25th October 2026

Treasure in Pots

"We have this treasure in earthen vessels,

that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."

2 Corinthians 4:7

Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:1-11.

It has been said that the Roman Empire ran on olive oil. It was used in cooking, bathing, medicine, ceremonies, lamps, and cosmetics. For decades, olive oil from southern Spain was shipped to Rome in large clay jugs called amphorae. Those jugs, were not worth sending back, and were discarded in a growing heap of broken shards known as Monte Testaccio. The fragments of an estimated 25 million amphorae created that man-made hill, which stands today on the bank of the Tiber River in Rome. In the ancient world, the value of those pots was not their beauty but their contents.

Because of this, the first-century followers of Christ would have clearly understood Paul’s illustration of the life of Jesus in every believer. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Cor 4:7).

Our bodies, like amphorae, are temporary, fragile, and expendable. In our modern world that highly values outward beauty, we would be wise to remember that our greatest treasure is the life of the Lord Jesus within us. By God’s grace and power, may we live so that others can see Christ in us.

We are just the clay pots. The Lord Jesus is the true treasure within us.

Prayer: God of Heaven and Earth, help me each day to let the light of the Lord Jesus show in me. Teach me to stay in the background and let Your Son be seen in me. Amen