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A Treasure in Clay Jars
2 Corinthians 4:1-12
Introduction: Let’s begin our lesson with two questions:
Why do you think there were divisions in the Corinthian church? Why was the church such a mess? The primary answer is that they did not understand God’s work in them. First Corinthians can be summarized in a simple statement: being a Christian isn’t about you. Because the Corinthians did not understand God’s purpose in saving them, their own personal desires dominated the church. That will lead to division every time. Therefore, one of Paul’s primary purposes in his second letter was to give them pictures of who they were to be as disciples of Christ.
Do you have times of discouragement as you as you go about your life in serving Christ and others around you? I’m sure the obvious answer is, “yes.” Living as a Christian in the midst of a worldly culture is challenging, and at times, even crushing to our spirit.
Therefore, Paul’s opening words in our text is, “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.” But why would they lose heart? Because of the suffering and rejection that is typical for disciples of Christ. But you will notice Paul’s beginning words are, “Therefore…” He has already given reasons for not losing heart even in the face of suffering and rejection.
- We are captives in Christ’s triumphal procession spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
- We are ministers of a new covenant in which the Spirit writes a letter from Christ on our hearts to be known and read by all men.
- Through the work of the Spirit, we are now able to look into the glory of the Lord and be transformed from one degree of glory to another. We can’t lose heart, no matter the suffering, when we know God has these purposes in us.
In this next text, Paul offers another picture of God’s purpose for disciples of Christ, giving the reason why Paul and us need not lose heart. It is a picture of a treasure.
Seeing the Treasure
Verses 1-6 are defined by Paul’s words in verse 7: “But we have this treasure in clay jars…” The treasure and the way the treasure is to be revealed is explained in the previous verses.
The first thing we want to notice is that there is a “disgraceful” way of delivering the treasure. Paul describes it as “underhanded” and “tampering” with God’s word.
Paul warned about this tampering at the beginning of his first letter when he said the preaching the gospel “with eloquent words of wisdom” would empty the cross of its power. This was preaching that was the opposite of “Christ and him crucified,” and was instead, “lofty speech” with “plausible words of wisdom.” It was a wisdom that fits the culture of the world.
If we put this in today’s terms, Kent Hughes describes four ways that God’s word is presented in a disgraceful way:
- Removing a text from its context so it says whatever a preacher would like it to say
- Moralizing the text so it is only teaching moral standards that would fit the general religious culture
- An insistence that the text teaches things it does not teach.
- Most often, the word of God is watered down by a preacher’s laziness
In contrast, Paul explains how the treasure is to be revealed: “By open statement of the truth commending ourselves to everyone’s conscience.” There are two parts to this way of delivering God’s word.
- Just a plain, open statement of the truth. No cunning. No deceit. No manipulation. Just the truth.
- The word is delivered with the ability to “commend ourselves” to every person’s conscience. In other words, the life of the deliverer of the message must reflect the honesty of the message to everyone’s conscience.
Now when the word is delivered in this way, the reason some will not receive it is because “the god of this world has blinded their hearts.” Notice that Paul absolves himself of preaching a “veiled” gospel. You and I might think that Paul is a bit difficult to understand at times. But those who do not see it cannot blame Paul. That person has allowed the god of this world to blind them.
How does a person get blinded? Look at the end of verse 4: “to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” How does a person not see something so glorious, so beautiful as the glory of Christ, who is the image of God? The simple answer is, they are looking at something else that mesmerizes their minds. Blind to the true glory because of looking at something that dazzles the eyes. (high school kids with no interest in the text, but can tell you everything about basketball) Don’t let your kids get mesmerized by this world’s glitter!
One other critical point that gives a description of the treasure: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness…’” Those are “creation” words. They are words that indicate incredible power to bring something beautiful out of nothing. There are many people who do not appreciate the words written on the pages of the Bible, or at the very least, do not give the words the appreciation it should be given. The same power that brought light where there was only darkness, can now with these words change us forever. What a treasure!
The Power of a Treasure in Clay Jars
The picture of a great treasure in a plain, fragile, cheap, disposable clay jar is one of God’s amazing ways of demonstrating the beauty of his wisdom. It is indeed the contrast between the wisdom of this world and the wisdom of God.
If a valuable treasure is put in an elaborate vase, our tendency is to marvel at the vase as much, if not more, than the treasure. If God had sent angels to display the treasure, we would have the same tendency that Samson’s father had and want to honor the angel. Further, if an angel delivered the message, it would be delivered so perfectly, the words would be just right, with no stumbling or flaws.
But an angel cannot do what a treasure in a plain, breakable, flawed human can do. We make so many excuses for our lack of talent, our fearfulness, and our inability to speak well. And yet, from God’s point of view, those weaknesses are our advantages. You see, God’s strength, power, and beauty is seen in our weakness.
- When the gospel is presented by someone who has been rescued from the horrifying affects of sin, that person can pour out the wonder of God’s plan and love, like no other created being.
- We can get the point more clearly when we compare the results of our efforts to the results of Jesus’ efforts. Yes, he made disciples, but most of the nation of Israel rejected, including and especially the religious leaders who were the most knowledgeable. The power is in the word, not in our abilities.
- That being said, one of the principles that makes the word powerful is the fact that we have put hard work into knowing it. In other words, if we don’t know it, we can share it. And further, if we don’t know it, we are showing evidence that the word does not mean that much to us.
The final key to the clay jar picture is that we want the treasure and only the treasure to be seen. As Paul describes, this happens when we are willing to be broken so the treasure can be seen. Or put another way, Jesus is seen more clearly when we carry in our bodies his death. What does that look like practically? We will give up anything so that someone else can have life.
Conclusion: This picture is the opposite of the approach of the false preachers and what they were teaching the Corinthians. In 12:19, Paul makes clear that he is not defending himself in this dissertation. Instead, he is exhorting them to be like him.
“For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you” (4:11-12, NRSV). What does your life look like?