April 14 – The Wisdom of the World (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)

“Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”
(1 Corinthians 1:20)

IN WORD:
The wisdom of the world would never have chosen a cross for its salvation. The wisdom of the world always chooses the path of obvious victory. It knows nothing of the deeper battles and subtleties of faith. It acts on what it sees on the surface and grabs as much visible glory as it can. It will not wait; it seizes the day.
We are not born of that spirit. We are born of the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God will lead us to the Cross. He points us toward eternal realities, not temporary glory. While earthly wisdom tells us to get what we can while we can get it, God’s wisdom shows us the reality of eternity that lies beyond the visible nature of this corrupt world. It shows us the Resurrection beyond the Cross.
Those of us who seek true wisdom do not simply desire information from God. We want to know what He is like. We must come to see Him as the source of all truth, and we must take our cues from Him. We shouldn’t be satisfied with Him just telling us what to be believe. We need to see it in action. What is His wisdom like? What would He do if He were clothed in human flesh?
God has given us the answer, of course. We can examine the wisdom of Jesus, which led Him to death for a greater good. What He did in surrendering to the Cross was absolute foolishness in the eyes of the world. And it still is. But we can see beyond the Cross if we are wise, and based on what we see, we can walk toward it with confidence.

IN DEED:
The first lesson of wisdom from the Cross is this: Never exchange eternal glory for temporary gain. Jesus forsook the temporal because He knew the eternal. But the world will always urge us to seek a superficial victory today. Don’t. It’s a foolish world, and God has shamed it. See what God has done, learn the wisdom of the Cross, and embrace it.

“We were deceived by the wisdom of the serpent, but we are freed by the foolishness of God.” -St. Augustine-