827 1 Cor.1.18-25 The Cross & the Wisdom of God
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- In getting caught up in the world of politics, philosophies & ideologies, we can miss some valuable things
T he Cross and the Wisdom of God
T he Cross and the Wisdom of God
Date: 7-04-19 827 Echuca
- In getting caught up in the world of politics, philosophies & ideologies, we can miss some valuable things
- My father, Don, mentioned a phrase the other day that rings so true...
“Here one minute, gone the next”
- It really was describing the temporal nature of life
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- We were talking about a plumber who used to do Dad's building work
- I knew him also having worked on a number of occasions on the same building sites
- One day, when this plumber was working for another builder, he was up on a dew-covered slippery roof & was killed, when he slipped & slid off the roof & landed on a pallet of bricks
“Here one minute, gone the next”
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- The last thing in his mind was the thought that he wouldn't see the day out
Q. Accepting that what I'm going to say is anecdotal, if he knew he would die on that day, what would he do differently on the days leading up to the day of his death?
- Probably spent it with his family, I guess
- Saying things to them that he normally would not have said
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- My point is, that in the blindness of not knowing our future, we can miss some things that are truly valuable
- Of course, you cannot live life assuming you will be dead tomorrow
- If you did, you'd probably never work another day in your life
- But you could live each day differently with an anticipation that every day may be your last
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- This may seem an obvious truth to you, but you know as well as me, that we often do not give thought to this possibility
- We get caught up in the world; we get caught up with their pursuits, their desires & often, we get lost amongst the values the world puts forward
- There is, therefore, a deception that comes with being influenced, in a negative way, by the world
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- The apostle Paul says to the Corinthian church that in their pursuit of worldly wisdom – the things of the world & it's values – they are missing something that is truly valuable
- In fact, that valuable thing is sitting right under their noses – it was what they originally believed, but what they are now disregarding because it does not have the worldly appeal that they desire
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- In fact, it is so politically incorrect, that they beginning to distance themselves from it
- Not only were they desiring the most politically correct & fanciest of philosophies, but their behaviour & values began to also follow them in this worldly approach
Q. Does this aversion to worldliness have a source?
1. The World's Idolatry
1. The World's Idolatry
- At it's root, I think it does have a source & that source is none other than what we call idolatry
Q. When we think of idolatry, what do we think of?
- Usually, we think of a little Buddha mounted on a shrine, or Egyptians worshipping the sun, moon & stars
- Or, the worship of the Baals & the Asherah of the OT
- You may be even thinking of
—22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
- Interesting that Paul has in mind those professing to be wise
- The very problem this church has buried itself in
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- But idolatry is more than the worship of idols
- Idolatry could be simply explained by the phrase, “putting God second place”
- If Jesus is not first, then something else is put first & it doesn't matter whether the Lord is second, third, fifth or tenth
- If He is not first, then He has been dethroned in the person's life
- This is the essence of idolatry
- First of the 10 commandments: “you shall have no other gods before Me” - having other gods obviously puts a competition between the Lord & other gods
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- To be clear, though, what this 1st commandment is actually saying is that “you shall have no other gods, before My face (or, in My sight)”
- So we should see this as saying that you should have no gods, period!
- It does not say that you can still have your other gods, so long as THE Lord comes first
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- But the apostle Paul puts materialism & worldly, sinful behaviour, squarely in the category of idolatry
5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
—5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
—5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
Col.3:5
—5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
- It seems that idolatry also includes making yourself into a god
—5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
- It seems that idolatry also includes making yourself into a god
- Doing your own thing to the determent of God's calling & will is idolatry
- When a man or woman enthrones self, they dethrone God
—15 Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD, And whose deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?” 16 You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”; Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
15 Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the Lord, And whose deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?” 16 You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”; Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
- God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, is pronouncing judgement on the wisdom of an idolatrous world
- God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, is pronouncing judgement on the wisdom of an idolatrous world
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- When a person comes face to face with a crucified Jesus, the world & its form of wisdom will react with intensity
- It will say, that glory is not found in a cross; it will say that power is not found in a cross; it will say that success is not found in a cross
- The wisdom of the world says that the cross spells out defeat, failure, misery, suffering – to say this is God's way is utter nonsense
- To the world, it is utter madness to proclaim that the Person of Jesus, God's Son, died on a cross for our sins
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- We are talking here about worldly wisdom, not about wisdom per se
- Of course, we have the Psalms, Proverbs & Ecclesiastes that are wisdom books in the Bible
- That is wisdom that acknowledges the true & living God & gives sound guidance for living life, to the full in light of the one creator God
- “The fool says in his heart, there is no God”, is not really speaking against the Atheist, because there were none in that time, but about the one who would say, there is no ONE God, only many
- Funnily enough, Christians were called Atheists during the first few centuries of the church because we refused to believe in all the Roman gods
2. The Stigma of Crucifixion
2. The Stigma of Crucifixion
Q. What did the ancient world think of crucifixion?
- Did you know that crosses never existed on churches for, at least, 300 yrs after the Christ
- No one would have proudly worn a cross on a bracelet or necklace
Q. How come?
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- The apostle says in v.23 that the message of a crucified Messiah is a stumbling block to Jews & foolishness or one scholar says, “madness” to Gentiles
- Every fibre of their being considered the message of a crucified Son of God to be a form of insanity
a. Stumbling Block to Jews
a. Stumbling Block to Jews
- Human sacrifice was banned in the OT & it was associated with pagan religions
- You may recall that Ahaz, king of Judah, sacrificed his sons to the so-called god, Molech in order to prevent Jerusalem being overthrown by his enemy
- To proclaim in Jesus, a human sacrifice was a stumbling block – something that caused sin, something that prevented belief in Jesus
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- The Jews were also aware of the Scripture that speaks of the one put on the tree because of some sin that called for the death penalty
22 “If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.
—22 “If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.
Q. To the Jew, Jesus is accursed of God, so how in the world could you proclaim Him as Messiah, son of the living God?
Q. To the Jew, Jesus is accursed of God, so how in the world could you proclaim Him as Messiah, son of the living God?
- From a Jewish standpoint, a crucified Messiah was an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms
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- Justin Martyr was a Christian trying to convince Rabbi Trypho, the Jew that Jesus is the Messiah
- Justin pointed him to which speaks of the Kingdom given to the Messiah by the Ancient of Days
13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14 “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.
—13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14 “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.
- But the Rabbi responds...
- But the Rabbi responds...
“Sir, these and suchlike passages of scripture compel us to await One who is great and glorious, and takes the everlasting Kingdom from the Ancient of Days as Son of Man. But this your so-called Christ is without honour and glory, so that He has even fallen into the uttermost curse that is in the Law of God, for he was crucified.”
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- Yet, the Rabbi & Jews seem to miss Isaiah's message?
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
—4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
- And is it any wonder after we see the images of the Christ in Revelation
- And is it any wonder after we see the images of the Christ in Revelation
—5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” 6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain...
5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” 6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.
- The Messiah conquers, not through force & conquests, but through suffering & death
- The Messiah conquers, not through force & conquests, but through suffering & death
b. Madness to Gentiles
b. Madness to Gentiles
- Crucifixion was no walk in the park
- In Roman times, it was not only the rule to nail the condemned man by both hands & feet, it was also preceded by flogging
- This meant that blood would flow in streams
- Jesus was so weakened by the loss of blood, that He was unable to carry the cross beam to the place of execution
- It is not surprising that He died on the cross the very day He was nailed to it
- Sometimes, depending on the severity of the flogging, the condemned man may still be alive days after being put on the cross
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- Crucifixion was inflicted predominately on the lower classes – slaves, violent criminals, murders & those guilty of treasonous conduct against the State
- To speak of a crucified man as associated with God is to speak stupidity – folly & madness
c. Fear
c. Fear
- Crucifixion was meant to invoke fear – it was a deterrent against breaking Roman Law
- The Romans were admired for the way they brought peace throughout the Empire
- Highway men were under control as were Pirates in the Mediterranean Sea
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- Crucifixion was carried out publicly - it sent a clear message
- The cross was a sign of a strict & merciless regime
- Usually, crucifixion was carried out where the crime was carried out
- It was done that way to give comfort to the grieving relatives who were murdered or killed by the one being crucified
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- I wouldn't suggest that you think it was providing some sort of justice for the criminal
- At certain times, they killed their wives and children before their eyes as they hung there on the cross
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Quintilian (95 AD) would set up crosses on the busiest roads
“Whenever we crucify the guilty, the most crowded roads are chosen, where the most people can see and be moved by this fear. For penalties relate not so much to retribution as to their exemplary effect”.
d. Shame & Humiliation
d. Shame & Humiliation
- The public display of a naked victim at a busy place, near a theatre, a crossroad, high ground or where the crime was committed, made sure you felt the full weight of humiliation
- Cicero, a Roman Statesman & orator who was killed in 43 BC, wrote...
“How grievous a thing it is to be disgraced by a public court; how grievous to suffer a fine, how grievous to suffer banishment; and yet in the midst of any such disaster we retain some degree of liberty. Even if we are threatened with death, we may die free men. But the executioner, the veiling of the head and the very word ‘cross’ should be far removed not only from the person of a Roman citizen but from his thoughts, his eyes and his ears. For it is not only the actual occurrence of these things or the endurance of them, but liability to them, the expectation, indeed the very mention of them, that is unworthy of a Roman citizen and a free man”.
- The cross is so aberrant to a Roman citizen that it shouldn't be mentioned
- Perhaps, he was suggesting that the “cross” falls in the category of a C16 bill where the government compels you to not use words that may offend or insult
- This is what the cross did to the free men & Roman citizens
- Polite society would have none of it
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- Martin Hengel writes...
“To proclaim a crucified Jew from some backwater of the empire as “a divine being sent on earth, God’s son, Lord of all and the coming judge of the world, must have been thought by any educated man to be utter ‘madness’ and presumptiousness” (Hengel 1977: 83).
e. Dishonour
e. Dishonour
- The horror of crucifixion was further exacerbated by the fact that the condemned man was never buried
- He would be left up there on the cross to die & be eaten by the birds of prey & wild animals
- Vultures would come down & dispose of the corpses taking pieces away for their young
- By doing this, they made their humiliation & dishonour complete
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- Of course, when Jesus dies they took down the men from the cross as a concession to the Jews who saw leaving them up there overnight to be in disobedience to Deut, 21 where the exposed corpse, defiles the land
- So, they would break the crucified men's legs so that they could no longer breath, as they had to push their bodies up to inhale air & then slump down again
- Breaking the legs stopped them from doing that & it brought on their deaths
- They never broke Jesus' legs because they had seen that He had already died
3. The Power and Wisdom of God
3. The Power and Wisdom of God
- The ancient world in which Christianity began could never had understood singing, the “Old Rugged Cross”
- They would agree that it was the emblem of suffering & shame, but they could never agree with the sentiments that the “old rugged cross...has a wondrous attraction for me”
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- On the contrary, the word of the cross is abhorrent to a civilised society
- The preacher of such a message has to be a fool, or worse, mad
- In 150 AD, Justin Martyr, a Christian apologist says...
“They say that our madness consists in the fact that we put a crucified man in second place after the unchangeable and eternal God, the Creator of the world (Apology 1, 13.4)”.
- Preaching the cross of Christ brought the contempt of the world down upon the preacher
- The cross bore a stigma – it spoke an entirely opposite message to all powerful, all conquering, creator of the universe
- As one writer says,
“The cross does not part the sea for the people to cross in safety and then drown the pursuing enemy. Instead, it splits the temple veil, and only those who see with faith can see the defeat of the enemy”.
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- The cross turns the values of the world upside down
- Jesus death on a cross has turned shame into glory & glory into shame
- The foolish message of the cross is what outsmarts the wise & it's weakness overpowers the strong
- It is the very vehicle that God has used to convey His judgement upon a truth-rejecting world
- A world that only sees what it wants to see
- A world that has elevated it's own wisdom &, in the process, has tried to domesticate God to it's own bidding
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- In the beatitudes, we also see worldly values turned upside down
- Jesus calls blessed...the poor, the meek, the mourning, the hungry, the persecuted
- The world calls blessed...the rich, the exalted, those who laugh; those who feast & those who domineer & conquer
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- It is this same worldly wisdom that elevates human pride which has caused the quarrelling in the Corinthian church
- They have absorbed the world with its ideas & ideals
- They are avoiding the cross because the message is not palatable nor appreciated in the world
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- We are not much better off, today, that then
- Many churches seem to continue to repeat the Corinthian experiment
- Chasing after the world – imitating it to look cool and acceptable by the world's standards of wisdom
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- Yet, the apostle wants the church to emulate the values exhibited in the cross
- Instead of avoiding the scandal of the cross, the church is to embrace it
- The cross which is a symbol of Roman terror & political domination, God turns into a symbol of His love & power
- As one writer says, “it shows that the power of God’s love is greater than the human love of power”
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- Our response to this message is simple
- The cross is the very wisdom & power of God
- If you water down it's offence, if you minimise it's folly, you remove it's power to save
- The answer is to, unashamedly but graciously, just tell it as it is!
- Say what God has done in sending Jesus to the cross – to die, to be a sacrifice for the sins of the world
- For all who believe in Him, for all He calls, they will receive forgiveness from God & be reconciled to Him
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- The cross of Christ is a judgement on humanity
- It divides the world into those who believe & are on God's side, from those who see it as folly & reject it
—21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.