Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’ ²⁰Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. ²²For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, ²³but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Both to the cultured Greek and to the pious Jew the Christian message seemed like pure folly. Paul knows this and expresses it clearly. The Gospel still – for many – just does not make any sense! Paul makes the point that all the wisdom in the world had never found God – and this too remains true even today.

Let’s look briefly at the essence of the Christian message:

1. God has come to the earth and taken on the form of a human;

2. The ordinary carpenter from a remote and insignificant settlement – was indeed this God incarnate;

3. Jesus rose from the dead;

4. Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of the majestic Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament;

5. Jesus will come again to judge the world – the living and the dead;

6. There is an urgent need for people to repent and receive the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.

For Jews, being hanged in any form was a sign that one was accursed of God (Deut 21.23) so the crucifixion of Jesus was ultimate proof for them that Jesus was not the Messiah. Even though Isaiah 53 speaks of a suffering servant, the Jews never dreamt of a Messiah that would suffer. Jews also looked for signs – starling things. Jesus had performed many miracles and wonders and signs, but he was still too humble and meek and avoided the spectacular and ended up on a cross. Barclay concludes: “… it seemed to them an impossible picture of the Chosen one of God.”

In Britain particularly, Jesus has not been taken seriously by an increasing majority, especially since the 1960s because it just does not seem to make sense. Even senior clergy have taken pains to ‘prove’ that the Bible is unreliable, a mere fallible and very imperfect document that has in fact been discredited.

But what of the experience of credible and intelligent people? Some of the greatest British minds have been those of profound faith in this same Jesus of Nazareth who they have found, intimately and personally, to be whom he claimed to be, not because this is a rational thing, but something much more sophisticated – faith – what Kierkegaard claimed was the essence of what it means to be human.

Rowan Williams, Alistair McGrath, John Polkinghorne, Keith Ward, John Macquarrie, Richard Swinburne – all acknowledged as some of the greatest intellects of our time – and all men of the deepest and profound belief in the Christian message summarized above.

It is time that we stop worshipping at the shrine of reason and the limits of the human intellect, because that is to flatten and narrow human existence (to use an expression of one of the greatest philosophers of out time – Charles Taylor – and a lay Roman Catholic Canadian – not the African dictator!). Even when we have understood everything that it is possible for a human to understand – there is more – much, much more. It is available to all, not just to the great intellects, because it is God’s gift to humanity in and through the anointing of God’s Spirit Himself poured out into the hearts and minds of all who would receive it. It is called faith and it makes all who receive it wiser than human wisdom, stronger than human strength.

Matthew 4:12-23 (NRSV)

Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 
¹⁵ ‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
   on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 
¹⁶ the people who sat in darkness
   have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
   light has dawned.’ 
¹⁷From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. ¹⁹And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ ²⁰Immediately they left their nets and followed him. ²¹As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. ²²Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. 

Jesus Ministers to Crowds of People

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

My text this morning is written in Matthew 4:17:

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’

It is significant that Jesus moved to Capernaum, in Galilee. John Meier comments that in this passage “A minor point of geography becomes a major theological statement.”  This was of significance because it was a wonderfully fertile area and so densely populated and cosmopolitan. Because of this, it was probably one of the places that would be most open to new ideas – as Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian suggests. In addition, they were surrounded by Phoenicians, Syrians and Samaritans which meant that they were also in touch with non-Jewish ideas. All the great roads of the world passed through Galilee. Jesus was taking up the banner dropped by John the Baptist when John was arrested. The Jews might have been scandalised that an important rabbi would forsake Jerusalem and move to Capernaum in Galilee which was infamous for its lax observance of the Jewish Law. Many would have seen it (as Meier suggests) as ‘... lowly, oppressed, religiously darkened ... It is precisely to Jews living in this spiritual shadow-land, an earthly Sheol ...’ But into the darkness, as Matthew explains, Jesus brought a great light.

The specific location that Jesus moved to also fulfils ancient Messianic prophecy – one of the central aims of Matthew in writing his Gospel – to prove to his Jewish audience – that Jesus was the long awaited and promised Messiah. Barclay writes:

“It was Matthew’s habit to find in the Old Testament something which he could use as a prophecy about every event in Jesus’ life. This one is written in Isaiah 9:1-2.”

In its origins, this prophecy would have spoken of the potential delivery of the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel from their Assyrian oppressors. But now, Matthew applies it to Jesus. In its origins – it had a message for its original hearers / readers; but now we see it as having reached its fulfilment in the coming of the Messiah? Often, when we deal with prophecies they have an original context as well as a fuller meaning, this is why all of Scripture remains vital for our spiritual nurture.

In verse 17, we are given a brief summary of the content of Jesus’ message: ‘... Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ The AV and the original RSV use the word preach instead of proclaim. Barclay explains that to ‘preach’ has been devalued, connected in today’s world with boredom or telling someone off. In its origins it referred to the message of a herald coming from a king. But preaching is important; both the task of the preacher and that of the listener, because it is the chief way whereby God has chosen for people to enter into a dynamic and living relationship with him. J C Ryle writes: “There is no office so honourable as that of the preacher; there is no work so important to the souls of people ...” both for the ‘conversion and edification’ of souls. J C Ryle continues: “The brightest days of the Church have been those when preaching has been honoured; the darkest days of the Church have been when it has been lightly esteemed ...”

Wow! It is a huge responsibility and the greatest of all honours, and it makes me realise, first and foremost, how unworthy I am. But it remains vital. St Paul puts it this way in Romans 10:17: “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.”

Jesus gives (what in my mind) is a very positive message – repent – change, because something special is happening and you need to be ready. Repent today also has negative connotations and this robs many of the most wonderful blessing; things can be different, things can be better, change is possible, drastic change, dynamic change; things do not have to be as they are. Repentance takes us from what is – to what can be.

I have a preoccupation at the moment with ideas of beauty. A few years ago we went to see the Russian State Ballet of Siberia perform The Nutcracker. I have always been wary of the ballet, having been put off in my youth. I did not want to pass my prejudices on to my son, Gareth, so decided to take him to see this accessible ballet. He is pretty neutral about it – as is my wife, Trish – but I was enthralled and loved every minute because it was so beautiful.

Philosophers suggest that the role of beauty is to give us a glimpse into the ideal; the realm of God. Modern art has focused differently, showing reality and emphasising the worst parts of it (in some cases) seeing the idea of the beautiful as unrealistic and unimportant. Plato thought differently; he saw beauty as opening the way to the world of God, a world that invites us to enter. Plato suggests that in this life we aspire but cannot get there, but beauty gives us a glimpse into the eternal. The scholars of the enlightenment suggested that beauty enables us to save ourselves from meaningless routines by raising us to a higher level. Secular philosophy suggests that all beauty can do is give us a glimpse of the realm of God.

I experience more than this when I hear a good sermon and when I am present at the Eucharist – indeed even more so – because for Christians the realm of God can be more than a mere aspiration and a future hope; it can be a present reality because Jesus gives us the key and invites us to enter: the key is repentance. Scruton suggests that we should not separate beauty from faith saying: “They are two doors that open into a single space and in that space we find our home.” And repentance begins the journey, because repentance places us on the path of transformation. J C Ryle writes:

True repentance in no light matter; it is a thorough change of heart about sin, a change showing itself in Godly sorrow for sin – in heart-felt confession of sin – in a complete breaking off of sinful habits, and an abiding hatred of all sin.

The Greek word is metanoia and refers to a complete change of thinking; it implies stopping, and turning in a completely different direction, the direction to the place of beauty and wholeness, the presence of God where we find our true home.

Jesus chose ordinary men to be his disciples. This is a wonderful source of encouragement; God chooses ordinary people to do extraordinary things! There is possibly some significance also in the fact that Jesus chose fishermen, and Barclay suggests the following:

Fishermen must have patience because they need to be willing to wait for the fish to take the bait. When we are called to be fishers of men we need also to have patience. Barclay adds: “It is but rarely that we will see quick results. We must learn to wait.”

Fishermen must have perseverance. They have to learn never to be discouraged, and always be willing to try over and over again. Especially those of us who are school chaplains, we need to persevere, sometimes in the midst of difficulties and opposition. Both of us are in the lovely position of having Headmasters who are fully supportive and with the gift of encouragement. (This is not always been my experience; and I am deeply grateful for the support I have at the moment.)

Fishermen must have courage. Their boats were small and the sea is large. Especially in the time of our Lord, fishermen often needed to be willing to risk their lives in order to gain their catch. Preachers and teachers must we willing to realise that telling the truth is not always going to be the popular thing to do. “The man who tells the truth, more often than not, takes his reputation and his life into his hands.”

Fishermen have an eye for the right moment. The good fisherman knows when to go fishing. There are times when there is simply no point. I can remember how Gareth and I spent hours fishing for trout when we have subsequently learnt that catching anything was impossible. There is also a skill in knowing where and when to cast. This remains true for preachers and teachers as well. Barclay writes: “There are times when men will welcome the truth, and then times when they will resent the truth. There are times when the truth will move them, and times when the truth will harden them in their opposition to the truth. The wise preacher and teacher knows that there is a time to speak and a time to be silent.”

Fishermen need to fit the bait to the fish. Not all fish go for the same bait. St Paul said that he would become all things to all people if by doing so he could save some. The wise preacher and teacher know that the same approach will not work with everyone. This also means that he needs to know his own limitations and where his talents lie.

From that time Jesus began to preach ... and his message echoed that of John’s ... but takes it on to fulfilment. It includes the imperative “Repent” – get ready.

Jesus needs disciples; those who will be obedient when called. Meier continues: ‘... the creative word of God simply meets them in their everyday world, lays hold of them, and changes their lives forever.” We can experience it now when we use the key and open the door, weekly at worship and daily in our reading and prayers, and especially when we come together for word and sacrament. Jesus put it this way:

‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’