As the band’s religious beliefs shifted, it became tougher to play lucrative evangelical music festivals. Googling Haseltine’s name produces pages of articles on the resulting backlash and his ensuing explanation.īut the real story is more complicated.
#Jars of clay series
There’s an easy narrative around Mason’s new career that says his old one was derailed by lead singer Dan Haseltine’s series of tweets in 2014 in support of same-sex marriage. What there isn’t: any sign of the barber’s two decades as guitarist and vocalist for chart-topping, Grammy-winning Christian rock band Jars of Clay, best known to secular fans for crossover hit “Flood” in 1996. The decor is stacks of towels, bottles of Lucky Tiger aftershave and letterpress art of mustachioed men. There’s not much parking, but that’s OK because there’s only room for Mason, his Prohibition-era barber chair and a row of three theater seats for folks who are waiting. Stephen Mason’s new barbershop is right next door to Nashville’s famed trailer/dive bar Santa’s Pub. We are simply earthen vessels / jars of clay the treasure is God’s gift inside.Watch Video: Jays of Clay guitarist opens Nashville barber shop
The power does not originate in the cleverness or strength of people.Īs God uses broken and imperfect people, we can also be encouraged that God can use us to accomplish important things and that, when we use the tools He provides, the power is not our own, but His. This shows how surpassing is the strength and power of God, and those who hear the message can be encouraged that the power is from God and His truth. Such lowly and humble people were given an incredible treasure-the personal and lifegiving knowledge of Jesus Christ in their own lives and the good news to proclaim to others. As he said to the Corinthians in his previous letter, “Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7). Paul understood that those who were doing the actual proclaiming were simply earthen vessels-with no glory or merit of their own. Instead, God had provided the life, the power, and the message. The marvel that Paul is communicating is that, even as Paul and Timothy (and presumably the other disciples) were proclaiming Christ, they were not fulfilling this responsibility in their own power. He is doing exactly that here when he says that they have the treasure in earthen vessels (2 Corinthians 4:7). Paul says elsewhere that, if he will boast, he will boast in the Lord (2 Corinthians 10:17). It is for this reason that Paul explains that they have the treasure in earthen vessels (2 Corinthians 4:7) and why that is significant. What He determines shall happen it will indeed take place, and God had shone light in Paul’s and Timothy’s hearts that they would be equipped to present the wonderful truth of Jesus Christ and the eternal life He provides (2 Corinthians 4:6). God had accomplished the creation of light and the coming of Jesus.
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The light that Paul and Timothy were proclaiming had come from God-that same God who had originally created light (Genesis 1:3) and who had determined that Christ would come to provide light to humanity (John 1:4–9). They weren’t proclaiming or promoting themselves rather, they were serving others by proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:5). Because of this great need, the message of the gospel is so important. Unbelievers suffer from a blindness of the mind and are unable to see the “light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:3–4). Because their confidence was in His truth and not their own ability, they could fulfill their ministry with good conscience even as God could observe their actions (2 Corinthians 4:2).Įven though Paul and Timothy’s gospel-proclaiming ministry was at times met with rejection, it was not because of any flaw in the good news itself.
They could have confidence because they were walking in the truth of God’s Word and not in their own cleverness or craftiness (2 Corinthians 4:2). He acknowledges that in his ministry he had received mercy and that he and the others who shared that ministry are not losing heart (in this case he is also referring to Timothy, see 2 Corinthians 1:1). Paul is exhorting his readers that, even though there is great difficulty in their ministry, he is encouraged (2 Corinthians 4:1). In 2 Corinthians 4:7, Paul makes a beautiful statement that “we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” The context helps us understand what is the treasure in earthen vessels (other translations say “jars of clay”).
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