Foolishness

But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,

1 Corinthians 1:23

          Have you ever noticed that many people don’t respond well to the gospel of Christ Jesus? The Apostle Paul observed “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). In other words, its folly, nonsense, insanity, irrational, idiocy, foolhardiness, silliness, indiscretion, imprudence, and dumpidity! – That’s OK, they’re allowed to think about Christ that way, but they are wrong.

          The ancient Greeks were renowned for their philosophy and intellectual debate. Even Paul was invited to speak at the prestigious Areopagus when the Stoics and Epicureans got wind that he espoused a new religion (Acts 12). People who don’t know the one, true God are usually on the lookout for new and improved gods. The apostle’s dissertation was going well until he got to the part about Christ’s resurrection from the dead. At this point some members of the intelligentsia started to mock him and others got up and left. They were too sophisticated to entertain thoughts that were illogical or supernatural. They deemed it foolishness.

God must just “roll His eyes” when He sees men and women who think that they are smarter than He is. “For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.’ Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:19-22).

An awful lot of very smart people in this world believe that the only way to know anything in this world is through empirical research, deductive reasoning, or diagnostic analysis. Problem is, no one will find Christ or eternal life that way. The Savior is only experienced through faith, so He is considered as Foolishness to the academic elite. That’s too bad, because they will feel very foolish themselves at the Great White Throne of God.