"For the message of
the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those of us who are
being saved it is the power of God.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:18
Within this
unimaginably huge universe of ours, we are tiny dots on a tiny planet. Think
about it: The Milky Way galaxy contains around 100 billion stars. And as huge
as the Milky Way galaxy is, it’s only one of about 100 billion galaxies in the
known universe. Looking up into the heavens, it’s no wonder the psalmist asked
God in Psalm 8:4, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that
you care for him?”
But He does. Isn’t that mind-blowing? The notion that the Creator of this vast universe cares about you and me, and loves you and me, sounds ridiculous. It sounds foolish. But as we see in 1 Corinthians 1, God has a funny habit of doing things that sound foolish to us. And God has a funny habit of choosing weak and lowly people like you and me to carry out His purposes. Sounds unbelievable. But it’s true.
If you
spend some time with nonChristians, you’ll be reminded that the message of the
cross sounds really crazy to unbelievers. As Paul summarized his own culture in
1 Corinthians 22:23, “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to
Gentiles.”
You see, in Paul’s day the Jews were really big on miracles. During Jesus’ ministry, the Jewish crowds and their rabbis kept asking Jesus to show them a miraculous sign to prove he was the Messiah – even after he performed numerous healings. So, the cross of Jesus Christ was a stumbling block to Jews, because in their minds, his crucifixion was anything but a miracle. In their minds it was the exact opposite. Now, they might have seen it as a miracle if Jesus had survived the crucifixion. If he had stepped down from the cross and walked away with nails still sticking out of his wrists and a spear still dangling from his side, THAT, in their minds, would be a miracle worthy of standing up and taking notice. So, the message of the cross sounded foolish to Jews who rejected Jesus as Lord and Savior.
You see, in Paul’s day the Jews were really big on miracles. During Jesus’ ministry, the Jewish crowds and their rabbis kept asking Jesus to show them a miraculous sign to prove he was the Messiah – even after he performed numerous healings. So, the cross of Jesus Christ was a stumbling block to Jews, because in their minds, his crucifixion was anything but a miracle. In their minds it was the exact opposite. Now, they might have seen it as a miracle if Jesus had survived the crucifixion. If he had stepped down from the cross and walked away with nails still sticking out of his wrists and a spear still dangling from his side, THAT, in their minds, would be a miracle worthy of standing up and taking notice. So, the message of the cross sounded foolish to Jews who rejected Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Meanwhile,
the Greeks and Romans of Paul’s day took pride in their ability to understand
the complexities of life through science and philosophy. They prided themselves
on their ability to save themselves and humanity through intellectual reasoning.
But the message of the cross sounded to them like utter foolishness. Think
about it: receiving LIFE from one who received DEATH. Being BLESSED by one who
was made a CURSE. Being CLEANSED by one who was made DIRTY. It sounded so
foolish then. And to many it still sounds so foolish today.
Therefore,
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the message of the cross is foolishness
to those who are perishing, but to those of us who are being saved it is the
power of God.” Believers
and followers of Jesus Christ can see what unbelievers can’t see. We can
understand what unbelievers can’t understand. We can see and understand that
the message of the cross isn’t foolish. Quite the opposite: It’s brilliant. No
matter how intelligent the Greek philosophers seemed to be, they still didn’t
know God. And no matter how eloquent the Greek thinkers were, they couldn’t
talk themselves out of a single sin. Regardless of how many universities they
attended or how high their IQs soared, they were powerless to transform hard
hearts or turn sinners into saints.
Let’s face it. In the eyes of many
people, we as Christians are complete morons for believing in Jesus Christ
crucified and risen again. And that’s okay with God. As Paul wrote, “God chose
the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of
the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the
despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so
that no one may boast before Him” (vs. 27-29).
Chances are, when God found you, you
weren’t an intellectual giant or an influential billionaire. If you know in
your heart of hearts that God saved you, erase in your mind any notion that He
saved you because He was impressed by
you. He wasn’t impressed by your towering intellect. He wasn’t impressed by
your amazing talent. And He certainly wasn’t impressed by your rugged good
looks. I’m sure many, many angels are better looking than you. God offered to
save you … not because of you, but in spite of you. You and I were foolish.
We were weak. We were lowly, and we were despised. But in His wisdom and power
and grace, Jesus Christ saved us despite ourselves.
If we follow Jesus Christ, he will
use those of us the world calls “fools” to put the world’s wisdom to shame. And
as the secular world around us calls us intellectually and emotionally weak,
God will use us as examples of strength and courage in the midst of life’s
battles. And as the secular world around us calls us lowly and despised, God
will lift us up as His greatest treasure.
Let me ask you: Are you one of the foolish things of the world that God chose? I hope so!
Let me ask you: Are you one of the foolish things of the world that God chose? I hope so!
Dane Davis is the Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information, visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com and join us for worship Sundays at 10 a.m.
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