The wisdom of God

059 the wisdom of GodThere is a salient verse in the New Testament in which the apostle Paul speaks of the cross of Christ as a foolishness to the Greeks and an offense to the Jews (1. Corinthians 1,23), It's easy to understand why he makes that statement. After all, in the view of the Greeks, sophistication, philosophy and education were a sublime aspiration. How could a crucified person convey knowledge at all?

For the Jewish mind it was a cry and a desire to be free. In their history, they were attacked by numerous powers and often humiliated by occupying powers. Whether it was the Assyrians, the Babylonians or the Romans, Jerusalem had been repeatedly plundered and its inhabitants made homeless. What would a Hebrew wish for more than someone who would take care of it and strike back at the enemy? How could a Messiah who was crucified be any help at all?

For the Greeks, the cross was folly. For the Jew, it was a nuisance, a stumbling block. What is there in relation to the cross of Christ that so staunchly opposed all that enjoyed power? The crucifixion was humiliating, shameful. It was so humiliating that the Romans, so specialized in the art of torture, guaranteed their own citizens that a Roman would never be crucified. But not only was it humiliating, it was also excruciating. In fact, the English word excruciating comes from two Latin words: "ex cruciatus" or "out of the cross". Crucifixion was the defining word for torment.

Does not that make us pause? Remember - Humiliation and Torment. This was the way Jesus chose to extend His saving hand to us. You see, what we call sin, but tragically trivializing, breaks down the dignity for which we were created. It brings humiliation to our being and pain to our existence. She separates us from God.

On Good Friday, two thousand years ago, Jesus took on the most extreme humiliation and the utmost pain to bring us back to the dignity of a relationship with God and to the healing of our soul. Will you remember that this was done for you and will you accept his gift?

Then you will discover that it is the sin that is folly. Our greatest weakness is not an enemy from the outside, but the enemy from within. It is our own weak will that makes us stumble. But Jesus Christ frees us from the folly of sin and from the weakness of our own self.

This is the real reason why the apostle went on to preach that he was preaching Jesus Christ crucified, who was the power of God and the wisdom of God. Come to the cross and discover its power and wisdom.

by Ravi Zacharias


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