We have this treasure in jars of clay.
—2 Corinthians 4:7
If you’ve purchased a pricey piece of jewelry, it was probably gift-wrapped on a black velvet background, designed to draw the recipient’s eye to the gem, not the packaging.
Paul wanted his readers to know that the gem is Christ, his disciples are only the packaging: “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” “What we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord” (2 Cor 4:5, 7).
The important thing is the message, not the messenger; the power is Jesus, not the preacher; the value is the product, not the package.
“If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified” (1 Pt 4:11).
We are Christ’s servants, not his advisors.