Treasure In Clay Jars

Big Idea: God's power is magnified through our frailties, showcasing His glory as we live out our faith amidst trials and limitations.

In the ancient world, clay pots were as common as modern plasticware.  They were used for most everyday tasks and when damaged were simply discarded.  In most homes, jars of clay made up the everyday dishes and storage containers.  In wealthy homes, you would also find dishes made of bronze, silver, and gold.  The everyday jars of clay are fragile, mostly unattractive, and relatively worthless.

Scripture often uses clay jars as a metaphor to describe the work God is doing in a person’s life.

Isaiah 64:8

But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

As Philippians 2:10 says, we are His workmanship.  We may not always understand and see the value or purpose in the direction our life takes, but He is the potter and we are the clay.  The value of a clay jar to God is that it is meant to be used.  It is not like a silver teapot that if used would tarnish and ruin the finish.  God’s way is to use plain ordinary jars and do a wonderful work with them that reveals His glory.

Our passage today is 2 Corinthians 4:7-15

7 Now we have this treasure in jars of clay [earthenware vessels], in order that the surpassing power will be from God and not from ourselves.  8 We are squeezed [afflicted] in every way but not squashed [crushed], perplexed but not despairing, 9 persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed, 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that also the life of Jesus is revealed in our body.  11 For we who live are continually handed over to death because of Jesus, in order that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal flesh.  12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. 

Pottery And Power (Verse 7)

7 Now we have this treasure in jars of clay, in order that the surpassing power will be from God and not from ourselves.

We are earthen vessels, jars of clay –

We are frail.  We bruise and break easily.  Our vessels are not permanent but wear out easily.  These earthenware vessel in which we dwell are mortal and fade away.

This was seen in Paul’s life. As he went from place to place sharing the gospel, he encountered many difficulties that often brought him near to brokenness and close to death.  But his circumstances, convictions, attitude, and resilience in the face of adversity reveal a great treasure within.

What is the treasure we have within? 

It is identified in the previous verse, “Because God, the one who said, from darkness light will shine, has shown in our hearts for the enlightenment  of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”  The treasure is the transforming power of the gospel that makes us new creation in Christ Jesus and reveals the glory of God to those who are willing to see.  Our glorious God is gracious, merciful, forgivning, full of unfailing love, holy, and sovereign over all things, people, powers, and authorities.  He uses ordinary and frail jars of clay to put his glory inside. 

You are a fragile vessel, and this is by God’s design. Your weaknesses are not a liability; they are the backdrop for God’s strength. In your daily walk, resist the urge to prove your worth in your own strength. Instead, boast in your dependence on God.

Pressure And Perseverence (Verses 8-9)

8 We are squeezed [afflicted] in every way but not squashed, perplexed but not despairing, 9 persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed,

· Squeezed – afflicted in the sense of compressed, pressed together, flattened.  But we are not squashed.

· Perplexed – puzzled, at a loss.  But we are not despairing – which is to be in great doubt and have a feeling of being a loser.

· Persecuted – pursued, hunted down, having the things you value taken from you.  But we are not forsaken – abandoned or deserted.

· Struck down but not destroyed – In Acts 14:19-20 Paul was stoned and dragged out of the city, left for dead.  But as the disciples gathered around him, he got up and walked back into town.  Another way to say this would be “Knocked down but not knocked out.”

Paul often found himself in situations where he was squeezed, perplexed, persecuted and struck down.  There were those in Corinth who considered Paul’s troubles as indications that his ministry was not legitimate.  But the treasure that reveals the glory and power of God in Paul’s life is found in that he was never squashed or crushed, never left in despair, never abandoned, and never destroyed.  In 2 Corinthians 11:24-27, Paul gives more details about the weakness of his vessel and the sustaining power of God:

2 Corinthians 11:24–27 (ESV)

24Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

For those who serve Christ, life will press in on you, but you are not alone. When you feel overwhelmed, rejected, or confused, remember these trials are not evidence of God's absence, but opportunities for His sustaining grace. Trust that even in brokenness, God is preserving you and using your trials to strengthen others.

Participation In Pain (Verses 10-11)

10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that also the life of Jesus is revealed in our body.  11 For we who live are continually handed over to death because of Jesus, in order that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal flesh.

                                                 Jesus left his glory in heaven and came down to save us.  He gave his life for us so that we can become children of God.  Because of his suffering, we have eternal life in the presence of God.  Clay may not like what the potter is doing, but our God is good.  He leads us in triumph for His glory.  He uses us in many ways to show others God’s love and power.  God uses suffering to shape us into the image of His Son and to show God’s glory to others as we share Christ with them.

Jeremiah 18:2–4

2 “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

Isaiah 45:9

9 “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?

                                                 It is through our dying to self that we become vessels useful to the Master.

As one author puts it, ‘The great exchange of the gospel is: Christ’s life for ours. And those who are used most to spread the good news of Christ embrace death as the operational principle of ministry. When George Muller, pastor and provider for thousands of children, was asked his secret, he hung his head and said, “There was a day when I died.” Then he hung it lower and said, “Died to George Muller.”’[1]

In John 12:24-26, Jesus said,

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

The Purpose Behind The Pain (Verse 12)

So death is at work in us, but life in you.

After all that has been said, we would expect Paul to close with something like, ”So death is at work in us, but so also is life.”  As we die to self, God’s glory and power is revealed in us.  But Paul says, “So death is at work in us, but life in you”.  Jesus laid down his life to serve others.  Paul laid his life down to serve others in preaching the gospel for which he was often persecuted.  While the difficulties and trials we suffer as we walk with Christ do their best to snuff the life of God out of us, Paul says the death he confronts daily has resulted in life for the Corinthians. 

Your endurance through suffering and pain can be life-giving to others.  When you keep serving, loving, and trusting in the midst of hardship, others see Christ.  Your perseverance may be the encouragement others need to keep going and to trust in God.

Beloved, do you sometimes try and hide your weakness instead of allowing God to use it for His glory?

When struck down, perplexed, or squeezed, are you learning to die to self and allow the treasure of life from God to flow through you?

Let God use the current challenges you face as instruments to die to self in order to minister more deeply to others.

Amen.

[1]R. Kent Hughes, 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006), 93.