II Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

The Apostle Paul was suffering from some physical affliction of which we can only guess.  Some say it was a problem with his eyesight, some feel he was afflicted with arthritis. Needless to say that for him to refer to our bodies as earth vessels indicates that he was fully aware of how fragile out bodies really are. I like to think he suffered from arthritis which could be very disabling and even disfiguring.  That would be a real handicap to an itinerate traveling preacher like Paul.  You God told him “His grace was sufficient.”  The word grace in Aramaic is yabotha which is a favor or gift.  God’s gift to Paul as the living, loving, life of Jesus Christ that dwelled within him. He gave Paul strength when he needed it and gave his abilities that he lacked. Whatever he need to accomplish God’s will in His life was provided by the very living, loving, life of Jesus Christ who dwelled in his fragile, clay vessel that is his body.

The word for earthen vessels in the Greek is ostrakinois which is something made of clay and vessel is skeuesion which is meant to be just a container for something of value. A skeuesion could be a jar or even a ship. In the Aramaic the word is bamana which is a vessel that is fragile, easily broken.

Despite his body being a fragile vessel with many flaws it contained a treasure. Some say this treasure is the Gospel, some commentators say it is the grace of God.  I believe like many that it is the living, loving life of Jesus Christ which He promises to indwell in our bodies II Corinthians 13:5b “Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”  Literally the words “in you” are bakavan which is to be in you entirely.  He completely fills your fragile body.  

The word treasure in Aramaic is simatha which is a hidden treasure.  Eastern kings used to hide their gold and silver in plain sight inside fragile clay jars and not fancy treasure chests with locks on them, which is the common image we have.  The Apostle Paul creates this picture of his fragile body containing that great treasure of the living, loving life of Jesus Christ. 

The vessels themselves are of little value.  They were not great ornamental vessels exquisitely made and decorated by valuable jewels, they were just simple jars of clay that would normally contain nothing out of the ordinary, just your average old vessel.

I know for myself, this old clay jar of mine is not pretty, it has many cracks and flaws, and to look upon it no one would be very impressed. Few would realize that this old, broken vessel contains the greatest treasure to be had, the living life of Jesus Christ.

I remember as a child my mother had many vessels around our house. Some contained various cooking and baking items like flour or sugar.  Some were a bit fancy and were used as a vase to contain flowers and were used for display.  One day someone gave our family a gift of a very beautiful clay vessel. It was so well crafted and painted that my mother never put flowers in it but set it in a prominent place in our living room.  All who visited us would comment on this vessel and its beauty. But after one comment it was rarely followed by other expressions of appreciation.  One day it just disappeared and no one really noticed its disappearance.  

Many years later at a family gathering, we brought out the old slide projector and showed old photos of our house and when we were growing up.  On one slide there was a picture of my brothers and me standing in front of this beautiful vessel.  Someone asked whatever became of that vessel. Finally, my younger brother sheepishly admitted he broke the vessel one day and throw it away in the trash. Nobody ever noticed it was missing or missed it. It was just a pretty little thing but that was the only value it had, it gave us nothing other than its prettiness, which faded as quickly as it was admired.

We had another vessel in our household.  It was not pretty; in fact, it was sort of ugly.  It was made of copper and was pretty beat up with dents and a dented bottom that made it rest on kind of an angle.  My mother only used this vessel to make a cool beverage that she filled with ice.  There were many a hot day when I was very thirsty that this ugly, dented copper vessel was the most beautiful vessel in the world.  In fact, to this day when I think of vessels, I do not even think of that pretty, ornate vessel that sat in a prominent place in our home.  I think of that ugly, beat-up copper vessel with its frosted sides showing it contained iced tea or some other cool beverage.  I think of that frost that formed on the side of the vessel on a hot day after mowing the lawn, that was the most beautiful sight I could see. 

For you see it was not the vessel that gave it its value, it was what was contained in that vessel that made it a valuable treasure. Maybe your vessel is not the most beautiful vessel around and has a lot of dents and flaws, but if it contains the living, loving, life of Jesus Christ, it is going to show that little frosty cover on the outside making your inadequate vessel a vessel containing a hidden treasure that will be sought after by many.

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