Narrative Lectionary Summer Series – 2 Corinthians Series, “Treasure in Clay Jars”
2 Cor 4:1-18
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Furthering the Power of God’s Story – Narrative Lectionary Commentary
by Pastor Ron Valadez
If ever there was a passage for protesters to live by, this is it. And before you say I’m taking this out of context based on recent events (which is always a possibility), please remember that Paul is writing to a church that is being pulled from all sides, on the verge of being overcome by any one of the many opposing factions that have emerged, both from within and without. And so, in this letter, Paul urges them to stand their ground, to stand firm in the original teachings that he had given them, and to not be persuaded, tempted, or bullied into other teachings, into other ways of life that are counter to the way of Christ. Paul urged them to fight against those other ways, to protest against those other ways. And Paul knew firsthand that fighting against “the powers of this world that rebel against God” would leave them battered and bruised. (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Holy Baptism, 229)
Now, more than ever, they needed a word of comfort and hope, not just more correcting and teaching from Paul. Now, more than ever, they needed guidance on how they could keep moving forward, against the current of the world, as a fledgling church, without falling into despair. Which brings us to chapter four of this beautiful letter.
Paul begins by reminding them of how they even got to this point to begin with, “God’s mercy.” Paul wants to make sure that God remains foundational for them. He then goes on to make five profound points that could easily be formed into a protester’s creed (presented in the order that Paul mentions them in this chapter).
First, our work is done in the open and is transparent (v2). Anytime you are fighting against opposing powers, those opposing powers will be watching you like a hawk, waiting for you to falter. So, it is imperative that we be open and honest in our work, always transparent, never hidden or shady. Our integrity is at stake here.
Second, our work should emerge from and point toward Christ (v5). We will be tempted to lift ourselves into the spotlight. It’s natural and it’s human, but it’s not the way of Christ. Falling to this temptation puts everything we do at risk.
Third, we are not impervious to pain (vv7-10). We are made of mortal materials. Most gravitate toward the positives here (not crushed, not driven to despair, not forsaken, not destroyed). But we can’t ignore the reality that in this work we will be afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. But our pain will not have the last word.
Fourth, our faith is not silent (v13). In the spirit of Descartes who said, “I think; therefore I am”: we believe; therefore we speak. As Martin Luther King said, "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." In the midst of works that oppose the ways of Christ, our faith calls us to speak out.
Fifth, the fruit of our labor may be hidden, but it is there; it may take long to sprout, but it will grow (vv16-18). It is easy to fall in despair when we can’t see any improvement, when we can’t see the world getting any better, when we wonder if our work is in vain. (Remembering point number two is key here.) But what can also help is to remember that we are in this work to play the long game. A tremendous amount of patience is needed, especially when we take into consideration that we may not even live long enough to see our work sprout. But as Paul began this chapter, so he ends, “We will not lose heart.” Life is what is promised by God, through Christ, and life is what will come. Hope in that dear preacher; take heart.
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The following links and resources are not produced or maintained by Clergy Stuff. However, at the time of this posting, the links were active and considered to be good source material for proclamation for the text for this week. Please scroll down or click on the quick jump menu you find below. For more free worship resources & planning materials, please visit our links for RCL Worship Resources.
Contemporary Resources
Treasures in Clay Jars, by Mark Wilson
When a Pastor Shows Up at a Black Lives Matter Protest, by Mark Whitlock, with a great video of Roslyn Satchel teaching at a Faith Leaders Institute.
Jesus was a Protester, by Stephen Mattson
A Good Read
Peacemaking and Religious Violence: From Thomas Aquinas to Thomas Jefferson
by Roger A. Johnson
From its very beginning, the Christian faith has been engaged with religious violence. The first Christians were persecuted by their co-religionists and then by imperial Rome. Jesus taught them, in such circumstances, not to retaliate, but to be peacemakers, to love their enemies, and to pray for their persecutors. Jesus's response to religious violence of the first century was often ignored, but it was never forgotten. Even during those centuries when the church herself persecuted Christian heretics, Jews, and Muslims, some Christians still struggled to bear witness to the peace mandate of their Lord.
In the thirteenth century, Thomas Aquinas wrote a theology to help his Dominican brothers persuade Cathar Christians to return to their Catholic faith peacefully. Ramon Lull, a Christian student of Arabic and the Qur'an, sought to help his fellow Christians recognize the elements of belief they shared in common with the Muslims in their midst. In the fifteenth century, Nicholas of Cusa, a Church Cardinal and theologian, expanded Lull's project to include the newly discovered religions of Asia. In the seventeenth century, Lord Herbert, an English diplomat and lay Christian, began to identify the political union of church and government as a causal factor in the religious warfare of post-Reformation Christendom.
One and a half centuries later, Thomas Jefferson, a lay theologian of considerable political stature, won a political struggle in the American colonies to disestablish religion first in his home colony of Virginia and then in the new nation he helped to found. All five of these theologians reclaimed the peace mandate of Jesus in their response to the religious violence of their own eras. All of which points us to some intriguing Christian responses to religious violence in our own century as recounted in the epilogue.
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Free Dramatic Reading For This Text (NRSV)
Readers: Paul 1, Paul 2
Paul 1: Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Paul 2: For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 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.
Paul 1: 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. But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—“I believed, and so I spoke” —we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence.
Paul 2: Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.