The bible uses the analogy of a clay pot or "earthen vessels” to describe people. It says in Genesis 2:7 that God made man of the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul. The word breath also means spirit. So we are vessels used by God to hold spirit. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says to believers in Christ, Do you know you are a temple of God and the spirit of God dwells in you?
First God forms the vessel (or you and me). Isaiah 64:8 says Lord you are our Father we are the clay and you are the potter, and we are the work of your hand.” Genesis 2:7 as I said says, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground". Just like a clay pot we are made of the dust of the ground.
Second God fills the vessel. Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. Often water is used as an analogy for spirit in the bible.
2 Timothy 2:20 says we can be a vessel of honor or a vessel of dishonor. Vessels of honor are ones that hold the Holy Spirit and give it out to others. The problem is that imperfection in our lives makes us imperfect vessels. Our imperfections pollute or poison what spirit is in us and makes us unclean and leaking vessels. When a vessel is dirty people do not want a drink of what we have to offer them. They don’t want our “unclean” stuff to leak on them.
When we leak or “bleed” this unclean stuff out on others no one wants to be around us. If you are full of bitterness, anger, and hate no one wants a drink of what we have. Lets look at a picture of someone who was “bleeding” out stuff and no one wanted to be around them. Lets look at Luke 8:43-45, A woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
The law of this time considered any woman with this problem as unclean and she would not be allowed to touch anyone (see Leviticus 15:25). She had been considered “unclean” by others for twelve years. She had spent all she had trying to find a cure on her own.
Just like her many of us have a persistent problem that will not stop. We leak or bleed our “unclean” stuff on others. We say unkind things to others. We lash out with anger and are impatient and loose our tempers and no one wants to be around us. Just like her we try to find a solution to the problem on our own but it keeps coming back. Eventually it will have a great cost to us.
So what did she do to stop her problem? The first thing was that she had enough faith to believe in Jesus and come to Him. It was against the law for her to be among the people in her condition. It was a risk to do what she did. So she had to get past her fear and have faith and believe that Jesus could help her.
The Second thing we see is she touched the border of his garment. The border of the garment is down low at His feet. So to touch the border of the garment she was on her knees. We need to get on our knees. Proverbs 3:34 says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. This means we must place Jesus as our Lord
The Third thing is the significance of the border of the garment in that time. In Numbers 15:37-41 we find that the border was a reminder of the Ten Commandments and had a blue thread running through it. It speaks of God’s authority and the blue reminds us of heaven. She submitted to His authority and so should we. And we need to be reminded of the promise of eternity in heaven.
In Luke 8:46-47, Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
If we want Jesus to heal us of our unclean “bleeding” problem we must not remain hidden. People cannot pray with you for your problems if you don’t share them. She declared it in the presence of all. When we are too proud to admit our problems and we need help from Jesus we are forgetting God resists the proud.
She told them all how she had been healed. Once we are healed we must tell others. So they can find help too.
She came to Jesus and trusted that He would show grace and mercy. At that time for her to touch anyone with her “unclean” condition she was breaking the law. In Luke 8:48 Jesus said “Daughter, be of good cheer, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. He did not condemn her for breaking the law. Instead he healed her and sent her on her way with joy in her heart.
If we have faith in Jesus and come to Him in a humble way and are not afraid to let others see that we too have problems. Jesus will not condemn us for what we have done. Instead Jesus will plug the leaks in our leaking vessels. Then he will clean us up and send us on our way filled with joy as vessels of honor.
Only when we are clean vessels that can hold the Holy Spirit, will people want to be around us and share a drink of what we have to offer them.
If you have a need admit you need help and reach out to Jesus
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” – 2 Cor. 4:7
So what is it that fills you?
Jerry Garcia Band
