2 Corinthians Chapter 4, Verses 4 through 10
"The god of this age has blinded the unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."
The purpose of this letter that Paul writes to the church in Corinth was to restore them and also to remind them about the need for becoming powerful witnesses, rather than being tossed around with doctrines. They were being tossed around with many doctrines and false teachings at that time and were not living a Christian life. So, Paul's letters to the Corinthians, both First and Second Corinthians, were meant to convict them of their sins and to tell them that they need to change their lives and be restored to the grace of God.
He goes through many things about how we are blessed by the power of the Spirit in our lives. In the past few Sundays, we talked about many theological topics: about the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, and what Pentecost is. This letter is an addition to that, during this Pentecost season, to understand that God has given the light of the knowledge of God's glory in us through the face of Jesus Christ.
It’s a little complicated to understand that complex sentence. Paul's letters are a bit difficult to understand, but we have to take them piece by piece and study them so we can be blessed by that word. He says that "For God said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,'" and made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ. So, the face of Christ is God's glory. Scripture says that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. In other words, you can see the face of God in Jesus. For God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to this world. He is the Son of God; he is God himself. So, he has the glory in him, and that is also given to us because of Jesus Christ. As we believe and accept him as our Lord and Savior, that glory is in us.
Paul is reminding us that it is not because of what we did or how great we are that God gave us the glory of Jesus in our lives. It is because we are broken and fragile like jars of clay. He says that we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. The treasure refers to the glory of Jesus Christ that shines in his face and is also given to us in our lives so we can shine in this world.
Usually, we keep our treasures in secure places, not in clay jars. We find the safest places, like iron boxes or treasure chests, and sometimes we even take our valuables to a locker in the bank. Those are the safest places, strong places where we can trust that our treasures will not be burned or broken down. But in this case, God has placed his treasure in our lives, even though we are jars of clay.
Clay jars have many vulnerabilities. They can break anytime if you drop them or hit something hard. We are like that. Paul continues to say that as we read further into his letter. We would think that something of great value would be contained in a more permanent investment. But it is precisely the opposite. Paul is talking about the treasure of Jesus Christ being contained in us, who are very weak and prone to crack, afflicted, and persecuted—all for the sake of the gospel.
When the world says that we need to look and act a certain way and be successful by its standards, God and Scripture make it clear that we don't have to conform. God has already given us the standard to carry his glory in this world. God has chosen us to be unique creations. We are not to be swayed by the expectations of this world. God looks at you and me as we are. He sees who you and I can become. He looks at the potential we have before us.
We may be broken in our bodies. We may be frail, sick, or think that we are reaching the end of our lives. Many of us are aware of this. In times of our frailties and weaknesses, God sees potential. That is why we are here at this moment. He knows that he can use us in many different ways, even with our frailties and sufferings. God has a purpose, and he looks at us with the potential we have for the future. Jesus sees us as who we can become.
Thinking about this scripture, I was reminded of Joseph in the Old Testament. He was the son of Jacob. To Jacob, he was a good son, but his brothers did not like him because their father favored him. They were jealous of Joseph and tried to kill him by putting him in a well. Eventually, they sold him to foreign travelers, who took him to Egypt and sold him as a slave. The world saw him as a lost boy with no future, but we know from history that he became the Prime Minister, second in line to the Pharaoh.
Even when Joseph was going through brokenness in his life, with his brothers and his circumstances, God saw a future Prime Minister in him. God sees each of us as a powerful witness for his kingdom. That is why he gave us his spirit and the glory of Jesus Christ, even though we are prone to brokenness and vulnerability. So, don't be discouraged by what the world sees in you; be encouraged by what God sees in you.
Never underestimate the person that you are.
The life of a jar is temporary. Jars are made of clay and can break anytime. Our bodies can break at any time. Our life is brief, and we will be taken from this world without notice. The Bible says that our life is like a breath. There is eternity waiting for us. Job and James say our life is like a breath and a shadow. In Psalm 90, it says the days of our lives are seventy years, or eighty if we have the strength. Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow, for they are soon cut off, and we fly away.
So, we know that our life is brief. Even with the brevity of life, an eternal God has placed his pleasure in us. He gave us his son so that his spirit will be in us. We are not to pursue worldly standards but to share the treasure of the light of the Gospel with others, with all the opportunities we have. We are easily broken, and even when we are broken, God can still use us.
Paul means that he boasts in all the brokenness that he has. He prayed for healing in his body. We don't know what exactly that was; some say it was blindness, others say it was pain in his back. Whatever it was, he prayed for healing. But God told him, "My grace is sufficient for you." That is all we need. We may ask for many things in our lives, but God is telling us, "My child, you may not need it this time. What you need is the grace of God." If we have the grace of God, everything else will come after that.
God values us even when we are broken jars with many marks of brokenness in our lives. Like the jars at the wedding in Cana, which were kept outside to serve water, Jesus turned that water into wine. Even though people saw the jars as just holding water, Jesus took them in his hands, and they became precious. The jars were outside the house, holding water that washed hands and bodies before entering. But when Jesus blessed it, he turned the water into wine that became precious and was served to the guests.
God can take and change our situations to be a blessing, even when we consider them valueless. He transforms our lives. Just as he transformed the water into wine, he transformed the jars that were outside the house into valuable containers of precious wine. God has blessed us in this body to be carriers of his glory. Even when we are broken and scarred, God sees value in us. That is why he has blessed us with this life.
We have numerous examples in the Bible and our own lives showing that God considers us beautiful and useful. Paul continues to say that we are being tested and battered. He says in verse 8, "We are hard-pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." We have these experiences, but with each one, there is a comforting word: we are not crushed, not in despair, not abandoned, not destroyed.
We are carrying the glory of God in our lives so we can be a shining light in this world. Always remember that we are jars of clay, prone to brokenness, with brief lives that can end without notice. I wish someone would give us notice, but we all have been given notice. Every day is a gift from God, and tomorrow is not ours. Remember to live a life that shines the glory of Jesus Christ in this world.
The jars, even with their ribs and tears, can be used by God. Just like our lives, God can use us in our broken condition.
Blessings 
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