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 over this week and next week. 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 (σκευος). 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.”