SUMMARY
PaulThe Apostle Paul, originally known as Saul of Tarsus, was the author of several New Testament letters and the founder of many Christian communities. More depicts, with vivid imagery, how we bear the treasure of the gospel in frail and vulnerable bodies—so that through our union with Jesus’ death amidst everything that takes place in our bodies, we might manifest, precisely in those bodies, the life of JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. More in every moment of our mortal existence.
ANALYSIS
The gospel is a kind of treasure in our lives. It is, as Paul has argued, the enlightening presence in our lives of the crucified MessiahThe Messiah was the one who, it was believed, would come to free the people of Israel from bondage and exile. In Jewish thought the Messiah is the anticipated one who will come, as prophesied by Isaiah. In Christian thought Jesus of Nazareth is identified... More, who is the very WisdomWisdom encompasses the qualities of experience, knowledge, and good judgment. The Old Testament book of Proverbs, which sometimes invokes a Woman as the personification of Wisdom, is a collection of aphorisms and moral teachings. Along with other biblical passages, it teaches, "The fear of the... More of God (2 Corinthians 4:4-6). But, he goes on, we only have this treasure in clay pots—a metaphor that speaks to his own (and our) human frailty (Wisdom 9:15). Clay pots were the least worthy of all the vessels used in the templeThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... More because they were so breakable—in contrast, say, to sturdier bronze vessels or more dazzling golden ones. Why is such treasure found in such humble and unassuming vessels? The reason, Paul explains, is so that it might be evident that the profound “hyperbole” (the Greek word is huperbolē) of power and energy that this treasure manifests is from God and not merely from us (2 Corinthians 4:7).
And, how is the “hyperbolic” power of this treasure manifested in our lives? Paul uses a range of vivid images—drawing on the psalms, the prophets, and wisdom literature—to provide a multi-dimensional picture not just of human suffering, but of how that suffering might also be imbued with confidence in God’s power to rescue it. Starting with the general existential experience of being “afflicted in all things, but not crushed,” he goes on to describe the mental experience of being “perplexed but not driven to despair,” the social experience of being “persecuted, but not forsaken,” and finally, the bodily experience of being “struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
At the heart of these very real existential experiences is the identity we have through our baptismal union with Jesus’ death and resurrection. Like priests who carry around holyHoly is a term that originally meant set apart for the worship or service of God. While the term may refer to people, objects, time, or places, holiness in Judaism and Christianity primarily denotes the realm of the divine More things, we carry around the death of Jesus as a tattoo marked on our bodies. We carry Jesus’ death around so that Jesus’ life might be fully manifested or revealed in our bodies, within the multifarious intensity of whatever it is we are experiencing (2 Corinthians 4:10; cf. Leviticus 19:28). This means that, in every moment of our lives, we too are being “given up to death” just as Jesus was, so that we might manifest Jesus’ life in our vulnerable and ultimately mortal flesh (Romans 8:32; cf. IsaiahIsaiah, son of Amoz, who prophesied in Jerusalem, is included among the prophets of the eighth century BCE (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)--preachers who boldly proclaimed God's word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time. More 53:6-12). In so doing, we participate in the sufferings and consolations of the Messiah as he both suffers under and yet also overcomes sin and injustice and the demonic forces that reinforce them (2 Corinthians 4:11).
RELATED PASSAGES
Leviticus 6:24-30 – Earthen and Bronze Vessels for Sin Offerings
Isaiah 53:1-12 – The Suffering Servant
Psalm 22:1-7 – My, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?
Wisdom 9:1-18 – Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
Romans 8:31-39 – Nothing Separates Us from God’s Love in Christ Jesus
Galatians 2:19a-20 – Being Crucified with Christ
1 Corinthians 11:23-29 – Paul Hands Over the Tradition of the Lord’s Supper