IsJesus a moron?

The season of the Chocolate Bunny draws near. It is on a takeover endeavour to supplant the Christian celebration we call Easter, in reality ‘The Passover.’ Strange how the human heart thinks it is wise and yet promotes a rabbit to satisfy the heart. But the story of Passover/Easter confronts the rabbit with a story that challenges and arouses either animosity or devotion.

‘The logos of the cross is foolishness to…’ is Marshall’s translation of 1 Corinthians 1:18. Logos is the Greek for ‘word’ and Paul uses it in a two edged way. For logos is a term to describe Jesus in John 1:1. The word for foolishness stems from the Greek meaning ‘moron.’

When you link those two words together you could quite rightly say that some people see Jesus as a moron. That is, He is a fool for going to the cross. The piece of wood which lifted Him up and took His life is the reason for many a person’s estimation of Him. It is easy to admire Jesus for His teaching. There would be agreement as to His worthy actions in healing and feeding people, but the cross! Now that is an entirely different matter.

As you read further into the Corinthian chapter you get an understanding for their reasoning. To the non-Jewish mind, influenced by Greek philosophy, the highest ideal was to obtain wisdom. We still celebrate such men as Socrates, Seneca and Epicetus today. I find it interesting that in the Roman world influenced by Greek philosophy they pursued the mental and debased the moral. Their treatment of slaves, the poor and their acceptance of sexual relationships outside of marriage reveal the limits of wisdom. This is also seen in their views of the gods on Mount Olympus. Romans 1:18-32 is an interesting insight into a Jewish Christian’s view of their society.

Why do people still consider Jesus a moron for being crucified? Why is the preaching and sharing of the story of the cross so offensive? Why does it stir up so much hostility? Is it due to the fact that it offends our view of our own personal worth and right to heaven? Especially when those who are low on the social order are treated the same as those from the more noble, the more sophisticated, the more successful!

Perhaps, just perhaps, this reveals the wisdom of God. How?

God in His wisdom by-passed Humanity’s wisdom as the means of securing salvation. Imagine the philosophical arguments as to which philosophy was the most important and worthy of being the ‘gate’ to glory. How few of us would have passed the entrance exam, especially as any philosophy is subject to change, alteration and challenge. If it was by human wisdom people entered heaven, think about how loud the founders would boast before God. Such thing cannot and will not happen. When those who believe in and accept the foolishness of the cross enter His presence it will be with the gratitude of worship and praise. They know their unworthiness and the Lord Jesus’ amazing grace.

The Logos of the cross requires faith, not wisdom. Why? Because faith is possible for the wisest to the most ignorant person to exercise. Faith stems from hearing the message, assessing its truth, realising personal need for forgiveness and mercy, accepting Christ’s offer of grace and surrendering to His Lordship. Then, a most amazing reality takes hold. Christ Jesus takes you out of sin’s dominance into righteousness. The believer is removed from the kingdom of Darkness and brought into the Kingdom of Light! The person is no longer a slum of self-righteousness or depravity but the temple of the risen Lord. No amount of human wisdom can ever achieve such a transformation!

How glad I am for the Logos of the cross and our Heavenly Father’s foolishness! Are you?

Next week: The Weakness of God.

©Ray Hawkins April 9^th 2017.

wisest king - saddest fool

 

The wisest of men became the saddest of fools.

His judgement in the case of a paternal dispute is legendary (1 Kings 3:16-28). His sword provided the ‘DNA’ evidence for who was the real mother. His wisdom exceeded that of the wise men of the East early in his reign and with it he compiled many proverbs. Given the honour of building the first Israelite temple and being blessed by a promise by God, Solomon had it all.

But he blew it!

How? By failing to remember God’s requirements for a king who sits on the throne of Israel. In Deuteronomy 17:14-20 Moses recorded the Lord God’s expectations for those who rule over His people. They needed to have their own copy of the Law, and read from it every day. The reason was to learn to fear the Lord. Nor were they to hoard excessive wealth and marry numerous wives, a custom prevalent in surrounding cultures. Because the Almighty had promised to be the Nation’s defender, kings were forbidden to rely upon the army of Egypt or the power of horses and chariots. Added to that the king must not consider himself as superior to his people.

In 1 Kings 11 is the sad list of this wisest of men sliding down the moral and spiritual slope into spiritual stupidity and ignominy. I would suggest he stood on the top of the slippery slope when he ignored reading and obeying God’s word. This is evident by the fact he took to himself wives (probably politically expedient) from nations Yahweh had specifically said “no” too! The result was they turned his heart to pander to their idols, and more than likely to their loose morals. Solomon appears to have been a collector of horses, chariots and gold. He also knew how to tax his people. All of this would destroy his reputation, his spiritual life and damage the character of his son Rehoboam.

In his book ‘Bible Characters’, Alexander Whyte says of this king the saddest of statements. ‘There is no repentance anywhere in Solomon’. His father messed up big time but recognised his error and Psalm 51 is a beautiful and humble expression of repentance. No such psalm or comment can be found from the pen or mouth of Solomon. What a warning this is for us all. When we begin the slide downhill from the Lord’s calling, the way to get off is for the Lord to yank you out. Trouble is, He will not, cannot do it until you call out as a sign of repentance, “Lord help! Lord forgive! Lord have mercy!”

Solomon didn’t practice what he wrote. Consider: ‘trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight’ (Proverbs 3:5). ‘The end of the matter; … Fear God, and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone. For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.’ There is so much more that could be added here. Even that beautiful love poem ‘Song of Solomon’ is tainted. If he wrote it, did he have multiple copies made for his numerous wives? How terribly, terribly sad for the poem is so beautiful. Again there is a warning for us. What we write, what we say, may be lovely and true but its power and meaning will be lessened by personal insincerity and hypocrisy.

The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 it isn’t how you start the race God calls

you to enter, but how you finish. That’s the danger in senior years. We can know God’s word and will, yet think we’ve enough ‘merit points’.  When we imagine there isn’t more to discover from God’s word, more reasons to serve and worship, more awareness of our spiritual weakness, we are hitting the slippery slope. When we do not fear the seductive power of the World or recognise we have taken the wrong track and therefore no need for repentance, the promised winner’s garland is fading.

Solomon is a warning best expressed in his father’s lament about King Saul, ‘How the mighty have fallen.’ Saul died most noble in battle. Solomon withered into a most ignoble departure into the presence of the Lord he had disappointed.

Lord, kick us, me, off the slippery slope! Keep me focused on the race set before us, before me! Let me not be a stumbling block to other runners, or would be runners! Lord, hear our - my plea. Amen!