At the potter’s
house, the potter was busily working at his wheel. If we sense here that the
potter is representative of God, we could deduce that God is always busy about
his business. And what is God’s ultimate business or mission?? Reconciling with
his creations! And then, reshaping his children toward their utmost potential!!
The picture is of the traditional potting-wheel, with the two stone circles
rotating on a single vertical axis, the bottom circular plate being spun by the
feet, while the hands work the clay up top. But then the image gets very
personal and touchy-feely (v.4)! The vessel that the potter was working on, was
being intricately and carefully reworked, due to it having been spoiled (with
cracks and various imperfections).
Despite all previous
efforts of the potter to make something beautiful out of this hunk of clay,
along the long journey of manufacture, there had been a spoiling which didn’t
fit with the original intent. There was nothing wrong with the Potter’s skill,
the fault lay with the raw material … the clay. Isn’t this just like life, bad
decisions and corrupt behaviour marring God’s creativity. Yet God has not
removed his hands from the ‘potting wheel’ – God is not willing to waste
any of his raw materials! The “clay” would not be abandoned just because
there was a couple of imperfections. Also there are those things that are done
to us, sometimes terrible, hurtful and destructive abuses – God is not
willing to allow such crimes to have the final word in our lives! This
restoration will be patient work, carried out with loving care and purpose.
The original context,
six centuries before the time of Jesus, concerned the rebellion and
disobedience of God’s people Israel. Unless Israel showed a willingness to
change their ways, then there would be an inevitability about their destruction
by foreign powers. God could not bless those who took a direction which
basically snubbed God. The nation of Israel’s refusal to listen to prophets
like Jeremiah led to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. But it didn’t
have to be this way!! Some of us carry on continually defeated by certain
things … habits, behaviour, guilt, shame, feelings, attitudes … when it doesn’t
have to be this way. The Potter’s hands are on the ‘wheel’! Even complete
failure, like exhibited by Peter in his denials of knowing Jesus, can be
totally turned around, as we see in Peter’s post-resurrection activities.
During the week I was
called in to help with the counselling of a guy who couldn’t get past a
particular bitterness that he felt towards another person. When it came to the
crunch, in reality this bitterness was held more toward himself than that other
person. Once this was revealed to him, I was able to create a visualisation of
this person going down to the Potter’s house where the Potter’s fingers could
do a little reworking in some broken places, bringing about some emotional
healing and a renewed sense of well-being. The message I received later that
day, which was reaffirmed the next day, was that all animosity towards the other
person mentioned had completely dropped away.
Just as Jeremiah did,
when invited, we should come to the Potter’s house, where we will experience
the transforming work of God. Only God really knows how we might look (or what we might become) as he is allowed to do his reworking. Sometimes it is not
clear to us – we are a little dubious about how good the results could be! But
actually, possibilities never before thought of might just emerge. We just need
to put ourselves in the position where the clay of our lives, all the good, and all the bad, up til now, can be
remoulded, “as seems good to [the Potter]” (v.4). This seems to
depict a rebuilding according to the best thoughts and intentions of the great
Potter.
This Potter certainly
has the capacity to make critical changes. Are we willing to be so touched and
worked by the fingers of this ultimate Potter?? And this of course would not
be a one-off occurrence, but rather an ongoing and continual work of reshaping.
And
this is important, not only for ourselves, but also in terms of the influence
for good that we are meant to have in our neighbourhood and in society. We are
meant to part of the solution of our community’s woes. It was at the times when
Israel listened to her true prophets and obeyed the will of God, that this
nation got back on track. In the same way, as we are willing to be moulded by
Living God, that we can take leadership in refocussing the world toward the
light.
What do you think are the crucial steps in
being freshly moulded by the ‘Great Potter’???
