JARS OF CLAY

2 Corinthians 4:7

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

                One of my favorite images in the Bible is Paul’s reference to us as jars of clay. It is an image I can identify with. Paul’s image of a jar of clay tapped into the common life of the people he was writing to. Every household had several clay jars that they would use for carrying water, storing food, or storing other objects. The famous Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in clay jars hidden in a cave. We know that when invading armies came, many people would take their most valuable possessions, place them in a clay jar, and bury them in the ground, with the hope that they would be able to come back later and dig them up. Jesus used this concept in Matthew 13:44 to illustrate the Kingdom of God. "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” This is the same image Paul is using in this passage. The treasure that he is referring to is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. The treasure within our clay jars is the truth of the Gospel; our salvation and relationship with God through Christ.

                I want to go back to the clay jar. Clay jars are serviceable, but they are also slightly fragile. A clay jar can easily be broken. As I have been doing some self-examination lately, I have come to realize that my clay jar has more than a few chips and cracks. The obvious cracks are physical. I have far more aches and pains now than I used to. At our recent 125^th anniversary celebration several people told me that I have not changed, but I know that they are wrong. When I look back at pictures of myself, I can see the obvious physical changes that have taken place.

                What is not so obvious are the emotional chips and cracks. Over the past 35 years of ministry, I have accumulated quite a few. Every time a family leaves our church, for good reasons or bad, I feel it deeply. Every time I have to deal with a family in crisis, I feel another chip broken off. Every time a young person drifts away from the faith, I feel another crack forming. Every time I fail to fully live up to my commitment to Christ, I sense another crack forming. I can identify with Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 11:28-29. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? The longer I have served in the church, the more keenly I feel the weight and burden of it.

                Now here is the good news! The treasure that is within my jar of clay is stronger than the forces pressing against it. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. (2 Corinthians 4:7-10) As I look back over 35 years of ministry, I can honestly say that what Paul wrote is true in my life. There were many times when I thought my jar of clay was going to break into pieces. But Christ sustained me, even though I sustained a few more chips and cracks. He is the one who continues to hold me together.

                More and more, the thing that energizes me and keeps me going is an increasingly clearer vision of eternity. It is eternity that puts all of the struggles of life into perspective. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:19, If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. If there is nothing more than this life, then all of our struggles are for nothing. But the reality of eternity changes all of that. So Paul can say with confidence that all the chips and cracks are worth it. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

                We are all simple jars of clay. The decorations on the outside may be different. Some of us are decorated with elaborate patterns of line and color. Some of us are plain and simple. But under the surface, we are all simple jars of clay. Our strength does not come from the decorations on the outside, but from the treasure on the inside. As long as we are filled with the glory of Christ, the pressures of the world cannot overcome us.

1 John 4:4

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.