The Potter’s Clay

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:1-12

Language makes humans unique from animals.  That is a fine statement, but it is also true that animals do have communication that could be termed language.  Words are funny, they are powerful and flexible.  Paul writes of the word of God, but he is not referring to scripture.  Paul does refer to the written scriptures and their importance but hear it is the Word.  In Greek, it is Logos, which I explain is the meaning behind a word.  So if you take “chair” everyone will have a different, image, thought and yet an understanding of what it means.  It is powerful and flexible, and if we look for the meaning of the three letter word “God” we will spend eternity finding the powerful and flexible understanding; Logos.

Paul wrote before the Gospels were written and this idea of Logos was cemented in the tradition by the Gospel of John. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it….And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-5,14)

Jesus the incarnation is the Word of God; the Logos.  We know from John, that the Word is full of Grace and Truth; love that is given without reason and pure righteousness.  Of course these are simply words of our language to explain the great Divine.  Jesus himself is the meaning.

In the Gospel message, we are told to be humble and to do the work of you one Father.  We are not to be like the Pharisees who preach good work and do not do it, rather we are to follow the one teacher.  This one teacher is the Logos, the Word of God, and is truly humble.  Jesus went humbly to the cross to save us all that is the Word.  We have the word in our hearts as Paul writes thus we are to emulate His humility, His Grace and Truth.  We attempt to be the Word of God on earth, the Body of Christ.  That requires us to be powerful and flexible. 

We are to be like clay for the one potter, the one teacher.  We are to be molded by God.  We are not to be rigid and powerful nor flexible and weak nor rigid and weak.  We are to be the potter’s clay. 

For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 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. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. (2 Cor. 4:6-12)

We are to hold the grace and truth in us, the Word of God, and go out humbly in response to the Potter’s hand.