Who Was the Prophet Jeremiah?
Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who lived in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin. He was born and raised in the priestly village of Anathoth, located over 6 kilometers northeast of Jerusalem, during the reign of the wicked King Manasseh.
Even before Jeremiah’s birth, God had already ordained that he would be a prophet. As it is written:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
Jeremiah began his prophetic ministry in the thirteenth year of the reign of the righteous King Josiah, supporting his reform movement. Known as the “weeping prophet,” Jeremiah was recognized for his stern preaching, yet he possessed a sensitive and compassionate heart.
The Lord called Jeremiah and gave him this command:
“Get up and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” (Jeremiah 18:2)
God would only speak to Jeremiah at the potter’s house. He instructed Jeremiah to go there and observe the potter crafting a clay vessel.
What Is a Potter?
According to the dictionary, a potter is an artisan responsible for crafting and selling objects made of ceramic. The potter works in a pottery, which is a workshop that produces items from clay. Among the objects crafted by potters are pots, tiles, dishes, bricks, and more.
The Process of Making a Vessel in the Pottery
In the pottery, the first step in creating a vessel involves selecting and extracting clay in its natural state. An experienced potter finds the ideal clay for crafting a vessel in nature. Geologists explain that there are about 200 types of clay on the planet, but only eight are suitable for making a vessel.
Once the ideal clay is chosen, it undergoes a sifting process to remove roots, leaves, stones, twigs, and other debris. After sifting, the clay clumps are broken down, and the clay is moistened with water, trodden, and kneaded.
This process results in a paste, formed by mixing different types of clay, water, and other substances that ensure the paste’s consistency. The paste is then covered with a tarp, allowing time for all oxygen or air bubbles to be expelled. This step enhances the paste’s firmness, preventing the pieces from cracking.
After the paste has rested for the necessary time, the potter places it on a wheel—often operated by foot—and in a short time, the clay takes the shape of a vessel in the potter’s hands.
The potter doesn’t use a mold, and each vessel is crafted individually in a highly artisanal manner. Only through techniques and the potter’s meticulous eye can one vessel be made to resemble another.
Once the vessel is formed, it is placed in a drying room with shade and airflow until it dries completely, becoming strong enough to withstand the kiln. During this drying period, the potter must periodically adjust the vessel’s position, as wind hitting only one side could cause deformities.
After drying, the vessel is ready for the kiln, which must be heated to a high temperature. Upon emerging from the kiln, the vessel takes its final form and becomes functional.
The Parable of the Potter and the Clay
The biblical study of the potter and the clay offers rich lessons about God’s divine work in our lives. God is the one who shapes our character and our service to Him. Our submission to God largely determines what can be accomplished through us.
God’s desire is for us to understand that, if necessary, He can alter His plans for our lives. As He showed Jeremiah:
“Then he made it into another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to do.” (Jeremiah 18:4)
A lack of deep dedication to God can hinder His original purpose for our lives. What’s fascinating is that only those who are invited enter a house—no one walks into someone’s home uninvited. Jeremiah shows us that God invites us into His presence every day.
We all receive an invitation to transformation, an invitation to go to the potter’s house and be reshaped in His hands. The Lord God is the potter, the master of the pottery, and He desires to mold and transform us.
The pottery is a place where various types of vessels are crafted, and there Jeremiah began to see a vessel being shaped by the potter’s hands. The vessel started to take form, but at a certain point, it broke in the potter’s hands.
In our lives, it’s similar to this vessel being worked on by the potter’s hands. Often, we are being used by God—sometimes even in positions of prominence or “highlight,” because no one displays a broken vessel in a place of honor.
But the cracks of time and the works of the flesh begin to destroy the vessel’s beauty. Many times, cracks like adultery, fornication, impurity, lust, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envy, murder, drunkenness, gluttony, and similar things break us and cause us to lose the oil, the anointing. It’s at this moment that we must not give up but instead recognize and say to God, “Against You I have sinned, and against heaven. I need to be broken, transformed, and molded. I need You, Lord, to remove the cracks that have caused me to lose the anointing over my life.”
It’s at this moment that we step into the potter’s house and accept the invitation to be transformed—a moment when we let God work in our lives as He wills.
The cracks are sealed, and the anointing is restored and poured out over our lives. We must acknowledge that we’ve erred, that we are cracked, and that we need to be broken by the potter’s hand. The Christian life is marked by profound transformations; it’s marked by repairs. The Christian life is like a hospital—where we enter sick but leave healed!
