Although the band has no permanent drummer or bass guitarist, Jeremy Lutito and Gabe Ruschival of Disappointed by Candy fill these roles for live concerts.

Past tour band members include Aaron Sands, Scott Savage, and Joe Porter.

The band's name is derived from the New International Version's translation of 2 Corinthians 4:7: But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.This verse is paraphrased in their song "Four Seven", which appears as a hidden track on the CD release of their self-titled album.

[1] Charlie Lowell first met Dan Haseltine after noticing that he was wearing a Toad the Wet Sprocket shirt.

While in college playing together at local coffee houses, Jars gained a reputation for their original arrangement of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" which had been adapted to the tune of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

In 1994, the band submitted a demo to a talent competition run by the Gospel Music Association and were selected as finalists.

He was replaced with Matt Odmark, Lowell's childhood friend and fellow McQuaid Jesuit High School alum.

The acoustic disc consisted of reworked and rearranged fan favorites, two The Eleventh Hour b-sides, and a cover of Adam Again's "Dig".

The band continued the acoustic and organic approach that was featured on Furthermore for their fifth studio album entitled Who We Are Instead, which released on November 4, 2003.

"God Will Lift Up Your Head", reworked as an acoustic rocker, was a hit for the band on Christian radio.

[15] Their next album, Good Monsters, was released on September 5, 2006 and was labeled by Jars of Clay "their first ever rock record".

[16] In the September 2006 edition of CCM Magazine, the band credited fellow artist Ashley Cleveland with inspiring the improvisational sound of the album.

In March 2007, the band announced at a concert in Des Moines, Iowa, that they were no longer on Essential Records and would now be releasing music independently.

Later, press releases announced the name of their label as Gray Matters, which would be a partnership with Nettwerk Music Group.

[19] Along with the announcement of their new label, the band mentioned that they are planning to record the soundtrack to Honoring a Father's Dream: Sons of Lwala, a documentary about Milton and Fred Ochieng' - brothers from the African village training to be doctors in the States, working to build a clinic in their home town.

On July 29, 2008, Gray Matters Records released Closer EP exclusively through online digital music stores.

[24] The Long Fall Back to Earth was nominated for the Grammy to the "Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album", though they didn't win in the category.

[27] On March 18, 2013, the band released an exclusive track, "Love in Hard Times", that could only be acquired with the purchase of their EP Under the Weather (Live in Sellersville, PA) directly from their website.

[30] The group's activities have been limited in recent years (as of 2022), each band member focusing on individual pursuits, but they continue to release music and perform sporadically.

[32] Lead singer Dan Haseltine visited Africa in 2002, which in turn inspired the founding of Blood: Water Mission, a non-profit organization created to raise awareness and money for the poverty and AIDS stricken regions of the continent.