1 Corinthians 1:18-25
18 The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scholar? 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, God decided, through the foolishness of the proclamation, to save those who believe. 22 For Jews ask for signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
The wisdom of the world can be very helpful. Don’t play in traffic. Don’t touch a hot stove. Don’t walk in the snow barefoot. The wisdom of the world keeps us from maiming or killing ourselves every day.
The downside of the wisdom of the world is that it tries to keep us from taking risks. Its goal is to preserve our life, safety, and possessions. Things like generosity, selflessness, and sacrifice register as foolishness.
In Jesus, God made foolish the wisdom of the world. “Turn the other cheek. If someone asks for your coat give them your shirt as well. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” And one day, a broken man on a Roman cross showed the world the true power of self-emptying love.
Sometimes God calls us to become foolish in the eyes of the world to remain faithful to God’s Law of Love. We saw it when hundreds of people walked across a bridge into a crucible of police violence. We saw it in a young Chinese man standing with his head bowed in front of a line of tanks. We saw it in 100 members of the clergy allowing themselves to be arrested rather than remaining silent. And we’re seeing it in every child of God who is standing up today to say, “No More!”
Swaggering strongmen and those who follow them thrive on the world’s illusion of power. They will never win the day because God’s weakness is stronger than their strength and faith active in love has the power to change the world.
Prayer: Lord God: Show me where and how I can be a fool for Christ today. AMEN