God’s Weakness

 

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 (The Message)

            While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tiny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can’t begin to compete with God’s “weakness.”

Devotion:

            In this post I want to consider the seeming weakness of God being born as a human baby. Let us explore what the world thinks a savior should look like versus what God’s savior actually looked like. This world system is always attracted by power, prestige, and money. Those who have these things are naturally attractive to us as natural men and women. This was true in the world in which Jesus was born and continues to be the case today. How can we make sense our of the fact that God chose to send us a savior who would be born in a stable to parents of humble means, in an out of the way village?

            Our world would naturally prefer our savior to be born in a modern hospital with all of the best equipment and personnel. We would want him or her to be born of influential parents who had plenty of money and clout. The birth would naturally occur in a media rich environment so that everyone would find out quickly that the savior had been born. The child would grow up having every advantage and privilege and his every move would be documented by the media. God apparently thinks that there was a better way to bring his son our savior into the world.

            The wisdom of God looks like utter foolishness to us at first glance. Digging deeper and looking at the results achieved reveals the deep wisdom of God’s plan and intention. Why was it necessary for Jesus to have such an obscure birth?

            It was necessary so that Jesus would be born and raised by humble parents. If everyone had known the circumstances of his birth, there would have been too much attention given the child. This would led to problems in raising the boy in a way that would have allowed him to flourish as God’s own son.

             As it was Jesus was born and raised in obscurity. The gospels tell us next to nothing about Jesus life growing up in Nazareth. While Matthew and Luke highlight his birth. Mark and John tell us nothing really about his birth and instead focus on his ministry.

            God has left us a record of what Jesus did in his ministry. This was his divine plan to communicate the life and ministry of Jesus in this world. What seems weak and foolish to us at first glance reveals its profound wisdom as we examine the growth and witness of the church 2,000 years later. God truly planted a mustard seed in the gospel and has seen it grow and flourish as time has passed. Let us thank God for his gift to us at Christmas.

Prayer:

            Holy God, we thank you for your deep wisdom. Teach us to be aware of the wisdom of all your ways. Help us to understand and apply your wisdom to our lives that we may be wise servants of yours in the world. May we see in the birth of your child, Jesus, the wisdom with which you rule our lives and direct the entire universe. Restore to us the joy of your salvation that you provided in Jesus. Direct our steps as we seek to follow you. Amen.