But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7
Corinth had a history of wealth, and as a Roman Imperial city royal opulence was sure to be flaunted. No one would think to hide a magnificent treasure, it was meant to be gloriously displayed.
Clay jars, by contrast, were for common use, often crudely made with little fanfare. They are useful but their value lies in what they contain.
In using this illustration, Paul draws an unlikely, if not absurd, picture. Here is a vessel where the contents are not only more valuable, but stronger, than the container. It is the contents that give it shape and character and worth.
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
The treasure that we, the clay jars, hold is the knowledge of the glory of God. It is the Spirit, eternal and unseen, revealing God in us and to us. This Treasure, Who has the power to raise Jesus and in Whom we are being renewed, chose to reside in fragile, simple, earthen jars. God works through us to show that the work is not of us, it can’t be. It is of Him. The power is all His.
God put something extraordinary into the ordinary. This clay jar is beaten up but the treasure within sustains the vessel. The jar is temporary, wasting away, but because of what it contains, will be renewed.
Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16
