God Chose What Is Foolish in the World
The
word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being
saved it is the power of God. For it is
written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the
discerning I will thwart.”
Where
is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For
since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it
pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to
Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of
God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than
men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For
consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly
standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame
the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world,
even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence
of God. He is the source of your life in
Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification
and redemption. Therefore, as it is written,
“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:18–31).
Grace to you and peace from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
“Show us a sign, Paul.” The apostle
could count on those words whenever he preached in a Jewish synagogue. His
fellow Jews had some specific beliefs about the Messiah. From the Old Testament,
they had selected passages that describe Him as powerful, almighty, and able to
heal and silence storms. Sadly, they neglected or ignored those passages that
describe Him as the Suffering Servant. And under the harsh regime of the Roman
Empire, they wanted a Savior who would come with signs and wonders and send
Caesar packing. So, when Paul came along and declared the Savior had come, they
were willing to hear him out. They hoped to hear that the Messiah had come,
that He would make Israel great again. They wanted to hear about the glorious
signs, miracles, and the announcement that deliverance from Roman oppression
was imminent. If Paul could show proof and give them a sign, they’d believe in
Jesus.
So, Paul would preach to them Christ
crucified. This is the sign of Jesus. They were saved because their Savior had
died for them while nailed to a cross for their sins.
This wasn’t the Savior they were
looking for, though. A dead man didn’t seem like much of a Messiah. Furthermore,
they were scandalized by the way He died, and you can bet that Paul heard this
more than once: “You say that this Jesus was crucified on a cross to save us?
That’s how He is our Savior? But the Lord said way back in Deuteronomy [21:23].
‘Cursed is anyone who is hanged on a tree.’ If this Jesus was hanged on a cross,
He was cursed by God! He can’t be the Savior!”
Paul would no doubt explain the
cross a little more: God cursed Jesus on the cross. God made Him who knew no
sin to be sin for us. Jesus saved us by being cursed and judged for our sins so
that God would not curse and judge us for our sins. The cross was the great
sign that Jesus is the Savior because that’s where He accomplished salvation.
To most of the Jews though, it was a reprehensible sign. It was a stumbling
block they couldn’t get over. No self-respecting Savior would allow Himself to
be hanged on a tree. It was just like the day when Jesus cleansed the temple:
the leaders demanded a sign to prove His authority, and Jesus told them He would
give them no sign, except He would die and rise again. It wasn’t the sign they wanted
to hear. Thus, Paul’s preaching was rejected by many because Jesus won
salvation by cross and death, not signs and glory.
But a few would hear and believe
this seemingly foolish message, delivered by the Holy Spirit from false
expectations of a false Savior who isn’t going to come. And to those who
believe, Jesus is the power of God who forgave their sins and will raise them to
everlasting life.
“Make your case, Paul. Make your
Messiah make sense to us.” Paul undoubtedly heard this sentiment as he moved
among the Greeks as an apostle. These were good people with Aristotle and Plato
in their history, and Greeks liked nothing better than a good, logical argument.
If Paul could prove the wisdom of following Jesus, then there was a good chance
that the Greeks would be won over. The Romans, heirs of much of this wisdom,
were the same. Make your case, Paul, and make it good. If you can convince our
intellect, we’ll believe in your Jesus.
So, Paul would preach to them Christ
crucified. Paul would declare that God’s only Son, true Wisdom from eternity,
had been nailed to the cross for the sins of the world—for both Jews and
Gentiles alike. Once again, Paul’s preaching would zero in on the Gospel—that saving
Good News.
Once again, Paul’s audience for saving
Good News was appalled. For the Greeks, with their logic, fairness, and wisdom,
it didn’t make sense that God would die so that man was pardoned for sin. A
dead Savior seemed rather impotent for the Romans, who valued power and
authority. But there was something worse—that cross again. In the Roman Empire,
only two sorts of people were ever crucified: criminals and disobedient slaves.
The idea that the Son of God would submit to such a death was preposterous to
the Greeks; to the Romans, it was understood that crucifixion was such a hideous
death that it wasn’t to be talked about in polite company. It was like
discussing torture techniques at the dinner table.
No doubt, Paul would explain further.
He’d explain that Jesus had accepted a criminal’s death—to die at God’s hand
for all the crimes and all the sins of all the world. He’d declare that Jesus
has been sold for thirty pieces of silver—the price of a slave, and then died
for all the disobedience of mankind. But again, the idea was too much for their
sensibilities. Christ’s death on the cross was a stumbling block for Greeks and
Romans—it was too repulsive to mention in polite conversation, much less preach
as the centerpiece of the faith.
But to those who believed, this
foolishness of Christ crucified was indeed their salvation. This was God’s
wisdom, granting mercy and grace for the sake of His Son’s suffering and death.
Make no mistake, when Paul preached
Christ crucified, it wasn’t a popular message. It sounded foolish and weak,
even scandalous. But Paul continued to proclaim it; no matter how foolish it
sounded to unbelievers, Jesus Christ—crucified and risen—was Christ the power
of God and wisdom.
It’s still the same. “Show me a sign,”
many demand. Many say they would believe in Jesus if only He would work this
wonder or perform that miracle. If only He would heal disease, deliver from
debt, or end all wars right now, then many more would believe in Him. Why doesn’t
He just show us a sign that He loves us and wants to help us?
Of course, one might respond: as He
has already sacrificed Himself on the cross to save you, isn’t it rather
disrespectful to demand more of a sign than that?
“Show us the wisdom of Jesus, why He’s
helpful for me right now.” That’s another challenge thrown at the Church today.
Far too many books and articles I’ve read declare that we must make Jesus
relevant to the world so that the hearer can use what He’s learned about Jesus
on Sunday when he gets to work on Monday. If it’s not practical to the
unbeliever, goes the argument, then it’s not a good message.
Again, one might respond: What could
be more relevant and practical than the only cure for eternal death?
And do we want unbelievers to
determine what we should proclaim as believers?
You’ll demand signs and wisdom. It’s
neither easy nor fun to live by faith. Immersed in some trial, Old Adam will work
you over, and you’ll be tempted to say, “This whole Jesus-died-on-the-cross-to
forgive-me message is all very nice, but now I need some real help!” (Sigh) Or,
frustrated with this or that aspect of life, you’ll want to murmur, “I get it.
I get the whole Gospel message, so can we just move on to something more
immediately pertinent?”
Let’s face it: up against all the
problems and temptations in this world, the Gospel message sounds weak and
foolish. It’s the big challenge to the confirmand the week after confirmation: Why
return? Up against the temptations and angst of being a teenager, the Small
Catechism seems foolish. When visiting someone who is seriously ill, it can
sound ridiculous to remind them of their Baptism. When worn down by the daily
grind, Absolution and a Law-Gospel sermon look more quaint than adequate—not because
it is, but because we consider our daily hassles more of a concern than our
sinfulness. When a visitor desires the Lord’s Supper, and we ask them to
refrain for the time being, it seems like a needless barrier—I mean, what harm
can a human rite do? Ah, but such thoughts show our sinfulness and frailty and doubt.
They demonstrate that the cross remains a stumbling block for us, too.
And so—for us and the world—we preach
Christ-crucified, even though it isn’t, never has been, and never will be a popular
message. By faith, we acknowledge that what we believe is foolishness to those
who are perishing. Christ crucified for sinners is foolishness apart from
faith. But we proclaim it anyway.
Why? For all sorts of reasons. We
preach Christ-crucified because we can—because the Lord has given us the privilege
of declaring His praises. We preach Christ-crucified because, even though it’s
foolishness to the unbeliever, it is the power and wisdom of God for salvation
to all those who believe. We preach Christ-crucified and risen for our
salvation—because God cursed him in our place, because He died for our
enslavement to sin, and because He suffered the cross for our crimes. We point
to Holy Baptism and gladly declare, “That isn’t water only; Christ, crucified
and risen, is present to wash away our sins. We proclaim the Gospel in the
Absolution and sermons because that is how the Holy Spirit works faith. We
point to the Supper and gladly declare that it is more than just a symbol or a
demonstration of how we treat one another; rather, the crucified/risen Savior
is present with the forgiveness of sins. And where there is forgiveness of
sins, there is also life and salvation.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Christ died on the cross for your sins, and Christ is risen again. That is what
we proclaim because that is the power of salvation for all who believe. The devil,
the world, and your own sinful flesh will work overtime to convince you that it’s
nothing but irrelevant foolishness and weakness, but by the grace of God, you
know better: it is only because Christ was crucified that you are forgiven for
all your sins.
In the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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