Today's Hebrew Scripture reading offers one of the most favorite, familiar, and enduring images known to believers. Jeremiah's image of God as the divine potter working on, smoothing over, lifting up and perfecting the potentiality of human "clay" is picked up and repeated elsewhere in Scripture (Job 10:9; 33:6; Isaiah 29:16; 45:9; 64:8; Romans 9:20-21; Revelation 2:27). One can also find it in other literature and, of course, in song.

Jeremiah's use of this image comes early in his career. These first texts appear to date from the early days of Jehoiakim's reign, before the disastrous defeat and exile suffered in 586 BC. Scholars tend to disagree over the complete unity of today's text, with many viewing verses 7-10 as a later Deuteronomic editor's commentary on the original "pottery les…