“Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7
I’ve been doing a study on what God views as wise and what He thinks is foolish. It’s quite study and often leaves me more confused than feeling wise. I do see why Solomon thought it may cost you everything to gain understanding!
Jesus was good at causing confusion to those around Him. He was always tearing down the commonly held beliefs of a righteous life and then rebuilding it to look much different than any would expect. Matt Chandler calls this approach of Jesus the process of “deconstructing religion and reconstructing the Kingdom”.
The way Jesus deconstructed and reconstructed commonly held wisdom, shook up the world around Him. It causes the vilest of sinners to turn around and the most righteous of priests to have murderous thoughts toward Him. Here are some of theses topsy-turvy things which have stuck out to me lately:
- You must lose your life to find it. (See Matthew 16:25
- I came to serve not be served. (See Matthew 20:28)
- You must be the last to be the first. (See Matthew 20:16)
- If you want to be great, you must become a servant. (See Matthew 20:26-27)
- He went to the sick and poor, the tax collector and the prostitute, and the otherwise outcast.
- His closest disciples were fishermen He picked up right out of the boat (picture a “Deadly Catch” crew.)
- I didn’t come to bring peace… But a sword. (See Matthew 10:24)
- Blessed are the poor, those who hunger now, those who weep, you when men hate you, exclude you, insult you, or reject you because of Jesus.
- But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
- Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.
- Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
- Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” (See Luke 6)
- Love your enemy, bless those who persecute you… (See Matthew 5:43-48)
- It is easier for a camel to be thread through a needle than a rich man to enter the Kingdom. (See Matthew 19:23-24)
- He was born to a virgin in a barn with only shepherds there to sing announce His birth.
- He spoke in parables we still struggle to fully grasp their meaning.
- At the last supper, He wanted to show His disciples the full extent of His love, so He washed their feet (See John 13). He rebuked Peter for trying to stop Him.
- Yet, He allowed a very sinful woman to wash His feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair as He was rebuking a Pharisee for judging her(See Luke 7).
- He also allowed another woman to anoint His feet with perfumed oil and rebuked a disciple who suggested the gesture was too extravagant (See John 12).
- He was beaten, mocked, spit at, tortured, lashed almost to the point of death, nailed to a wooden beam, and left to suffocate and/or bleed to death. He knew about it before hand and still allowed them to do it. After this was done to Him, He cried out in their defense, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” (that one absolutely blows me away!) Ultimately, He gave up His own life by His own will for us.
- Everyone thought that was the end and yet again, God makes us think again. After three days in the tomb, God bodily resurrected Jesus.
- God made Jesus authority over everything (See John 17).
- “He was pierced for our transgressions
Crushed for our sin
The punishment which brought us peace
Was upon Him
And by His wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
I’ve been sitting here for 20 minutes just letting these things soak into my soul. I simply cannot wrap myself around the vastness of this wisdom. It’s almost driving me crazy trying to grasp on to something. YET, there is something so deep, so ancient, and so true which compels me to keep trying.
I have nothing to say, no conclusion to draw which encompasses the depth, height, length, and width of God. It would take me a lifetime of writing to even come close. And that my friends, is what I intend to do, Lord willing!