The text for our meditation on God’s Holy Word is the epistle lesson appointed for the day. I bring you grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Last week we talked about the unifying power of the cross of Jesus Christ—that the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross has unified God and man and has laid the foundation for unity between men—we talked about how divisions between Christians are a denial of that power of Jesus to unite us into one body—the church.
But today we learn that the cross that unites God and man and Christians with one another—also has the power to divide Christians from those who don’t believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Paul writes that:
The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. All of us have had the experience of visiting with our neighbors and chatting with folks at work and school--and feeling like strangers to the world we live in. As we interact with those around us, we discover that the things we value- and the God we believe in- is rejected by more and more people in our nation. And we can’t figure out why everyone does not value and believe what seems so obvious and important to us.
But they don’t.
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing. What is this “word of the cross” that Paul is referring to? It is the basic proclamation of the Christian church: that Jesus of Nazareth, a real human man, was also God in human flesh—that his life, death, and resurrection are the only way for sinners to have a life with God—and that reconciled to God through faith, we are called to walk in holiness of life.
And so why does the world around us reject this “word of the cross” as foolishness? It is because this “word of the cross” cannot be seen in nature and it cannot be discerned by our intellect and it cannot be measured scientifically. It cannot be known in any way except by revelation from God—and that is the height of foolishness to the unbelieving world around us. And yet for us Christians, the “word of the cross” is the wisdom of God that is central to our being-- it defines who we are- and what we are to be about in the world- and where we are going when this life is over.
To us who are saved by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ--it is the power of God that has rescued us from sin and death and changed us from enemies of God to his children. How can there not be a division between those who believe this message--and those who don’t? And the truth of the matter is that God has ordained this very thing: that man cannot “think” or “reason” his way into heaven. Paul writes:
It is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” These words are a quote from the prophet Isaiah and Paul uses them here to make the point that God himself has ordained this division between those who believe his word and those who don’t by making our human intellect an insufficient means of knowing him as he desires to be known.
You see, not only has our sin rendered us incapable of having a life with God on our own terms—but God himself—our Creator—has placed limits on our intellect so that we can never “think” our way into heaven. Now, the human mind is a great gift from God. The breadth of human knowledge is vast. The technological achievements of mankind are staggering. But all of it together still cannot bring us to God. And that has been proved true again and again down through human history. Paul writes:
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? At the beginning our message we talked about the division in mankind between those who believe the message of the cross and those who don’t. That dividing line also cuts across human religions and human philosophies. The fact of the matter is that there are really only two religions in the world—true biblical Christianity founded on the message of the cross—and everything else.
Hinduism and Islam and Judaism look very different from one another-- but at their heart they are exactly the same: they are religions that tell their adherents that they can have a life with God based upon their own efforts. The various moral philosophies of mankind have the same message. And they leave their followers in exactly the same place—alienated from God—incapable of knowing God as he desires to be known.
The world’s greatest philosopher—the most meticulous scholar—the most knowledgeable scientist cannot do the one thing for mankind that must be done—and that is reconcile us to God.
And because of that—no matter how pious these religions might be—no matter how earnest the followers of some human philosophy might be—no matter how subtle and sophisticated their arguments: God counts it all as foolishness because they cannot do what he has done through the cross—and that is to reveal himself as the God who loves us with an everlasting love. Paul writes:
Since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. That there is a division between those who believe the message of the cross and those who don’t—that it is impossible for mankind to come to God on the basis of his own works or intellect—is not an accident—God in his wisdom has made sure that we cannot have a life with him on the basis of human wisdom.
Certainly we can know some things about God: we can know that he exists by looking at the creation around us—we can know that he loves good and hates evil by the testimony of our own conscience. But we cannot know him as he truly is-- and desires to be known—that has to be revealed to us in what Paul calls “the folly of what we preach.” The truth about God comes only through the proclamation of the church.
When Paul calls the word of the cross “folly’ he is talking about the judgment of the world about the message of the cross-- and he is recognizing the same thing that we recognize as we interact with the unbelieving world around us: that what we regard as the highest wisdom (the Good News of Jesus) the world regards as the worst kind of foolishness.
And yet believing that message is the only way to salvation. Right there is the great dilemma and difficulty for mankind—the human roadblocks to faith. Paul writes:
Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. What we experience in our day of this dividing line between Christians and the world is nothing new--Paul knew it also. Jews didn’t believe in Jesus because they wanted some indisputable sign that he was the Messiah. And even though he did miraculous sign after miraculous sign—they weren’t the signs they wanted. They wanted the Romans overthrown and Israel restored. For Greeks it was unimaginable that God would take on human flesh and die. And while they believed in the immortality of the soul, a bodily, physical resurrection was seen as ridiculous.
And so the “word of the cross” was a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles. But it was also true that the Christian congregation at Corinth was full of both believing Jews and believing Gentiles. How did this come to be? Because as great an impediment to faith as was the demand for signs and the human intellect—the wisdom and power of God was even greater than these human roadblocks to faith. Paul writes:
The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. In the years since these words were written, mankind has plumbed the depth of the atom and unraveled the building blocks of life and stood upon the moon. The wisdom and strength of mankind is great indeed!
And yet, in all those years, not one person has come to God in any other way than by the cross. What man cannot do in his wisdom-- and what he cannot do in the strength of his own good works—the foolishness and weakness of Christ crucified can do, and has done, in bestowing the title “child of God’ upon the lowliness of men. Paul writes:
Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. The true power and wisdom of God in the weakness and foolishness of a crucified Jew could be clearly seen in the members of the Corinthian congregation. Very few of the Christians in that place were great scientists or powerful political leaders or members of the upper echelons of society. They were just regular folks whom God had chosen to bestow the divine dignity of being his children through faith in Jesus.
So it is in our congregation and throughout the Christian church today. Those who have great wealth and great power and great intellect are more often found outside the church than within. There are notable exceptions of course—a number of them in this congregation--and those folks have the ability to do great things for the cause of Christ. But by and large-- power and wealth and great intellect are hurdles that have to be overcome to have a life with God-- rather than helps to faith in Christ.
That is because power and wealth and intellect lift us up rather than bring us low and that is what God has to do to save us. So long as: we are trying to come to God on our own terms—to have a life with him that is of our own making—looking within ourselves for reasons that God ought to be pleased with us—we still don’t know the way of salvation that comes as a free gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus.
We may boast before men about our wealth and power and influence—but we may not boast before God—because our salvation—from beginning to end—is his doing alone. Paul writes:
Because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”God the Father has chosen us form eternity to be his own. He has sent his Son Jesus Christ to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. And his Holy Spirit has worked faith in our heart through Word and Sacrament so that we can believe in Jesus and be saved.
He is our wisdom—the only way that we can truly know who God is. His holy life is our righteousness before God. He is our sanctification—his resurrection life within us that is the ongoing power to live a holy life. And he is our redemption—the one who has paid the price-in his own blood—to set us free from sin, death, and the devil.
There simply is no room in God’s salvation for the boasting of mankind. But there is a place for boasting in the Lord! The rest of our earthly life and all of eternity is not enough time to sufficiently thank God for the power and wisdom of Christ crucified for us—but we can begin today to serve him and praise him as he deserves. Amen.
And now may the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.
