonstration to the world like Jesus did at His last meal. But we can also pour ourselves out as an act of intimate worship like this woman in Bethany who prepared the Son of God for His death.

So that's how I want my jar to stay every moment of the rest of my life. Poured out.