“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 ESV
In antiquity, people used clay vessels for many purposes. One of the main purposes was storage. Jars may hold ordinary, everyday items or preserve rare and important documents.
In our information-saturated world, we similarly store mundane and precious materials. Files, folders, the cloud: a plethora of analog and digital storage options abound! Further, as information professionals, we carefully curate, describe, and reference materials in our varied collections with our patrons in mind. In addition, many of us archive documents salient to our organizational missions, oftentimes digitizing copies for access and preservation.
Returning to Paul’s analogy, the clay vessel is a metaphor for the believer, whose life is lovingly sculpted by the Creator. Pottery also connotes the beauty—yet fragility—of human nature. Our temporal, finite nature contrasts with the omnipotence of Almighty God. What we see in the passage is the Lord purposefully storing a treasure of immense significance in the vessel, which far exceeds its value.
What is the treasure? I perceive a few potential applications. The treasure may be interpreted as Scripture—God’s Word illuminating our hearts and molding our lives. The treasure may also be regarded as the precious life-giving gospel: our salvation through Christ’s substitutionary death and resurrection, by which we are preserved for His eternal kingdom. Lastly, the treasure may refer to the indwelling Holy Spirit, who sanctifies and transforms us.
Like pottery, we are vulnerable to chips, cracks, and perplexing circumstances. The apostles were not immune from such challenges, and neither are we. The Savior sustains us through each of these vulnerabilities. Christ’s example, along with the apostles’ afflictions, demonstrates the paradox of life and death inherent in kingdom living.
As we experience pain and trials, we bring our whole selves to God, and He transforms our brokenness. As He ministers his shalom deeply in us, we in turn become a conduit of comfort to others in their sufferings. Christ’s sustaining, saving work grants us hope not only in this life but also in the one to come.
May we curate this treasure well: sharing our access to the Savior, and diligently preserving the gospel.
Miriam Liethen
Miriam is currently the Electronic Services Librarian at Grace College & Seminary. She has been an ACL member since 2020.