You know, most of us try to hide the things that
are fragile. We reinforce them. We protect them.
We strengthen them. If something is breakable,
we don't necessarily put something valuable inside
of it. We don't typically store treasures in
things that could crack. But, God does. Paul
says we have this treasure in jars of clay. God
does not use gold containers. He does not use
reinforced steel. He uses clay. Ordinary. Common.
And breaker. Because that is what we are. We
need to clean his burnt vessels. That is where
God chooses the place of his treasure. You see...
When Paul points this out, he's not saying that
we are the treasure in the earthen vessels as
much as he is saying that this treasure is in
earthen vessels. We have this treasure. Because
it's not us. We're the jars. We're the ones inside
of which the treasure is to be found. But you
see, the treasure is the gospel. The treasure
is Christ Himself, life, death, resurrection,
that Jesus has carried out. But then He has brought
it for us, to us, and kept it in us. And He does
it for this reason, to show that the surpassing
power belongs to God and not to us. If the jars
were impressive, we might mistake the source.
If the containers were flawless, we might trust
the container as being what's important. We see
that so often, where time and time again people
continue to try to put on their best face, their
butt's front. Put the right foot, the best foot,
or if you're left handed, the left one. And you
go forward with that and you say, this is my
best side. This is what I want everyone to see.
Because we want people to trust us. We want them
to turn to us. And yet, we are the ones who are
continually fragile. We just make sure that nobody
knows that side. Because something powerful is
still at work. But it's not us. It's God. But
Paul gets very honest. He says we are afflicted
in every way. We are pressed, we are squeezed.
Life does not handle the jar gently. There is
pressure from every side. He says, afflicted,
perplexed, persecuted, struck down. Let's be
honest. This is not abstract. As I say those
words, at least one of them hits you as real.
One of them... if not all of them, strikes you
as something you have felt in, not all that long
ago. These lived experiences that we have, they
show the pressures that we go through, the strained
relationships where we wonder, why is it that
everything keeps turning into a fight? The uncertain
finances of, I know, I worked hard, why are these
things not getting paid? The failing health,
where we wonder, I eat well, I exercise, why
can I not seem to get where I want to be? Or
the emotional exhaustion. You try, try, and try,
and nothing seems to let up. And even sometimes
the questions that we just can't answer, and
we sit there wondering, why is it that the world
seems to be taking crazy pills, or is it eating?
Sometimes it feels like life is pressing in from
every side. But each line of this from Paul doesn't
just stand by itself. Pressed, but not crushed.
Perplexed, but not driven to despair. Persecuted,
but not forsaken. Struck down, but not destroyed.
So the jar is fragile, but... It's not abandoning.
God didn't put the treasure inside of you and
then just walk away. Something holds us together
that is more than just human resilience, more
than just try harder. The resurrection power
of the same God who raised Christ from the dead
and sustains His people. You see, the pressure
of all these circumstances does not destroy you.
It feels like it sometimes. But feeling that
way doesn't mean it actually is. But it also
reveals something. That there is light in you
that does not come from you. And that's the thing,
is Paul ends up showing us that all these other
things cannot destroy us. But then he goes deeper
and starts to talk about something a little bit
confusing. Because then, he doesn't talk just
about surviving the hardships. Then he says,
always carrying in the body the death of Jesus.
Wait a minute. I thought we were not crushed.
How are we carrying in the death of Jesus? See,
this changes everything. Because we're not talking
about random suffering that we feel like everything
around us is caving in. This is our willing participation
in Christ. Not letting the world decide what
will hurt us, but rather choosing to follow the
Christ who has given us life. But not just to
receive it, but to share the pattern, the pattern
of giving, the pattern of serving, the pattern
of losing when we should, the pattern of trusting.
Always. See, the life of Christ is not just power.
It is cruciform. It is meant to be the form of
a cross, of suffering. Paul says we who live
are always being given over to death for Jesus'
sake. Not because we're just enduring stuff around
us, but willingly given over. Because this is
where faith becomes visible. to trust that when
we give ourselves over, there is new life on
the other side. See, this is what we often resist.
See, we're willing to say, well, God sustains
me in the hardship. We're not talking about God
sustaining us just in the hardship. Paul says,
my life is being poured out. Being willing to
go to that. Because this is the pattern of Christ
himself. Jesus did not simply endure suffering,
he gave himself. And through his death came life.
And that's the pattern that we're looking at.
Is to be willing in these quiet everyday ways
to let go of so much that we try to cling to.
Because by letting it go... Being willing to
be poured out is when we can finally receive
what God has for us. When a parent sacrifices
sleep, time, and energy for their child. When
someone forgives instead of retaliating. When
a person gives generously instead of clinging
tightly. When a believer speaks truth gently
instead of trying to win the argument, saying
yes whenever deeply you wonder why. when you
bear with someone difficult rather than walking
away. In those moments, something is dying. Control,
pride, comfort, self -protection. But through
that death, life flows in and then through us
to the world. So this is the tension. We're not
destroyed by the things that we endured. but
we are still called to give ourselves away. Nothing
else crushes us, but we still pour ourselves
out. Nothing abandons us in this world because
we are always loved by God Himself and yet we
then still offer ourselves freely. But this is
not weakness as if somehow it's just sitting
there like some failure. It is not seeking the
suffering just to prove something. It is trusting
Christ enough to let go of it all, even when
it feels that it costs everything, because it's
supposed to. So as we come to the center of this,
we see that it points to Christ, not the Jesus
that people love to try to plaster in front of
us, but the one who was afflicted and crushed,
the one who was perplexed and forsaken, the one
who was struck down and killed. We were preserved
from those. He suffered them all. And why? So
that you would not have to be. He entered fully
into destruction so that in him would never be
abandoned. Because he's the true vessel that
was ultimately broken for the whole world. He
took on the fragile form because he knew he would
need to be broken completely for us. And then
because he was raised, the life we carry is not
fragile the same way that we are. Because sometimes,
as jars, we crack the load. Sometimes we find
ourselves with a little hole in here. Sometimes
the wear and tear that we wish nobody else could
see. But the treasure is still perfect and complete.
And when those cracks do show up, the light from
it shines even more fully. So for you, you do
not have to pretend to be strong at all times.
You don't have to try to hide your weakness.
You don't have to try to fear the pressures that
are around you. Because the power of holding
you is not yours. It is given to you. Because
your life is not meant to be preserved at all
costs. It is meant to be freely given. Because
in Christ, even the things that feel like a loss
are not given. The treasure remains. The life
of Jesus is still at work. And through jars of
clay, like us, God is still bringing life into
the world. So may we be willing to be fragile,
and in Christ still have everything. Amen.