Pentecost 13 Proverbs 9:1-6 Wise In Christ
Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” (Matthew 11:25)
Wisdom is something we all need. Wisdom is the ability to discern. It is developed through experience, insight and reflection, to discern truth and exercise good judgment. It is sometimes conceptualized as an especially well developed form of common sense. Most psychologists regard wisdom as distinct from the cognitive abilities measured by standardized intelligence tests. Wisdom is often considered to be a trait that can be developed by experience, but not taught. When applied to practical matters, the term wisdom is one and the same with prudence. Some see wisdom as a quality that even a child, may possess independent of experience or complete knowledge.
For example, there was once a man who had developed a simple test to compare how smart the children in a small town were compared to each other. Each day he would offer different children a choice between a nickel and a dime. He reasoned that a simple child would take the nickel because it was bigger than the dime. And of course a wise child would know that even though a dime was smaller, it was worth more than a nickel.
When he started his test, all of the children chose the dime, except one. One little boy chose the nickel. The man considered this child to be foolish. So each day, whenever he saw that boy, he would offer him the same choice, and each day the young man chose the nickel. Soon everyone in town knew about the foolish little boy and they would offer him the same deal, and sure enough, the boy always chose the nickel.
One day the boy’s cousin was visiting him from out of town. A man walked up to them and offered them both a choice between a dime and a nickel. The cousin took a dime and the boy as always, took a nickel. After the man walked away snickering, the cousin asked his little friend, “Don’t you know that a dime is worth more than a nickel?” The young boy looked at his older cousin and said, “Yes, I know that a dime is worth more than a nickel, but if I would take the dime just once, they would stop offering me the choice. While most of the kids in town have gotten a dollar or two in dimes, I have made over $200 in nickels.
The boy by his choosing the least amount actually received an amount that was much greater. Those who thought they were so wise turned out to be the foolish ones. So as you can see wisdom does not always occur in just the well educated. And just as wisdom can be found in the young and inexperienced, folly can be found in those who should know better. Folly is the opposite of wisdom and means a lack of good sense, normal prudence and foresight. Folly also means something that is excessively costly.
Folly occurs when we let our emotions rule over our mind. If you have ever let a salesman talk you into something you really didn’t need, it was probably because you gave in to your emotions. And we have a lot of emotions that can get us into trouble. We fall for slogans like, “you deserve a break today or “smart people choose our product.”
Then we have desires that cause us to do foolish things. We do not always need a salesman to convince us. To a certain extent, even though we have been told time and time again not to do such things, we justify our own foolish desires and learn the hard way. People throughout the centuries continue to make the same foolish mistakes especially those who refuse to believe the word of God.
The kingdom of God is not understood by those who think they are wise. Our Lord’s words seemed like foolishness to the priests, Pharisees and others in our Gospel lesson for today. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians, “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.”
“For it is written "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." (1 Cor. 1:17-25)
Scripture tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of the knowledge that leads to wisdom. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for someone’s blood, let’s waylay some harmless soul; let’s swallow the alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse”—my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood.” (Proverbs 1:7-16)
The kingdom of God is revealed to "little children," to His disciples, and to the little ones of faith who consider themselves nothing without Christ. Jesus told his disciples and He tells you, "Unless you turn and become as little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mathew 18:3)
But to many, God who chooses something small is indeed foolish in the eyes of many. Jesus was born of a virgin and grew up into a Jewish carpenter who made yokes for oxen. This humble and obedient man did not appear to be a great ruler. He was rejected by His own countrymen. Jesus sat and ate bread with prostitutes and tax collectors. He blessed the poor and uneducated while in His wisdom, he rejected becoming rich and powerful here on earth. To the contrary of the wisdom of the world, Jesus humbly suffered, and died on a cross. He became small by emptying Himself of all His heavenly power and glory and was an obedient Servant who did the will of His Father. The divine wisdom of the cross is often hidden from the wise and learned, and revealed by the Holy Spirit to little ones. Those little ones like you and me believe in Him and see the wisdom in His choosing the humble path to greatness.
Therefore, we follow Jesus. We learn His ways throughout our lives and as we learn we gain in Godly knowledge. As we grow in Godly knowledge, those hidden secrets in the Bible are continually revealed to us.
Only the most foolish people in this world pick Satan as an advisor. Satan would have you do what is most foolish; reject Jesus Christ and live in extreme indulgence of sensuality and seduction from virtue. When these foolish things are done under the influence of alcohol or drugs, it is called debauchery and debauchery can lead to extreme folly.
However, wisdom found in Christ brings freedom; freedom from sin, from death, from the devil, from ourselves, from the Law, from all that would keep us from living as wise children of God.
We do not come to offer Him anything, nor does Jesus ask for anything. He paid a price which the foolish see as excessively costly. We see how valuable our Lord and Savior considers our souls by the high price that He paid. We can only give our love to Him who gave His life for us. He invites us to come to Him as little children, empty handed and ready to receive all that He has to give us, not nickels and dimes, but so much more than we dare imagine, ask or even comprehend.
Knowing who Jesus is and knowing Him in our hearts helps us to worship Jesus Christ as God and Savior. The world does not understand that you are washed by Jesus in Baptism and reborn into the family of God. Those who are wise in Christ come to Church to be forgiven by Him. He reveals Himself in His Word, in the water, and in His body and blood. He is hidden from the wise and clever, even hidden from our eyes in the Lord's Supper but He is revealed by the Holy Spirit through faith. Yes, He is revealed to His little ones who hear His Word and believe it. And it is wisdom indeed that let’s us see into the future that leads us to eternal life. In Jesus Name, Amen.