Foolishness at its best

I'm not sure that anyone would argue this world has more intelligence than perhaps ever before. We're doing things that even the great minds of the past would have struggled to understand. Me? I'm not sure how a telephone works, cell or otherwise. But I know who saves me. I know.

The Bible says: 18 For the message of 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; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."

You get that?

The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.

All our intelligence (including those who would argue against intelligent design) is useless against that which God gives us. When we get to Christ crucified, and the subsequent resurrection, with those whom the spiritual switch hasn't been flipped, you get stares or you get denials or sometimes you even get smiles.

But it happened. It did. Christ was crucified, was dead, was buried and was raised.

The Message puts it this way: The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense."

You don't have to look far from your realm of existence to find someone who thinks this is silliness. Driving between churches Sunday I saw people cutting grass, I saw people riding bikes, I saw people at a bar. I saw on Facebook a person who said, "Happy Easter. The water is boiling for the crawfish." Certainly that is the reason we celebrate Easter, huh? A crawfish boil.

The Message continues, "So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation."

That's where we find Jesus on Sundays, in the Word proclaimed.

Not at the crawfish boil.