Jesus
did not say,
“He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,”
but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape
out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization.
His purpose is not the development of a person—His purpose is to make a person
exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure.
If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us
that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump
grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our
spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only
by what God pours through us—and we cannot measure that at all.
When
Mary of Bethany “broke the flask … of very costly oil … and poured it on
[Jesus’] head,” it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion;
in fact, “… there
were some who … said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ ” (Mark 14:3–4).
But Jesus commended Mary for her
extravagant act of devotion, and said, “…
wherever this gospel is preached … what this woman has done will also be told
as a memorial to her” (Mark 14:9). Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing
what Mary did—not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally
surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).
Are we prepared to pour out our
lives for Him? “He who believes in Me … out of his belly will flow rivers of living water”—and hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. Now is the time for us to break “the flask” of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?
