The real focus of this metaphor is the treasure.and the verse that follows explains this better. It becomes really easy to focus on the lack of beauty and uniqueness of the vessel, but that’s what makes the treasure all the more prominent. The treasure is the focus of this statement, rather than the vessel. It truly is a treasure that God has entrusted each and every believer with. It is the active work of Jesus’ victory in your life. The gospel is more than just a single event that happened in time, which is a true piece of the equation that we can’t miss. The light that shines through the darkness lives in us. The power of Jesus that resurrected him from the grave is the treasure that we hold. It seems counterintuitive for God to put his greatest treasure in the most common and fragile vessel available-us. “Treasure in jars of clay” is a contrasting statement about the message and the messenger. What Is the Treasure We Have in Jars of Clay? Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Balaji Malliswamy God is the creator and we are the created. The potter is the one who kneads, forms, and shapes the clay into a vessel. It is never the clay who decides what it will be or is able to turn itself into a masterpiece. Oftentimes, the authors are reminding their readers that they are the clay in the hands of the potter, being molded and shaped. In many areas of scripture there is a reference to the potter and the clay. This would have been a piece of land filled with pieces of clay jars that were discarded after they broke. In fact, in the book of Matthew there is reference to a potter’s field. It wouldn’t take much for a jar to be knocked over and to shatter all over the floor. Since their material was inexpensive, they break easily, just as we see with clay jars today. Jars of clay also signify weakness and fragility. People from every class of society would have been familiar with and owned the vessels described in 2 Corinthians 4. They were common items that were made of the most basic material-earth. The average person probably had multiple jars of clay because of their versatile use in the homes. Because of this, here are at least 3 aspects of jars of clays that would have come to mind for 1 st-century readers.įrom cooking utensils to toilets, jars of clay were part of everyday life during biblical times. Jars of clay were everyday items that the original audience would have been familiar with.
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