Vaso
A metáfora do vaso é uma das mais belas da Bíblia. Assim como o oleiro molda o barro, Deus nos forma segundo seus propósitos, fazendo de nós vasos úteis para sua glória.
Nas mãos do oleiro
Deus é o Oleiro e nós somos o barro. Ele tem autoridade e sabedoria para nos moldar conforme sua vontade perfeita, e não devemos questionar sua obra.
8 And now, Lord, thou art oure fadir; forsothe we ben cley, and thou art oure maker, and alle we ben the werkis of thin hondis.
1 The word that was maad of the Lord to Jeremye,2 and seide, Rise thou, and go doun in to the hous of a pottere, and there thou schalt here my wordis.3 And Y yede doun in to the hous of a pottere, and lo! he made a werk on a wheel.4 And the vessel was distried, which he made of clei with hise hondis; and he turnede it, and made it another vessel, as it pleside in hise iyen to make.5 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,6 and he seide, Whether as this pottere doith, Y mai not do to you, the hous of Israel? seith the Lord. Lo! as cley is in the hond of a pottere, so ye, the hous of Israel, ben in myn hond.
20 O! man, who art thou, that answerist to God? Whether a maad thing seith to hym that made it, What hast thou maad me so?21 Whether a potter of cley hath not power to make of the same gobet o vessel in to honour, an othere in to dispit?
9 Wo to hym that ayen seith his maker, a tiel stoon of erthe of Sannys. Whether clei seith to his pottere, What makist thou, and thi werk is withouten hondis?
16 This thouyt of you is weiward, as if cley thenke ayens a pottere, and the werk seie to his makere, Thou madist not me; and a thing that is maad, seie to his makere, Thou vndurstondist not.
Vasos para honra
O cristão é chamado a ser um vaso de honra, purificado e preparado para toda boa obra. Nosso valor está em quem nos formou e no que carregamos.
20 But in a greet hous ben not oneli vessels of gold and of siluer, but also of tree and of erthe; and so summen ben in to onour, and summe in to dispit.21 Therfor if ony man clensith hym silf fro these, he schal be a vessel halewid in to onour, and profitable to the Lord, redi to al good werk.
7 And we han this tresour in britil vessels, that the worthinesse be of Goddis vertu, and not of vs.
2 Beth. The noble sones of Sion, and clothid with the best gold, hou ben thei arettid in to erthene vessels, in to the werk of the hondis of a pottere?
Moldados pela graça
Mesmo quando nos sentimos frágeis e imperfeitos, o poder de Deus se aperfeiçoa em nossa fraqueza. Ele nos restaura e nos renova continuamente.
8 Thin hondis han maad me, and han formed me al in cumpas; and thou castist me doun so sodeynli.9 Y preye, haue thou mynde, that thou madist me as cley, and schalt brynge me ayen in to dust.
23 As if thou wolt ourne a vessel of erthe with foul siluer; so ben bolnynge lippis felouschipid with the werste herte.
34 Yelle, ye scheepherdis, and crye, and, ye princypals of the floc, bispreynge you with aische; for youre daies ben fillid, that ye be slayn, and youre scateryngis ben fillid, and ye schulen falle as precious vessels.