TWW-Broken Pot

The Wired Word for the Week of September 18, 2024

Preschooler Who Accidentally Broke Precious Pot Invited Back to Museum to See It Restored

In the News

On August 23, the Geller family, from a village in northern Israel, entered the Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum of the University of Haifa, hoping for a brief respite from the sounds of 10 months of attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon, connected to the Hamas-Israeli war in Gaza.

The family of five had barely begun touring the facility when Anna, the mother, heard a crash, and turned to see her 4-year-old son Ariel standing over pieces of a rare 3,500-year-old clay jar. Embarrassed, Anna scooped up her son to take him outside, calm him down, and discuss what had happened.

The Bronze Age pot, which predates the reigns of King David and his son Solomon over Israel and Judah, had been on display near the entrance of the museum without protective barriers for 35 years. When it was first discovered during excavations in Samaria, researchers heralded it as an "impressive" find because it is rare to find a container that large and still intact from that period. It was probably used to hold wine or oil.

Ariel's father, Alex, said his son -- the youngest of his three children -- is very curious, and "pulled the jar slightly" because he wanted to see what was inside. That's when the accident happened.

Alex sought out the security guards to offer to pay for the damage, hoping that the jar was a model and not a real artifact. The couple was mortified to learn the pot's true value.

"But they called and said it was insured," Alex said. "After they checked the cameras and saw it wasn't vandalism, they invited us back for a make-up visit."

The Hecht Museum's policy is to allow visitors to explore history without obtrusive obstructions as much as possible, so that the public can be almost as near to the artifacts as the people who handled them in ancient times. Inbar Rivlin, the director of the museum, said that tradition would continue, despite the incident.

"The museum is not a mausoleum but a living place, open to families (and) accessible," Rivlin said. "We are appealing to parents: Don't be afraid. Things like this happen. We will fix (the jar) and put it back."

The Geller family returned to the museum for a special tour, to learn how artifacts are restored, using 3D technology and high-resolution videos. Ariel was able to try his hand at gluing pieces of a model clay jar back together.

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Judges 7:16-17, 19-20 (For context, read Judges 7:15-23.)

The chapter describes a brilliant and surprising military tactic Gideon used to lead his tiny army to victory over the powerful Midianites. It's important to note that Gideon began with 32,000 troops, but God had him winnow that number down until he was left with only 300 soldiers, a ludicrous number to go against an army of 135,000 (Judges 8:10)!

The sound of the blaring trumpets and smashing jars, combined with the sudden appearance of the torches surrounding the Midianite camp, caused such confusion and alarm that the Midianites turned on each other, while Gideon and his cohorts stood and watched. Then Gideon called out the rest of his men, who pursued the fleeing Midianites.

Questions: What is the meaning of the way God delivered the enemy into Gideon's hand?

How might the empty jars, with torches inside, have been a metaphor for Gideon and his troops?

What is the significance of the shattering of the jars in the conduct of the military operation?

How might the jars serve as a metaphor for us in our own spiritual battles?

Jeremiah 18:3-6 (For context, read Jeremiah 18:1-11.)

God invited Jeremiah to visit the potter's house. There the prophet saw a powerful visual of the relationship of the Maker with the people the Maker had created. While the passage speaks to the nation of Israel in this case, the underlying principle applies to every individual creature and nation: The Creator has the right, the power and the authority to do whatever He wishes to do with His creation, just as a potter can work with clay in whatever way seems best to him.

Questions: Why might people rebel against God's work in their lives at times?

Where do you see evidence of "spoilage" in the creation God has made?

Where do you see signs of God "reworking" aspects of that spoiled creation "into another vessel," and what does that vessel look like?

What is the significance of the phrase, "he reworked [the spoiled clay vessel] into another vessel, as seemed good to him"? What does it reveal about God's purposes for us?

Mark 14:3 (For context, read Mark 14:3-9.)

2 Corinthians 2:14-15 (For context, read 2 Corinthians 2:14-16.)

The incident in Mark, which is mentioned in each of the other gospels as well, concerns a woman who breaks open a jar of very expensive, fragrant ointment, worth more than 300 denarii (v. 5). According to BibleRef, 300 denarii represented about a year's income, or enough money to feed at least 7,500 people. Some of the observers reprimanded the woman, saying the ointment could have been sold to benefit the poor. But Jesus stood up for the woman for the kindness she showed to him in advance of his coming death and burial (vv. 6-9).

Paul likens the experience of knowing Christ to a fragrance that spreads through His followers, who are the aroma of Christ wherever they go in the world.

Questions: What is the significance of the fact that the woman didn't give an unopened jar of ointment to Jesus, but instead broke the seal and poured the whole jar on His head?

How long do you suppose the fragrance of the perfume lasted?

How do you suppose the fragrance served to announce Jesus' presence long before and long after He came into view? How do people acquire, no, become, the aroma of Christ? And how might the fragrance of Christ in us minister to "those who are being saved and ... those who are perishing"?

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (For context, read 2 Corinthians 4:1-11.)

In this passage, Paul compares followers of Jesus to ordinary clay jars, within which can be found the treasure of the light of knowing the glory of God in the face of Christ. In his earlier letter to the church at Corinth, Paul had emphasized that God had not called many who were wise, powerful or of noble birth, but chose the foolish, weak, low and despised in the world, so that no one might boast in God's presence, but rather that anyone who boasts would boast in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

Just as the little boy at the Israeli museum wanted to know what was inside the ancient earthen vessel he broke, people might become curious about what accounts for the hope, courage, confidence, peace and love when they see such qualities emanating from the life of a Christian.

Questions: What is the nature of the treasure of which Paul speaks, and how can we be filled with this treasure?

What are we supposed to do with it?

The Big Questions

1. What are some factors that might contribute to brokenness in a person's life? In a family? In a community or nation? In a church?

2. What are some examples of brokenness in the Bible?

3. Why might an experience of brokenness sometimes lead to a downward spiral into despair? What should we do when we feel broken in spirit?

4. How might God use and transform brokenness into something beautiful and full of grace?

5. As followers of Christ, how can we be agents of spiritual restoration for broken people, relationships and communities?

For Further Discussion

1. As he reflected on the news about the child who broke the ancient pottery, Rabbi Joshua Hammerman wrote this in Time for a Cease-fire in the Childhood Culture Wars:

"Given the tensions that exist in Israel right now and given the priceless value of these ancient artifacts to the Israeli psyche, one might have expected the wrath of God to come down on [the boy who broke the ancient artifact] -- or at least no ice cream for dessert that night?

Instead, the boy and his family were given a free tour of the museum. ...

"I'm not sure I'd have been able to show such restraint, until I took a moment to realize what this child has been through for the past year -- he and all Israeli and Palestinian children.

... the shattered psyches of these children will be much harder to glue together than that relic from eons ago."

Rabbi Hammerman said he found the Hecht Museum's approach to this incident "uplifting" since it prioritized a child's welfare over a valuable ancient object. How might this kind of response be applied to the war in the Middle East?

2. Kintsugi, or kintsukuroi, is the Japanese art of repairing pottery with gold, silver or platinum lacquer, which emphasizes rather than hides flaws, giving the impression that brokenness is part of the object's history and adds to its beauty. How might this technique be a useful metaphor for the way God views and handles brokenness in our lives?

3. There is an Indian tale about a woman who fetched two jars of water from a well for her family every day. The jars hung from either end of a wooden pole, which she balanced on her shoulders.

One of the jars had seen better days. It had a few small cracks, through which half of its water was lost every time the woman made her journey. The other jar was new and in good condition, so it held all its contents until the woman returned home. The new jar mercilessly mocked the cracked jar for its flaws, while boasting of its own perfection.

One day, the cracked jar couldn't take it any more, and tearfully addressed the woman: "I am so sorry that I have made your life so difficult because of my limitations. Every day you work so hard, but because of me, you have lost precious water your children needed at home."

The woman responded, "Tell me what you see along the path as we return to our village."

So the cracked jar focused attention on the pathway as they walked along, and noticed many flowers and vegetables growing on its side, while the other side of the path was barren.

"What does this mean?" the cracked jar asked the woman.

"I knew about your cracks," the woman said, "and put them to good use. I planted seeds on your side of the path, which you watered every day, providing flowers to beautify my home, and food for us to eat. We have been immeasurably blessed because of your cracks." How might God use your areas of brokenness to bless others?

4. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen wrote, "Broken things are precious. We eat broken bread because we share in the depth of our Lord and His broken life. Broken flowers give perfume. Broken incense is used in adoration. A broken ship saved Paul and many other passengers on their way to Rome. Sometimes the only way the good Lord can get into some hearts is to break them."

Match broken things in the first column with things in the second column that can be created using those broken things.

Column 1 Column 2

Cracked grain Wine

Broken soil Mosaics

Fragments of porcelain china Crops

Crushed stones Bread

Tiles Plants

Bits of colored glass Jewelry

Crushed grapes Pavement

Broken seeds Stained glass windows

What encouragement might these word pictures offer us when we feel broken?

5. "Being broken is what makes us human," writes Bryan Stevenson, founder of Equal Justice Initiative, in Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. "Sometimes we're fractured by the choices we make; sometimes we're shattered by things we would never have chosen. But our brokenness is also the source of our common humanity ... "Our shared vulnerability and imperfection nurtures and sustains our capacity for compassion. We have a choice. We can embrace our humanness, which means embracing our broken natures and the compassion that remains our best hope for healing. Or we can deny our brokenness, forswear compassion, and, as a result, deny our humanity."

What is the relationship of brokenness and humanity?

Why might we resist embracing our humanness and our brokenness?

What happens when we do so?

Responding to the News

You may wish to pray and meditate on God the Potter who has the power to change lives, using this worship song:"Change My Heart Oh God" by Eddie Espinosa (Video 3:14), or on Christ's willingness to experience our brokenness, to bring us healing and new life, using this selection: "Broken and Spilled Out" by Gloria Gaither (Lyrics and Video 5:00).

Prayer Suggested by Isaiah 64:8; Psalm 31:12; Psalm 34:18; Psalm 51:17; Isaiah 61:1; Psalm 147:3; Jeremiah 17:14 (MSG); Isaiah 53:5

O Lord, you are our Maker; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Sometimes we are broken, like a piece of pottery that has fallen and shattered, and we can't put ourselves back together. But you are near to the brokenhearted and save the crushed in spirit. We offer up to you our broken and contrite hearts, asking you to pick up the pieces and put us back together again. Heal us, so that we may go out into the world to bind up the wounds of others who are broken. In the name of the Christ, by whose wounds we are healed. Amen.