Chapter 8: The Broken Flask
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Who provideth for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat. Job 38, 41 Lord, your mercy blankets your creation. You hear the cry of all in need and provide generously for their needs. You provide for the ravens and all the birds of the air. You care for the most vulnerable young of every kind, the ones that need your protection most of all. Your goodness is on display in all of creation.

You attend to every detail, and your precision is exacting. Thank you for your patience as you teach me the truth of who you are in all your amazing glory and majesty. I am humbled before your greatness. If people could fathom the beauty of your majesty, they would lay prostrate before you. You are so much more than a church service and cannot be contained to a single perspective. You are not confined or limited in any way.

You're omnipresent and omniscient. You are the I am that I am. You are beyond time and space. You are the powerful energy that flowed through your son, Jesus, and raised the dead and healed the sick. Nothing is impossible for you. Nothing. I shall not fear, for you are my heavenly Father and will always be with me. In Jesus' name, amen.

Stay tuned to immerse yourself in the greatest stories ever told from Pray.com's podcast, Heroes in the Bible. Hi, I'm Dr. Tony Evans, and I'm excited for you to join me on Heroes in the Bible, Jesus. Please follow this podcast on Apple or Spotify to get the latest episodes so you can continue strengthening your relationship with Jesus.

Welcome to the greatest story ever told. It is a story of a shepherd's heart for his sheep, a father's love for his children, and a hero's triumph over death and darkness. This is a story that continues to shape and mold the world around us, bringing the divine heart of God right into the hearts of you and me. This episode introduces us to a person and a posture.

A person who is broken, distraught, and alone seeks Jesus for forgiveness. She positions herself low and at the feet of Jesus, offering him everything she has. The purity of her worship is meant to draw out the bitterness and pride lingering in the back of our souls. Her honest and raw weeping before the Lord is meant to melt our hardened hearts. As sinful as this woman is, I find myself jealous of her, envious of the passion she comes to Jesus with.

However, it shouldn't come as a surprise to us that the beauty of this moment is lost on the religious leaders. They seem unaffected and unmoved by this woman. This episode is shorter than many other episodes and focuses on a single and prevailing theme, repentance. Are you broken before God? Are you moved by Him and humbled by His righteousness? These questions are explored in this episode. We will begin first with a prelude.

We will be taken back to the time of Jonah, a prophet famous for his adventures in the belly of a beast in the middle of the sea. However, Jonah's story is not the lighthearted Sunday school story many paint it to be. Jonah's character arc is a tragedy. For all the Lord has shown him, his heart remains unmovable. He can't find it within himself to rejoice when sinners come to repentance.

May we never share the same fate as Jonah, trapped in a cage of our own pride. It is my prayer that this episode stirs your heart like fresh rain to a stagnant stream. I pray that whatever may be keeping you from falling at the feet of Jesus would wash away. May it be so as we listen to episode eight, The Broken Flask.

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Brought to you by State Farm. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prelude to Chapter 8. Jonah opened his eyes to the harsh sun above him. His skin was charred from hours in the light. The tide brushed up against his feet. His clothes smelled horrible. They had been ruined from the stomach acid of the giant fish. For three days, Jonah had dwelled in the belly of that beast. He was trapped in an underwater grave, unable to free himself.

He cried out to the Lord and repented. Apparently, he heard him. Jonah's heart was softened in the belly of the fish. In the dark abyss, he had a moment to reflect on what it truly meant to repent. The reason Jonah was captured in the first place was because he was running from God's will. The Lord had asked Jonah to preach repentance to Nineveh. However, Jonah held deep bitterness and prejudice against the people of Nineveh.

In his eyes, they were sinners, unworthy of a second chance. He hated the people of Nineveh. He thought they deserved the wrath of God. Because of this, Jonah fled from the reach of God. He thought that if he ventured away from God's will, he would give up on using Him. He was wrong. God sought Jonah out, and after three days of stewing in the belly of a fish, Jonah was standing in the presence of the king of Nineveh.

Jonah's heart was still hardened against the people of Nineveh. He warned them of the coming wrath, but he did so with very little passion or enthusiasm. However, the words of God were able to stretch further than the efforts of Jonah. The people of Nineveh took God's warning to heart. They reformed their laws, fasted, and dressed in sackcloth to showcase their broken hearts. Despite Jonah's hardened and self-righteous heart,

The people turned away from their sinful ways and pursued God. Jonah robbed himself of an opportunity to share in their joy. Instead, he sat in silence, waiting for Nineveh to slip and welcome punishment. However, the once sinful and corrupt people of Nineveh proved Jonah wrong. They repented, turned to God, and changed their lives.

Jonah was so consumed with his self-righteousness and judgment that he lost the heart of God. Eventually, God spoke to Jonah and reminded him of how precious the people of Nineveh are to him. However, the hearts of self-righteous people always revel in the downfall of others, and they are frustrated when people change for the better. Jonah's story ends with him stewing in bitterness. It ends with the rejection of God's heart.

At the end, Jonah was not remembered for his faith, but his refusal to love who God loved. Lucky for Nineveh, God was not like Jonah. God pursued the broken people even though their reputation was that of horror and compromise. The Lord saw past the sinful behaviors and saw the potential of the heart. This was the heart of God's chosen Messiah as well. He would be the greater Jonah.

He too would rise again on the third day. He would march forward, boldly empowering the sinners to repentance, not shaming them. God does not revel in other people's sins. God does not desire to punish the sinful. Because of God's deep and abiding love, He provided a way for even wicked people like Nineveh to repent. All who come to God are welcomed. However, not every person is the same.

There will always be some who desire to be morally superior, even if it means keeping others down. Chapter 8. The Broken Flask The home was warm and smelled of fresh bread and incense. The walls were arrayed with decadent tapestries, and on the tables were freshly plucked flowers from the nearby garden. Jesus reclined at the table with a cup in his hand, watching the religious leaders mingle amongst themselves.

These dinners were a common affair. Jesus was invited to parties like these often. They were filled with ambitious men who desired to be seen by one another. Jesus scanned the room. It was bustling with intense conversation regarding the law of Moses, temple hierarchy, and political oppression. Candles flickered all around the room as men swung their hands to emphasize arguments. Their words were laced with fine vocabulary and poetic prose.

yet they lacked any substance. There was no love or thought on the character of God, just empty noise. Every one of them was blissfully unaware of their own hypocrisy. Jesus scanned the room. He was personally invited by the host, Simon the Pharisee. However, he was not treated like much of a guest. When Jesus entered, no one greeted him. There was no anointing with oil, as was the custom, nor was there a place for him to wash his feet.

All these things that were offered to any other rabbi were withheld from Jesus. No doubt it was a subtle attempt to put him in his place. Jesus was not bothered by it. He lounged back and was attentive to everyone who approached him. Many Pharisees did not want to be seen talking with him. They abstained from looking at him for fear of being associated with him. Then there were others who wanted to be seen talking with him.

They wanted to intimidate him and show others they were not afraid to go head-to-head with Jesus in a battle of rhetoric. The dining room was noisy and filled with clanging pots and laughter, where the noise was swiftly interrupted and a sharp silence broke over the entire home. The silence was thick. The sound of plates and cups was replaced with the intense stares of everyone in the room.

Jesus looked up to see a woman enter from the corner of the room. Her head was down, but her identity was unmistakable. She was a woman of the night, a prostitute who worked in the city. The men in the room were completely silent, allowing their glares to do the talking for them. The woman held her head low. She wore a shawl over her to hide the gown she worked in.

She did not want to make a scene or cause a commotion. She only wanted to see Jesus. Jesus caught a glimpse of her face. She wore the countenance of someone who had been abused her entire life. Judging by the looks other men gave her, she was a notorious sinner in the city. She was equally enticing and revolting to the Pharisees. They looked at her as a compromising sinner worthy of judgment. They reveled in their superiority to her.

In a sick way, it almost seemed as though they enjoyed her sin because it made them look all the more holy. However, Jesus saw her as a bruised and forgotten child, someone who had been beaten down by the brutality of man and forced into a life she would have never chosen for herself. There was no doubt she was a sinner. However, this was the state of every person. She was a lost sheep,

who wandered back into the pasture calling out for her shepherd. The woman silently fell at Jesus' feet. She would not look at him in the eye. Her shame was like a cancer. She kept her head helpless, too contrite to look up to heaven. Tears dripped. She wept with a broken soul before Jesus. The candlelight bounced off her tears. Her face was like a cold and dejected diamond.

The drops fell onto Jesus' feet. The woman removed her head covering and began washing Jesus' feet. With her tears, the Pharisees began to stir. She was making them uncomfortable. They judged the woman for entering the home uninvited, but they judged Jesus more for allowing her to be seen with him. The men's eyes widened for a moment as her hand made its way towards the top of her dress. What she did was surprising to all in the room.

She pulled out an alabaster flask that hung around her neck. In that flask was precious and expensive ointment. It was a fragrant oil that each woman in the city had. It was her most valuable possession. For a woman her age, the ointment was supposed to be used for selling during hard times or given to a husband as a wedding gift. Her livelihood was in that flask. She took it in her hands.

and broke it on the ground beside Jesus' feet. The fragrance burst through the air like a fresh spring wind. The smell was intoxicating. The entire room stirred as they watched the woman take the oil and anoint Jesus' head. The woman spent all she had on Jesus. Her livelihood and security meant nothing compared to an opportunity to serve him. Jesus smiled, accepting her offer gladly.

She worshipped Him in the best way she knew how. She was humble before Him, being honest and broken like the flask itself. This woman, who had been used for her body her whole life, finally found purpose at the feet of Jesus. He did not come to take from her like every other man she knew, nor did He judge her like the other men in the room. Rather, He offered her love and forgiveness.

These things alone were enough to transform any sinner's heart. As these things were happening, Simon was in the corner of the room outside of earshot. He scoffed and shook his head, mumbling to himself, "If Jesus was a prophet like everyone says he is, he wouldn't be anywhere near this woman." No one heard him, or so he thought. Jesus' eyes darted forward towards the back of the room. He saw Simon leaning against the back wall.

He stood to his feet and looked directly at the Pharisee. Simon, may I say something? Jesus asked, breaking the silence. Although he had asked politely, there was authority in his question. It sent chills down Simon's spine. By all means. He gestured for Jesus to have the room's attention. However, Jesus was not in the mood to teach a sermon. Instead, he wanted to address Simon's heart.

and no doubt the heart of every other Pharisee in that room. They knew that Jesus was a gentle man, but they had also heard how he single-handedly cleared the temple with a whip. Jesus stepped forward. He scanned the room for a moment, looking at the Pharisees' faces.

He nodded to Simon and began to tell a parable. There once was a moneylender who had two debtors. One of them owed 500 and the other owed 50. Neither of them could pay, so the moneylender forgave them both and cancelled their debt. Jesus opened up his arms and asked a question. "Tell me, which one of those debtors will love the moneylender more?" Simon gave a fake grin, doing his best to feign confidence.

He shrugged. "The one who was forgiven more must be the one who loved the moneylender more, I suppose." Simon answered, "You are right, Simon." Jesus said. He went back to the woman and helped her to her feet. Jesus raised his voice for all to hear. He pointed to the woman and spoke to Simon, saying, "Do you see this woman, Simon? She has washed my feet and anointed my head with oil. When I entered your home, you gave me no water to wash my feet.

You gave me no oil for my head. You did not bother to even greet me at the door. This woman has shown me more honor in a single moment than you have this whole night." The other Pharisees looked at Jesus with trepidation. They had always feared Jesus' influence over people. However, now they were beginning to fear his influence over their own hearts as well. "Hear me, all of you!" Jesus shouted. "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven.

for she has loved more in this one gesture than any one of you could put together." He turned to the woman, held her head, and looked her in the eyes like a loving father. "Little one, your sins are forgiven." The woman beamed from ear to ear. Jesus then looked out at the woman. They grumbled, not believing he had the authority to forgive sins.

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shower, have breakfast, including some delicious Oscar Mayer bacon, and then drive to work and to think that the bacon would still be smoking. The point is, all of these take at least half a day to complete, and Oscar Mayer takes the best cuts and smokes them over real hardwood chips for a really long time until it tastes really good. So buy some Oscar Mayer thick-cut bacon now and enjoy.

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In everything you wear, wear Boston Proper. Sign up for VIP access and enjoy 20% off. Shop at bostonproper.com and wear it like no one else. The next day, Jesus was meeting with the sick and broken. The Pharisees were close by, keeping close watch from a distance and making commentary on every move he made. Their constant questioning was like gnats on a humid day.

Jesus was mending small ailments and praying over the children when he heard a scream come from the back of the crowd. Jesus rose to his feet to see a blind and mute man groaning and grunting on the floor. Dust churned up as he writhed in pain. There was no doubt the man was possessed by a demon. The crowd was stepping back in fear. However, Jesus moved forward. Each step towards the demon was deliberate.

The disciples watched as the demon itself seemed afraid of Jesus. Jesus could sense the fear and pain this man was enduring. Although the man was blind and mute, the demon was not. The demon saw Jesus and retreated at the sight of him. From the mouth of God a command poured out, "Get out of him!" Jesus commanded, and with that the demon was gone. The groaning ceased as the man lay motionless on the floor.

Jesus turned him on his back and touched his mouth and eyes. Then, in a moment of complete tenderness, the man opened his eyes like an angel. He saw Jesus silhouetted against the morning light. "Could this be the son of the Lord?" someone asked. The question made its way through the crowd and into the ears of the Pharisees. "He is the prince of demons!" the Pharisees shouted. "How else can he command demons with such confidence? He must be their ruler!"

Jesus helped the man to his feet and sent him on his way. He then turned to the Pharisees and said, "A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. If I cast out demons by the authority of demons, then what is the point? What you see here is by the Spirit of God." The Pharisees scoffed and dismissed him as was expected. However, Jesus would not let the point go unsaid. He continued saying to the whole crowd,

Whoever's not with me is against me and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Every sin, every sin will be forgiven if you ask. But hear me and listen. Whoever blasphemes and rejects the Holy Spirit, he will not be forgiven. Not in this age or the age to come. The crowd was disturbed. This was the first time they had heard Jesus say that something was beyond repentance. Teacher.

One of the Pharisees responded, "Show us a sign then. If you have such power and authority, why don't you prove yourself? Call down fire like Elijah or tame the wild like Elisha."

Jesus shook his head. Ah yes, another evil and adulterous generation asks God to prove himself. As if he is the one who needs your approval. Let me tell you the sign you should look for. Just as Jonah rotted in the belly of an underwater beast for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be deep within the belly of the earth three days and three nights before rising. Jesus paced.

He stroked his beard and posed a question. Isn't it interesting how those who had been condemned as wicked were the ones to repent at the end of that story? The image of Jonah being swallowed up by the fish for three days was yet another shadow of the gospel placed in Scripture. It was a foreshadowing of things to come and an image of Christ's ultimate defeat over the grave. He would descend into the belly of the earth and rise on the third day.

The crowds, the disciples, and the Pharisees did not understand. They soon would. As Jesus was speaking to the crowds, His mother, Mary, and His siblings stood outside. Mary had desired to see Jesus and perhaps pull Him away from preaching and healing to spend time with the family. Her intentions were pure. However, even Mary herself was still slightly ignorant to the true plans of God.

She asked the disciples if she could speak with him. However, when Jesus heard that his family was outside, he denied them. Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? Jesus asked. He stretched out his hands and gestured towards the disciples and said, These are my brothers and my mother. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. When they heard his response, they thought he was a madman.

James, the brother of Jesus, scoffed at him. He did not believe Jesus to be the Messiah. However, one day he would be binding himself to the name of the resurrected Christ. It was only a matter of time. Jesus' own family doubted him the second he didn't bend to their will. This would be the ultimate struggle of mankind. They would wrestle to bend God to their will. They would ask for him to perform a sign to gain their approval.

However, Jesus would not dance for anyone, even his own family. He would not stop the good work he was doing. This was not out of spite or disrespect for his mother. Rather, it was an example to the rest of his disciples. Jesus had come with a purpose to heal the broken, proclaim the truth of God's love, and guide people into repentance. His family had purposely stayed back,

content to watch from afar the good work he was doing. Jesus knew that there would come a time when mother would be turned against daughter, father against son, and brother against brother. Because of him, the truest family of a disciple was not through their shared blood, but the blood of Christ. The blood that bonds them would be shed soon. Soon, Jesus would march forward with his back ripped to shreds by whips.

His family would look upon him then. Sorry they ever doubted his power. Time is a luxury for us, especially if you're a mom. That's why we need a skincare routine that's easy, fast, and gives us results. Plus, one of your products had thousands of five-star reviews. Were natural and affordable? Well, say hello to Dime Beauty. Dime Beauty is clean, high-end skincare that is affordable. And it really works. Not sure where to start? I highly recommend the Work System.

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Are you ready to have your bacon loving mind blown?

Well, here it is. Oscar Mayer takes 12 hours to smoke some delicious thick-cut bacon. Most other bacon out there is smoked for four to six hours, but Oscar Mayer doubles that time. Let's put that into perspective. You could drive from Detroit to Omaha, and Oscar Mayer thick-cut bacon wouldn't be finished smoking. You could spend the morning and all afternoon watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy in full. You could even go to bed, get a full night's sleep, wake up, shower,

shower, have breakfast, including some delicious Oscar Mayer bacon, and then drive to work and to think that the bacon would still be smoking. The point is, all of these take at least half a day to complete, and Oscar Mayer takes the best cuts and smokes them over real hardwood chips for a really long time until it tastes really good. So buy some Oscar Mayer thick-cut bacon now and enjoy.

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In everything you wear, wear Boston Proper. Sign up for VIP access and enjoy 20% off. Shop at bostonproper.com and wear it like no one else. So what was your answer to the question Jesus posed in this episode? Jesus stepped forward. He scanned the room for a moment, looking at the Pharisees' faces. He nodded to Simon and began to tell a parable.

There was a moneylender who had two debtors. One of them owed 500 and the other owed 50. Neither of them could pay, so the moneylender forgave them both and canceled their debt. Jesus opened up his arms and asked a question. Tell me, which one of those debtors would love the moneylender more? Those who have been trapped in a cycle of pain, misfortune, and dysfunction know their need for a Savior.

They have experienced firsthand the destruction of their choices. They bear scars from the sins they have committed and the sins committed against them. So they run to Jesus without pride or inhibition. Only those who know they are broken reach out for repair. The woman in this episode seeks out Jesus and humbly falls at his feet. She pays him the respect none of the Pharisees did when he entered the room.

She went above and beyond, going so far as to break the flask of expensive oil over his head. She had sinned greatly and was greatly forgiven. Her love for Jesus was deeper because she understood the depths of her sins. She was like the debtor who was forgiven more and therefore loved more. The Pharisees, however, weren't as moved as we were during the scene. They judged her for her sins and they judged Jesus for being with her.

I feel sorry for them. They were robbed of a moving moment because they were too steeped in their own pride. This is how it was for Jonah in the prelude. After all he had been through, he still had prejudice against the Ninevites. He couldn't appreciate the fact that an entire nation was repenting of their sins because he was too trapped in his own pride. Self-righteousness robs us of joy. Specifically, it robs us of the joy that comes from witnessing people grow and repent.

Jonah hated Nineveh for their wickedness, but his hatred kept them from celebrating their repentance. It was the same thing for the Pharisees. They hated the woman for her sins, therefore robbing themselves of the joy that came from witnessing her repentance. When we hate someone, we want them to fail. When we find our own self-worth in feeling superior to others, we will be unable to rejoice when they grow.

Self-righteous people don't want to see sinners repent. They want them to stay sinners so they can stay on top. Jesus has the opposite attitude of the Pharisees. He loves everybody and rejoices when they repent of their sins. Our God is not an "I told you so" God. He does not lord our sins over us or shame us. He loves us, draws us out of our sin with gentleness, and accepts us gladly. The sooner we realize how broken and sinful we are, the sooner we can see Jesus' true goodness.

The Pharisees were blind, but a prostitute from the slums saw clearer than any of them. If you've ever struggled to fully love God like you know you should, it could possibly be because you haven't yet seen how lost you are without Him. Our comforts, our moral habits can keep us from seeing our need for Jesus. Take inventory of your life and see just how far you have fallen from the standards of God.

yet even still he loves you. Does that move you? It should. The story took an intense turn when Jesus was approached by the demoniac. This man, who was blind and mute, was possessed by a demon and tormented. Jesus, having compassion over the man, cast the demon out. These moments always remind me that Satan is not an equal match for Jesus.

Our God is in complete control, challenged by no one. The man's voice and sight were restored to him and he gazed upon the face of Jesus. This was another sweet moment that was ruined by the Pharisees. They interrupted and accused Jesus of commanding demons as a demon himself. Jesus pointed out the absurdity of their claims and pressed the issue more. They wanted some sort of sign to prove he was who he said he was. They were not content to see acts of kindness, forgiveness, and healing.

They wanted to see the sun blocked out or fire fall from heaven. Jesus wasn't there to entertain anybody. He told them that the only sign they needed was the sign of Jonah. That is why the story of Jonah was our prelude. The imagery of the fish is significant. Jonah being a prophet dwelt in a dark underwater tomb for three days.

Once the three days were complete, Jonah was spat out of the fish and a wicked nation was brought to repentance. This is an imagery of Jesus, who was in the grave for three days and rose again to redeem us. This was the only sign that mattered. All the miracles, spectacles people wanted to see are unimportant compared to the death and resurrection of Christ. The episode ends with an odd interaction between Jesus and his family.

They want to see him and draw him away from his ministry. No doubt they are used to having him around and wanted to be with him. However, Jesus refused. Was it anger or bitterness that led Jesus to refuse his family? Certainly not. Jesus was making a point. Our God is on a mission to gather people of different cultures, backgrounds, status, and ages into the family of God. He wants to unite people by the blood of Jesus.

Family ties, childhood friendships, and nationalities are all secondary to the bond we share in Jesus. You have more in common with a believer from the other side of the country than your own brother who doesn't profess a faith in Christ. In our next episode, the disciples' faith in Jesus will be tested.

They would be forced to brave a ferocious storm, wondering if Jesus even cared about them. If you have ever faced doubt, self-harm, anxiety, or fear in your life, our next episode will be for you. Join us for Episode 9, The Storm Within.

Thanks again for listening. For more inspiring stories, daily prayers, and wisdom to last a lifetime, go to Pray.com. And to expand your Heroes in the Bible journey, download the Heroes of the Faith devotional at TonyEvans.org forward slash heroes.

Follow the broadcast on Apple or Spotify to get the newest episodes right as they come out so you can strengthen your relationship with Jesus. God bless. When the time comes to plan your next big getaway, know we got a destination idea for you. Orlando. Just think about it. The thrills at their 15 world-class theme parks, followed by awesome outdoor adventures, amazing food festivals, and top-notch dining spots. Orlando has all that and much more than you'd expect.

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Tackle these situations in stride and of course be annoyed when an unplanned expense comes up, but not let it be something that slows me down. Right. As I did with repairing my credit, you know, hiring somebody to do credit repair for me. That was a gift that I gave myself that allowed me to then, you know, get my first apartment.

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