20 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? 21 For 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. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Corinthians 1:20-25 (ESV)
Abba,
The mystery of Christ is a scandal to fleshly people. To the self-righteous and boastfully pious, it is unseeming that one would dare boast about his own righteousness. This is the funny thing about self-righteousness. It becomes indignant at other’s claims to righteousness all the while maintaining their own hold on it.
Jesus, Your claim to such infuriated them. THEN, for You to step it up and declare Yourself to be God, to be one with You, Abba? Well, this was simply too much. You had no stature, Jesus, that they would recognize. You were the son of a carpenter. Uneducated. Not religiously trained. The son of illegitimate origins, at least in their opinion and understanding. They never saw You as anything other than a sinner and trash to be discarded. Especially when they compared it next to their righteousness.
And a Messiah? Pah. They were looking for a warrior, a king. They were looking for a mighty one who would come to save them from Rome.
And yet, here, in the scandal of the pious is the mystery of You revealed. You exposed the world’s wisdom as foolishness. You shamed the wise. You came and showed us that we really know nothing at all. We run to man, to ourselves for wisdom and truth. We run to man, to ourselves for explanation of the mystery that is all around us.
But we are wrong. They were wrong. You came in lowly means, as a humble servant to give Yourself as a Savior for all who would repent and believe. You came to do exactly what You said, what the prophesies told, just in a different way than the self righteous, pious wanted to see.
You are both the mystery and wisdom. You are truth. Your will and plan shamed the woefully inadequate and short sighted plan of man. Jesus, Your claims were accurate and legit. You ARE righteous. Our own claims of self righteousness make Your claims scandalous. The problem is not Your claim but our self righteous pride. We may well not understand Your will or way, we may fail to see and fully understand due to our own limited sight but it does not void Your rightful claims.
Oh that we would be wary of the scandal of the pious. May we not be so self assured and self righteousness that we fall under Your rebuke and correction. May we not be so blind as to miss the wonder of Your genius and glory.
Your wisdom and ways are not our wisdom and ways. They are better. They are higher, infinitely so. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear the beauty of Your wisdom and ways.
We love you.
A Singular Passion 