Foolishness
This week's verses are 1 Corinthians 1:18-24:
Sometimes the truth makes absolutely no sense. Men and women don't make sense to each other. Adults don't make sense to children. Different political tribes don't make sense to each other. You can explain all day and nobody will understand you. The message about Jesus being crucified for our sins is the same way.
At the time when Paul was writing this, the Jews expected that Christ would come back as a conqueror and rule as a king from Israel, and yet he didn't even speak up against Rome, let alone chase them out of Israel, and he was tortured and killed as a criminal without fighting back. From a Jewish perspective, Jesus couldn't possibly have been the Christ, the Messiah, because the story didn't turn out like they hoped.
At the same time, the Greeks, much like in our modern world view, expected the universe to make sense logically. They wanted the stories to make sense and to fit what they already knew about the universe around them. They wanted their gods to act like men, and do things they and their neighbours might do, based on the values that they and their neighbours had. And yet this God didn't assert himself, didn't explain himself, and didn't appear to have any power at all. After seeing what happened to Jesus there was no way they could believe he was God.
The Jews wanted the movie to turn out like they pictured the book, and the Greeks just wanted it to make sense. Nobody was happy. To we who have chosen to believe, it all makes sense somehow and is a great thing. But to people whose hearts are elsewhere, it just seems crazy to them and no amount of explaining will set it right. Try explaining capitalism to a diehard communist or communism to a staunch capitalist. They're in a different world, ensnared in a completely different belief system.
From a Christian perspective, Christ crucified is pure genius. It's not a tragedy but a twist ending. It's not a violation of the law but its fulfilment. The Jewish zealotry and Greek intellectualism seem foolish in that context. It's only the very lucky among them who can escape that world view and see the power and wisdom of God's plan. The rest are trapped in a foolish prison of limited perspective.
To those of us who are being saved, the forgiveness of our sin is the most amazing thing ever. Christ's love for us in sacrificing himself to pay the price is the most amazing thing ever. It's the most world-changing thing to happen since the garden of Eden. There's no way someone is going to simply study or reason their way to that belief. It's pure grace that we are able to see it.
Be thankful that no matter how well-educated or how ignorant, how clever or how stupid, we all are recipients of the grace of God. We can see him and appreciate what he's done. Intelligence and wisdom without belief are useless stupidity in eternity but even the dumbest believer is saved.
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will thwart the cleverness of the intelligent.” Where is the wise man? Where is the expert in the Mosaic law? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made the wisdom of the world foolish? For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching. For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom, but we preach about a crucified Christ, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Sometimes the truth makes absolutely no sense. Men and women don't make sense to each other. Adults don't make sense to children. Different political tribes don't make sense to each other. You can explain all day and nobody will understand you. The message about Jesus being crucified for our sins is the same way.
At the time when Paul was writing this, the Jews expected that Christ would come back as a conqueror and rule as a king from Israel, and yet he didn't even speak up against Rome, let alone chase them out of Israel, and he was tortured and killed as a criminal without fighting back. From a Jewish perspective, Jesus couldn't possibly have been the Christ, the Messiah, because the story didn't turn out like they hoped.
At the same time, the Greeks, much like in our modern world view, expected the universe to make sense logically. They wanted the stories to make sense and to fit what they already knew about the universe around them. They wanted their gods to act like men, and do things they and their neighbours might do, based on the values that they and their neighbours had. And yet this God didn't assert himself, didn't explain himself, and didn't appear to have any power at all. After seeing what happened to Jesus there was no way they could believe he was God.
The Jews wanted the movie to turn out like they pictured the book, and the Greeks just wanted it to make sense. Nobody was happy. To we who have chosen to believe, it all makes sense somehow and is a great thing. But to people whose hearts are elsewhere, it just seems crazy to them and no amount of explaining will set it right. Try explaining capitalism to a diehard communist or communism to a staunch capitalist. They're in a different world, ensnared in a completely different belief system.
From a Christian perspective, Christ crucified is pure genius. It's not a tragedy but a twist ending. It's not a violation of the law but its fulfilment. The Jewish zealotry and Greek intellectualism seem foolish in that context. It's only the very lucky among them who can escape that world view and see the power and wisdom of God's plan. The rest are trapped in a foolish prison of limited perspective.
To those of us who are being saved, the forgiveness of our sin is the most amazing thing ever. Christ's love for us in sacrificing himself to pay the price is the most amazing thing ever. It's the most world-changing thing to happen since the garden of Eden. There's no way someone is going to simply study or reason their way to that belief. It's pure grace that we are able to see it.
Be thankful that no matter how well-educated or how ignorant, how clever or how stupid, we all are recipients of the grace of God. We can see him and appreciate what he's done. Intelligence and wisdom without belief are useless stupidity in eternity but even the dumbest believer is saved.
You're right, it's confusing. I wonder where I fall, Jewish or Greek perspective...
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