The Wisdom of God

The epistle lesson in the Revised Common Lectionary continues through the first chapter of Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians. Corinth was an absolute mess. It was a city full of confusion, social change, and unrest. And so its no surprise that the infant Christian community in Corinth had its problems as well. Paul's letters to the Christians in Corinth are largely responses to conflicts that arose in the Corinth community over doctrine and practice.

The text for this week concerns the Church's struggle about reconciling the crucifixion of Christ with God's power and glory. The struggle is understandable, both for the disciples who were of Jewish upbringing and those raised in Greek culture. Persons in Jewish culture wanted God's power to be revealed in signs. Greeks wanted wisdom. New converts to Christianity had difficulty understanding how the cross of Christ was a sign of God's power or evidence of wisdom. The cross seemed to be nothing but a sign of powerlessness.

Paul responds by reminding us that the cross only looks like a sign of powerlessness to us because of our ignorance. When we see the cross through the wisdom of God, we see a revelation of God's power and glory. For Jews and Greeks, the purpose of life was to consolidate power, wealth, and glory within themselves, within their families, and within their nation. Our culture thinks about the purpose of life in the same fashion. The wisdom of God is not about consolidating power and glory, but in giving it away. The cross only looks like powerlessness and foolishness when we are thinking with human wisdom. Through the crucifixion of Christ, God emptied Himself to bring life and redemption to the world. This greatest manifestation of God's glory and power is only perceived as glory and power when we see the cross through God's wisdom.