Many of you, I am sure, have seen the Indiana Jones movies. Particularly the original one, Raiders of the Lost Ark. One of the more memorable scenes for me was the one where Indy (we are on first name basis with each other, don’t you know) is trying to decide which is the vessel that Christ would have used at the last supper. If he drinks from the correct one…his Father is saved from a gunshot wound. If the wrong one? Both he and his Father die. As he scans all the choices, he chooses the wooden one. The simple one. Instead of the golden vessels that dominate his options. He chooses wisely since, in his determination, Christ was a simple carpenter and would not have chosen a more ornate vessel.
I thought of this today when meditating on the readings. In 2nd Corinthians Paul says that we hold these treasures in Earthen Vessels, not gold ones. In Jesus’ time, clay pots were common and dispensable. If they broke, they were replaced and not repaired. They were also weak so they did break often. There was nothing outwardly noticeable about them at all. The vessels did not draw attention to themselves at all. And to the people of the day, they would never put anything of great value inside a clay pot.
But we also know that Jesus never did anything in a way that everyone expected. Common sense would have dictated that such a great treasure as the message of the world’s salvation would best be carried by the great leaders of the day. Kings, princes, military leaders. The gold vessels of humanity. But who in fact did He pick? Twelve ordinary, sinful men. Even one who would betray Him. These were not gold vessels. These were very much the clay pots, the EARTHEN vessels of the time. Weak men and women who would be easily broken and replaceable by society’s standards.
But why? Why use “common” people to carry the greatest message man has every encountered? For two reasons, I think. One is that the message should outshine the bearer. The vessel should not take away from what it holds. It is not the oyster shell that is magnificent. It is the pearl inside. It is the humble among us that allows the word of the Gospel to shine and not try to get in its way. The Mother of James and John in Matthew’s Gospel did not get this. She wanted her sons to sit at the right and left hand of Jesus in His kingdom. She wanted them to be front and center. Christ’s response was that the first should be last and should serve rather than to be served. To be earthen vessels. In the same chapter of Matthew as this reading is the parable of the vineyard workers. The story where those hired at the end of the day received the same wage as those hired at the beginning. The first shall be last.
Secondly, we are all weak, fragile people. But we are also called to carry God’s message of salvation. This message is not a “top down” message but a grass roots one. Ordinary people carrying an extraordinary message. It is not reserved for the few but offered to many, regardless of their standing in society. Power is from God, as St. Paul says, not from man. We may have cracks in our outer being but through those cracks the inner life that we carry, Christ, can shine through.
It is fitting that today is the Feast of St. James. While he did not sit at Jesus’ right or left hand, he did drink from the same cup as Christ. He suffered martyrdom as Jesus predicted for him. Tradition says that he preached the Gospel in Spain and he returned to Jerusalem where he was beheaded by Herod Agrippa. His remains returned to Spain where they were buried and then discovered. They are kept in the cathedral at Santiago de Compestella in Galicia, Spain. It is the destination of the famed pilgrimage walk, the Camino de Santiago. Because of his efforts, this earthen vessel has inspired millions of people to walk hundreds of miles since the 9th century to the place of his burial. And encounter Christ along The Way.
Finally, one last point. I know many of you may be saying, “if we are to be earthen vessels, why did we change from saying “Cup” to “Chalice” during the Eucharistic Prayer? I had been concerned about the same thing, so I did a little research. Obviously Jesus did not speak English and the Bible was not written in English. Likely in Aramean and most translations come from the Greek, and later from Latin. There is no word, “cup”, in any of these languages. They are kasa, poterion and calix respectively. All can translate as either cup or chalice with “chalice” being closest to the Latin. In addition, the mass is ceremony. Where we offer the best that we can as we re-present Christ’s sacrifice. Thus, the election to use a more ornate vessel during the mass. And, in English, it is a chalice that we use for this occasion.
“We hold a treasure not made of gold. In earthen vessels, wealth untold. One treasure only. The Lord. The Christ. In Earthen Vessels”.
(Earthen Vessels by John Foley)
