I've been listening to a number of podcasts by Bayless Conley (available at answersbc.org), and there was one in particular that caught my attention, and that I wanted to share parts of here. It has to do with vessels.
In simplest form, as vessel is anything that can act as a container e.g. a jar, a bowl, a cup etc. What they contain can be vastly different, depending on the purpose for which they were created. Conley describes 7 different kinds of vessel used in biblical times:
Vessels of honour
Outside of every Judean home would have been a stand with 3 vessels on it: a vessel of honour, a vessel of dishonour and a small drinking vessel. Whilst we will come to the vessel of dishonour later on, it is the vessel of honour that we are initially interested in.
The vessel of honour was the largest of the three, and was used to hold water. In a time before running water to the home, this would have been the main source of water for the family, as well as for guests to the home. The water would have been used for drinking (hence the drinking vessel on the stand) and washing of hands & feet. It would have been refilled daily.
This is the image that Paul is drawing on as he writes to Timothy:
In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
- 2 Timothy 2:20-21 (NIV)
The word translated "articles" is the greek word skeuos (&sigma&kappa&epsilon&upsilon&omicron&sigmaf). It has been variously translated "article" (as here in the NIV), "instrument", "container", "jar" or "vessel". Assuming "vessel" as the correct translation here (as do the KJV & NASB, for example), Paul is urging Timothy to be a 'vessel of honour', or, as The Message puts it, "the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing." (v. 21).
By custom almost as strong as law, it was forbidden to refuse anyone a drink from your vessel of honour as you were carrying it back from filling it up at the well. Hence, when Jesus asks the Samaritan woman for a drink at the well (see John 4:1-10), it would have been nearly as much of a scandal for her to refuse as it was for him to be talking to a Samaritan woman in the first place!
I believe that this instruction to Timothy is one that Paul would urge upon all of us also - are you "holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work?" If not, pray that God might make it so.
Vessel of Mercy
Similar to a vessel of honour, a vessel of mercy was a water jar kept in the town square. Its purpose was to provide water for any stranger to the town. Paul writes to the Romans that God chooses to "make the riches of his glory known to the objects [skeuos] of his mercy." (Romans 9:23, NIV)
You see, whereas the vessel of honour was primarily kept in the home or the temple, special provision was made for those who were a part of neither. Paul is explaining that God has similarly made allowance for those who are not in Christian homes, who are not a part of a church. If the water is the news of God's saving grace through Jesus, then the vessel of mercy would be those whose calling is to evangelism. This is not to say that only some Christians have the responsibility for sharing the gospel - remember, anybody could ask for a drink from the vessel of honour - but rather to say that God sets apart people whose specific purpose is to "make the riches of his glory known."
Chosen Vessel
On occasion, you might have need of a particularly special vessel, for a very specific purpose e.g. as a wedding gift, or to celebrate/commemorate an occasion. In this case, you would go to the potter, and ask for a 'chosen vessel'. The potter might raise an eyebrow, and would probably ask you what you required it for, before turning and walking by himself into the back room, where he keeps his very best work. After selecting an appropriate vessel, the potter does one last thing: he turns it upside down and gently chisels his mark.
You see, by asking for a chosen vessel, you are asking the potter to choose for you. After all, he knows his work, he knows which is good, which is not so good, and which is his absolute best. A chosen vessel represents his utmost skill and effort, and he puts his name on it because he knows that he will never be put to shame by it.
Consider, then, the impact of the following words God speaks to Ananias:
Go! This man [Paul] is my chosen instrument [skeuos] to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.
- Acts 9:15 (NIV)
God, the Master Potter, says of Paul, "He is my chosen vessel, my finest work, selected and crafted by me for a very specific, very important purpose."
Clean Vessel
Over time, a vessel of honour would start to get dirty, and would develop a thick film of scum on the inside, leading to the water tasting foul. Or perhaps the lip or handle would wear away through constant use. In this case the owner, rather than throwing it out and getting another one, would take it back to the potter. The potter would then go through the following process: first he would empty it; he would use stiff brushes to break up the layer of scum; he would fix the lip; and finally, he would return it to the fire of the kiln.
I believe that we, too, can become jaded. Perhaps, through long use, we are feeling worn. Maybe our lips are no longer the accurate espousers of God's Word that they once were. Possibly the taint of sarcasm pervades everything we say, leaving a foul taste in the mouths of those who would otherwise quench their thirst with gusto. And God's response is the same as the potter's: he empties us of all the things that have gone bad; he cleans out the filth, sometimes through (painful) scouring; he fixes our lip(s); he returns us to the fire of the kiln.
If you feel like this is you, be encouraged. The Potter is too careful with his work to simply let it go to waste. He will not suffer it to remain a source of bitterness. And after he has restored you, you may well go on to do even better things than before. Consider, for example, Isaiah 66:20, "They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the LORD in ceremonially clean vessels." (NIV)
Vessel of Dishonour
You might remember that there were 3 vessels on the stand outside the front door of the Judean house? The third vessel, after the vessel of honour and the drinking vessel to go with it, is the vessl of dishonour. Essentially, this was the Judean garbage can.
Sometimes, when making a vessel, the potter would notice some flaw, some inconsistency that meant it was sub-standard. He would then put this in his yard for sale as a vessel of dishonour. Once purchased, this vessel would sit on the stand by the doorway until full, at which time it would be thrown away and another purchased instead.
Paul makes it clear, in writing to Timothy, that men and women have a choice about whether to be a vessel of honour or a vessel of dishonour.
In a large house there are articles [skeuos] not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument [skeuos] for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
- 2 Timothy 2:20-21 (NIV) (emphasis added)
Broken Vessel
Sometimes a vessel comes out of the kiln cracked. You or I would probably throw such a thing away and start again, but that is not the Potter's way. Instead, when the day's work was done, he would head out into the fields to collect mosquitoes, bloated on the blood of bulls and goats. He would then take them back and grind them up, before mixing them with dry clay powder. Together, the blood and the powder would form a type of glue, which the potter would then lovingly work into the cracks, before re-firing in the kiln. He would do this again and again, until the vessel is complete.
This is God's method, also, for dealing with brokenness. Instead of the blood of bulls and goats, however, he uses the saving blood of Jesus to restore us to wholeness. He works that blood into every corner of our lives, until we are complete.
Vessel of Wrath
Sometimes, however, the vessel will not accept the blood. In such a case, the potter is left with no option but to throw it away - he has invested all that he can in making and then restoring that vessel, but there comes a point where he must say, "Enough!"
I can leave you with no better challenge than the one Eugene Peterson gives in his translation of 2 Timothy 2:21 (the passage we started with):
Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.
- 2 Timothy 2:21 (Message)
Amen.
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