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Session 3: The Oil of Surrender
Based on Luke 7:36–50
I. The Uninvited Worshiper
A Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner, but the most unexpected guest was the woman who entered uninvited.
She carried an alabaster jar of perfume, a vessel usually sealed until the moment of deepest significance.
Her presence broke every social rule, yet she came anyway.
“A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house.
She came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.” (Luke 7:37)
She approached Jesus not as a polished vessel but as a broken one.
Her tears fell freely.
Her worship was unrestrained.
Her surrender was complete.
Henri Nouwen wrote,
“The place where your wounds are is the place where God can most reveal His love.”
She brought her wounds and her worship in the same jar.
II. The Breaking of the Jar
In ancient culture, alabaster jars were expensive and sealed.
To pour the perfume, the neck of the vessel had to be broken.
There was no turning back once it cracked.
No saving some for later.
The woman did not hold anything in reserve.
She broke the jar, poured out the perfume, and let her heart spill out with it.
“She stood behind Him at His feet weeping.
She began to wet His feet with her tears, then wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them.” (Luke 7:38)
Her surrender was not dignified.
It was devastatingly honest.
Thomas Merton wrote,
“The deepest spiritual life begins where we stop hiding our wounds and allow ourselves to be seen as we are before God.”
The alabaster jar had to break so that the fragrance could fill the room.
So it is with us.
III. The Criticism of the Proud
The Pharisee saw her worship and judged her heart.
He measured her past but missed her transformation.
He saw her mistakes but missed her devotion.
“If this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is.” (Luke 7:39)
Pride is always threatened by surrender.
Those who trust in their own strength will never understand the worship that flows from brokenness.
Dallas Willard wrote,
“Spiritual transformation is impossible without surrender.
We cannot cling to our reputation and receive the life of Christ at the same time.”
The woman had already given up her reputation.
Only Jesus’ opinion mattered now.
IV. The Forgiveness That Flows
Jesus saw her differently.
He received her tears, her touch, her perfume, and her heart.
He accepted what others rejected.
He honored what others despised.
“Her many sins have been forgiven, as her great love has shown.” (Luke 7:47)
Forgiveness became the fragrance.
Grace became the oil.
Love became the evidence of a life made new.
Henri Nouwen wrote,
“The greatest gift of the spiritual life is the gift of forgiveness.
It restores what has been broken and creates something entirely new.”
Her worship was not the cause of her forgiveness.
It was the overflow of it.
V. The Invitation
The story of the alabaster jar teaches that surrender is not loss.
It is release.
It is the breaking that makes room for fragrance.
It is the moment when the vessel gives way so that the oil within can fill the house.
Jesus said to her,
“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” (Luke 7:50)
The peace that follows surrender is unlike any other.
It flows from being seen completely and loved completely.
Living the Oil of Surrender This Week
-
Bring your jar.
Bring one hidden hurt or longing to Jesus in prayer.
Hold nothing back. -
Let something break.
Release one burden, expectation, or fear you have been holding tightly.
Pray quietly:
“Lord, I break this open before You.” -
Worship honestly.
Choose one time this week to worship without restraint, not polished but honest. -
Resist the voice of pride.
When judgment rises, remember that Jesus honors the broken and welcomes the humble. -
Receive peace.
“Lord, let the fragrance of surrender fill my heart.
Make Your forgiveness my freedom,
and Your love my peace.”
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