A Treasure in a Clay Jar | 2 Corinthians 4

Welcome to Real Life. Got pain?

“The fact that my entire body cracks like a glow stick whenever I move,

yet refuses to actually glow,

is very disappointing!”

–Anonymous

In the last few months, I have battled some minor health issues. First, I had a difficult tooth extraction. The ache lingered longer and stronger than I expected. Then, I developed an infection. Before that healed, I came down with a horrendous cold.

“We have this treasure in jars of clay.”
(2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV)

I happened to read this Scripture while struggling, and I felt the truth of that last phrase. I am a jar of clay. I easily chip, crack, and break. I tire quickly and small setbacks (like a toothache) discourage me. This clay jar is aging. Our bodies face an expiration date. Honestly, in itself, this ordinary clay jar is not worth much.

But, wait! Because this Scripture also unveils a powerful word of encouragement. For those who place their faith in Christ, these ordinary clay jars hold an eternal treasure—the all-surpassing power of God! Although in these bodies we feel every bump, ache, and burden, this treasure enables us to endure:

• We constantly face pressure—deadlines, expectations, financial burdens, but God will not allow the pressure to crush us.
• We are often perplexed and confused, full of more questions than answers, but God always fills us with hope. He will never leave us in despair.
• Others may mock and bully us. Sometimes even friends and family shut their doors to us, but God’s door is always open. He will never abandon us.
• If we are struck down by cancer or job loss or grief or a natural disaster, the essence of who we are is never destroyed. God continually sustains us.

In this same body, death and life reside.[1] Do you feel it? Our bodies grow old and weak and tired—that’s death residing in us. “But don’t lose heart or grow discouraged,” Paul says. Because inwardly, this treasure, this all-surpassing presence and power of God is renewing our hearts and souls day by day—that’s life residing in us. This newness will never die. In heaven, we will receive newly resurrected and glorified bodies that will never grow old or weak or tired. Hallelujah!

Until that day, this death/life dichotomy is beautifully illustrated in the Japanese art of Kintsugi. In Japan, when they break a clay jar, they do not discard it. They repair it with a special lacquer mixed with gold powder. The vessel’s cracks and breaks are not hidden. They are highlighted with gold. Often the repaired clay pot becomes more valuable than the original. Kintsugi portrays the weakness and brokenness of our mortal bodies transformed into something beautiful by the all-surpassing power of God alive in us. We have a treasure in jars of clay!

Trouble, you and I cannot escape it.[2] But rather than focus on the brokenness, we can highlight the gold! In light of our eternal hope in glory, the apostle Paul describes the hardships we experience in these bodies as “light and momentary.” And he faced far worse than a toothache. The apostle was imprisoned, flogged, beaten with rods, and shipwrecked. He faced constant danger, hunger, thirst, and sleeplessness.[3] Yet in all Paul’s troubles (and in all of ours), God had and has a purpose. Suffering grows us, refines us, and purifies us. It thereby achieves for us an eternal glory—gold—that will far outweigh all the pain we experience in this jar of clay.

Are you struggling today, my friend? Take heart. God is the master of Kintsugi. He is transforming our cracked pots into masterpieces. So, show off your gold![4] Because we have a treasure in jars of clay—the all-surpassing power of God!

Dear Lord Jesus,
I pray for the one who is struggling today.
They feel the pain and fragility of these jars of clay.
May the treasure of your power and presence within us
Enable us to endure and overcome.
Fill us with faith and hope and strength and love.
Transform our brokenness into something beautiful.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.


Kintsugi Image from: pngtree.com, 'https://pngtree.comfreepngkintsugi-o-shape-png-vase-sticker-gold-aesthetic-pottery_20958208.html'
[1] 2 Corinthians 4:10
[2] John 16:33
[3] 2 Corinthians 11:23-29
[4] My Japanese friend Barb makes this statement about our spiritual Kintsugi.