A friend of mine from England tried to explain to me how cricket is played. He said something about wickets, pitch, and stumps. He was speaking in English, but it might as well have been Swahili. I only got vague—and probably erroneous—ideas.
Sometimes, God seems to be speaking a foreign language. God’s wisdom is often foreign to the world’s wisdom and as the world listens, it just doesn’t make sense. Forgiveness? (Why should I forgive? Do you know what he did to me?) Social justice? (If “those people” want to have food, let them have a good job like I do.) Love? (I love folks who are lovable, but some people are just not lovable.) Peace? (You have to yell and beat some people over the head in order to get them to understand.) Inclusive? (I find that life goes more smoothly if I stick to my own kind.) Patient? (OK. I’ll be patient for about fifteen minutes.) Giving? (If I give it away, I won’t have any for myself.) Truth? (Sometimes you had to fudge just a little bit in order to get things done.) Church? (I do better if I don’t have to put up with pious people.) Healing? (There are a few people who need some first-class suffering.) Grace? (Isn’t it better to earn what you get?)
The Church in Corinth was having trouble (1 Corinthians 1:10-11). The apostle Paul has to write them about some pretty basic stuff. In this focal text, he admits that some will see God’s wisdom simply as foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:14). To make the point, Paul quotes Isaiah 40:13, reminding his readers that we are not the ones to instruct God. God teaches us and in Christ Jesus we have the mind of God.
The New Testament has two words that get translated “wisdom.” One of them means “intelligence.” The other one means “practical application or ability.” Which one do you think Paul is using in 1 Corinthians 2? Godly wisdom is more than head knowledge; it is the putting into practice the divine values.
Just before this focal text is Paul’s mention of “wisdom of this age” (1 Corinthians 2:6). Wisdom of this age is just passing by. The next generation will have a different view on what is wise. God’s wisdom, on the other hand, is eternal. To have such wisdom is a gift from God’s Holy Spirit.
What Someone Else Has Said: In From Whom No Secrets Are Hid (Westminster John Knox), Walter Bruggemann has written: “Wisdom teaching assumes the governance of a reliable creator God who has ordered the world in a reliable way. This teaching, inescapably, is ‘belief-ful learning.”
Prayer: As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Teach me, O Lord...”
