17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”b
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For 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.
22Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
Thoughts: We call this Friday good because it is good for us. While the pain and passion was terrible for Jesus- Paul emphasizes here the great power of the cross. The cross is so powerful and yet it makes no worldly sense. It is more powerful than any miracle. ItTh is of greater help than any human wisdom. There were two ways that the cross seemed foolish to people who do not believe (the perishing in vs. 18).
The Jews were looking for a sign or a miracle from God to give them relief and blessing. They were looking for a Messiah to come rescue them from their oppressors (especially the Romans)- like a Moses who took them away from the Egyptians. But instead they found Jesus who became the suffering servant and the Passover Lamb. The miracle of the cross is that the infinite God came down to be a sacrifice for finite human beings. The miracle is of His love and His compassion for us.
The Greeks were looking for someone who could lead them with worldly wisdom. For them rhetoric and making things sound good and fit together was the key to life. Jesus did not seek worldly wisdom. He went to Jerusalem knowing he would die. A wise man would have avoided the pain and taught for many more years to write more books and gain more followers. Jesus, however, faced his death- willing to die a young man with only three years of ministry. But if he had not gone to the cross, he would have been another forgotten philosopher or rabbi. He allowed the claim to kingship as he entered Jerusalem on the Passover. He did not retreat from confrontation but embraced it. But as our passage reminds us- God's worst wisdom (foolishness) is better than our best wisdom.
The cross is the greatest miracle and the greatest wisdom. It is only through Christ's sacrifice that our sins can be forgiven and we can go to heaven. Because it affects everyone- it is the wisest thing that God could do to reach and save the world.
The Jews were looking for a sign or a miracle from God to give them relief and blessing. They were looking for a Messiah to come rescue them from their oppressors (especially the Romans)- like a Moses who took them away from the Egyptians. But instead they found Jesus who became the suffering servant and the Passover Lamb. The miracle of the cross is that the infinite God came down to be a sacrifice for finite human beings. The miracle is of His love and His compassion for us.
The Greeks were looking for someone who could lead them with worldly wisdom. For them rhetoric and making things sound good and fit together was the key to life. Jesus did not seek worldly wisdom. He went to Jerusalem knowing he would die. A wise man would have avoided the pain and taught for many more years to write more books and gain more followers. Jesus, however, faced his death- willing to die a young man with only three years of ministry. But if he had not gone to the cross, he would have been another forgotten philosopher or rabbi. He allowed the claim to kingship as he entered Jerusalem on the Passover. He did not retreat from confrontation but embraced it. But as our passage reminds us- God's worst wisdom (foolishness) is better than our best wisdom.
The cross is the greatest miracle and the greatest wisdom. It is only through Christ's sacrifice that our sins can be forgiven and we can go to heaven. Because it affects everyone- it is the wisest thing that God could do to reach and save the world.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your great wisdom and the miracle of the cross.
