Foolish

This week, we are making our way through a letter Paul wrote to Jesus followers in Corinth. Today, Paul explains God’s point of view.


1 Corinthians 1
18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” 20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. 24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.


Foolish. In case you hadn’t noticed, God sees things differently than we do. From the world’s perspective, humility and compassion and integrity and peace are seen as signs of weakness. From God’s perspective, they are signs of strength that he blesses (check out Matthew 5:3-10). From the world’s perspective, power is an opportunity to gain control. From God’s perspective, power is an opportunity to offer peace. From the world’s perspective, wisdom is a resource that gains status. From God’s perspective, wisdom is a resource that offers service. From the world’s perspective, the cross was foolish. It was a shameful way to end life. From God’s perspective, the cross is the ultimate display of power over sin and death that leads to eternal life. From the world’s perspective, the cross was foolish. Why would God let himself get nailed to a cross? From God’s perspective, the cross is the ultimate display of wisdom. It allowed him to express the full extent of his love and his justice. Which perspective do you live by?