Real Wisdom!

I believe in a good education and in being well read. The great writer and literary critic, Calvin Trillin, once authored a book entitled "The Moral Obligation to be Intelligent." I love that title! It says that we don't have the luxury to stick our heads in the sand and not be acquainted with the facts and processes in the world around us. And especially as we vote for new leaders this coming year and have an opportunity to set a course for this country for the next decade our obligation to be intelligent - to have our wits about us and be informed - becomes all the more apparent.

It was interesting then for me as I'm teaching a class on 1 Corinthians at First Christian Alamo to come across the following passage by the hand of the apostle Paul. In light of what I just said, it really has made me "think."

1Co 1:20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

Paul, of course, was writing his letter to a church in one of the most educated and sophisticated cities of his day. Not only was Corinth a powerful port city which brought in trade from all over the Mediterannean world, it was a place where some of the world's best and brightest gathered for discussion of the important philosophical issues of Paul's day.

For the "discussion" of those philosophical issues is the key point. Paul's Corinth, like Athens, was a city that enjoyed its discussion of philosophy and learning while people continued to experience pain and brokenness, social division, and overall hopelessness.

I believe with Trillin that we have a moral obligation to be intelligent. But the wisdom that fulfills that obligation doesn't come from an excess of human learning. At the root of our experience of life is a "hidden wisdom" Paul says, that the rulers of the world have been missing since time began. What is that "hidden wisdom?"

For Paul it is centered in "Christ crucified!"

Now imagine being a sophisticated, intelligent resident of the city of Corinth and someone comes to your city proclaming that real life lived to the fullest comes from believing in the torture and death and presumed resurrection of a Palestinian Jewish teacher. A story like that would be pereceived as silly, as "foolish!" It would run completely counter to the commonly held ideas of how Greek or Roman gods operate in the world because to be crucified isn't a sign of strength - something of incredible importance to the Roman Empire - but is a sign of defeat and weakness!

But that is precisely Paul's point, isn't it? That life doesn't come from being the most powerful, the most worldly wise, the most worldly influential, but comes in the form of humility and weakness, in the form of a suffering servant.

Christians today find themselves not too far removed from Paul's audience. We still value many of the same things. Wealth. Status. Influence. Power. We give positions of leadership to people who have achieved success in the world of business. And there is nothing wrong with recognizing hard work, discipline, and dedication to one's vocation and calling. But! The source of the Christian's influence doesn't originate in these things, but in the silly, foolish, outlandish notion of the crucified Christ. We are indeed the legacy of that suffering servant. We are suffering servants ourselves.

The disciples once asked Jesus who among them would be greatest in the kingdom of God! Jesus knew what they were asking. They wanted to know who would have the most status, the most honor, be recognized as having the most authority. As he was wont to do, Jesus took their idea of honor and subverted it and said, "The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:11-12)

And so Paul in Corinthians tells this church that if they want find life and live life to the fullest they must first become servants to each other rather than seekers and discussers of worldly wisdom.

We do indeed have a "moral obligation to be intelligent." But our intelligence and our wisdom is a wisdom not of this world. Our wisdom was revealed to us in the life, death, and resurrection of God's only son. And so the wisdom by which we live our lives mirrors that Godly wisdom and it is through that wisdom that we experience Spirit-filled life!