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The Cross, God’s Power and Wisdom

2021.3.7. Yonsei University Church (Third Sunday in Lent)

Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Corinthians 1:18–25; John 2:13-22; Psalm 19

In the epistle given to us today on the third Sunday of Lent, Paul explains the mystery of the cross. The theme of today's epistle is clearly, "The cross may seem foolish and weak by the standards of the world, but in fact it is the wisest and strongest." As we look at these words together today, I hope that the cross will come to us vividly and be deeply understood.

If you carefully read today's text, there are two kinds of misunderstandings about God and about the cross. One class is Greek and the other class is Jews. They each judge the cross with their own standards, so they do not understand the cross. The Greeks look to the cross based on wisdom, and the Jews look to the cross based on miracles.

First, let's think about wisdom. The first part of today's scripture mainly talks about wisdom. “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.” This is how God works. And it has proven to be the most powerful way.”

Paul refers to intellectuals and scholars respected by the people at that time. “Where are the wise men? Where is the scholar? Where are the advocates in this world?” He points out that all of them boast of their brilliant wisdom, but with that wisdom they knew nothing of God. A wise God says that in order to lead believers to the way of salvation, he tells the way of salvation through sermons that consider this world to be foolish.

Let's take a look at the specific situation in which Paul tells this story.

At the time, Corinth was the center of world trade and a place where all kinds of new ideas meet. Wisdom at the time was different from what we think of today. At the time, eloquence was important, and a wise man was a person who persuaded and influenced many people through wonderful eloquence. The wisdom of the Greeks at the time spoke of the ability to persuade the public and move the mind. Acting ability, performing arts, and speaking skills were considered standards of wisdom.

So, what was Paul like? Was Paul eloquent? Paul converted many people through sermons while eagerly on his mission trip. Nevertheless, Paul touched more people through letters than through eloquence. He seems to have used a very new way of communication at the time. These days, we can't hold face-to-face meetings, so we feel frustrated when we communicate in a non-face-to-face manner such as video. However, Paul was in the opposite situation. Those who read Paul thought his letters were weighty and powerful, but those who heard his sermons face-to-face complained that he was weak and that he wasn't cool. Paul clarifies that he is the same as what he weighs in his letter or speaks face to face. (2 Corinthians 10:10) Rather, people were greatly moved by the letter, but they were disappointed when they met face-to-face. We need to approach it in such a way that there is sufficient possibility for a non-face-to-face method in a situation where face-to-face is currently limited.

I think Paul's criticism of wisdom dependent on eloquence may have been partly due to the fact that he is not an outstanding orator. But basically, the principle of the cross was really difficult to understand for the Greeks at the time. The cross was a tool for the execution of the most heinous criminals for the Greeks of that time. By the way, it would have been difficult for people at the time to accept that the cross was the most decisive symbol of God's essence. For example, in today's situation, if you see a gallows or an electric chair that executes the executioner, and say that this is the essence that reveals the power of God, it would have been difficult to accept it. We need to be a little compassionate that people at that time could not easily accept the cross. It would have been difficult to accept the cross at the time.

So the Greeks judged the cross to be foolish by the standards of their wisdom. They did not take the cross seriously and judged everything according to their own standards of wisdom. At that time, it was a society where wisdom and knowledge were respected above all else. They thought they knew everything, they thought they had the highest wisdom, but today the Bible says that man's greatest wisdom is less than God's most foolish things.

However, the Greek philosopher Socrates said, "I just know I don't know." Emphasizing that the realization of his own ignorance is the true starting point of knowledge. From this point of view, the Greeks who misunderstood the cross were not faithful to wisdom even in the essential spirit of Greek philosophy.

If the Greeks couldn't understand the cross because of their wisdom, the other class, the Jews, could not understand the cross because of their anticipation of miracles.

22. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.

Several times the Jews asked Jesus to show signs. When I saw the sign, I said I would believe. They wanted a sign because it proves that they are the long-awaited Messiah. It was not that they had a superstitious belief in the way they believed or not simply because of signs. Because the Messiah they were waiting for was the Savior sent by God who exerts power, they believed that their power could be confirmed through miracles.

Looking at today's Gospel text, the Jews asked for a sign. When Jesus said, "Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!" the Jews demanded that you show proof that you are the Son of God, a sign showing Jesus' divinity.

Jesus replied: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” He said this was a sign that Jesus could show. We know it is the cross and the resurrection. This was a sign that Jesus could show.

When I saw Jesus dying on the cross, the Jews remembered these words of Jesus. It is written in Matthew 27:40: “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" It means to believe in the Messiah.

It is said that the high priest, scribe, and elders who were next to him also harassed and said: “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him." It was the Jews who wanted miracles that much.

The Greeks sought the truth through wisdom and the Jews through miracles. The miracles the Jews talk about were not mere miracles, but miracles understood in their religious traditions and authority. Paul points out the two most important things that cause people to not understand the cross at the time, and then explains what the cross is.

It is said that the cross cannot be fully understood through human wisdom, nor can it be proved through supernatural miracles. The cross is the mystery of God. In the second half of the Bible today, he says:

“but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

They emphasize that the wisdom and miraculous power they wanted to find are in the cross. However, we say that we cannot understand the cross because of our lack of wisdom.

What is the cross that Paul introduces? Do we understand the cross as fully as Paul did? The essence of the cross is God's amazing love when you look at the entire Pauline epistle and the whole Bible. God's love is being communicated to us in a way that can only be revealed through the cross. Through the cross, we learn a special love that transcends human common sense and human calculations. Wisdom realized through the cross reaches us in a symbolic way beyond the way people of the world understand truth through books, discussions, and eloquence. No one can tell the nature of the cross through a treatise. We can understand the cross as we believe in the symbol of the cross in our lives and live it, and we can understand the meaning of the cross through the fellowship of the church, the church and the congregation rather than individuals. Beyond our simple intelligence, it is the cross that is experienced and known through our entire life and the entire community life.

The cross transcends the wisdom of the world. There is always a limit to the wisdom of the world. We follow fashion, we have trends, and we are influenced by the interests of the world. The wisdom of the world is not pure, neutral or objective. In that sense, we must not trust 100% in human wisdom. Considering that the greatest wisdom of man is lacking and containing many misunderstandings, we must acknowledge that there is no absolute truth in this world except for the cross, except for God, and we must look at the cross with a humble heart.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could solve all the mysteries of the cross with human wisdom? If so, you will be able to evangelize by gathering people through seminars and workshops and explaining the principle of the cross. However, evangelism does not work that way. This is because God's wisdom contained on the cross is understood and transmitted only through experience.

The truth contained in the cross encompasses the core of our faith. The truth of incarnation and resurrection are contained in it. When we look to the cross, we look at the mystery of incarnation, we look at the resurrection from the dead, and we look at the love of God in it.

We must not rely solely on our intellect to understand the mystery of the cross. This means that the attitude of trying to persuade or argue when we preach the cross is not appropriate. We must convey the meaning of the cross by showing our changed life.

Also, when we think of the cross, we must admit that the cross goes beyond a miraculous experience. Miracles are just the steps for us to get to the truth, but there are problems if miracles become an important component of our lives as our faith deepens. The cross should become more important. As the age of faith deepens, it seems that there are times when we demand and experience miracles more and more. But it is the cross that is more powerful than miracles and more than signs. When you truly understand the meaning of the cross, the cross is enough.

That's what Paul emphasizes on the cross. In Paul's mind, he is convinced that all problems will be solved when the people of the world come to the cross. However, because of the prejudices that people have, those who think they are wise and who believe they are faithful to religious traditions have not come near to the cross. Paul is emphasizing that when we look straight to the cross, there is wisdom and the answer to every problem we have in it, and that we have the power to lead us from death to life.

If you look closely at today's Old Testament text, there is a cross in it. The key to the Ten Commandments is to love God and to love our neighbors. That love is fully revealed right in the cross. The cross has the power to change us by giving a great impression on us in that the love of God was first revealed. The cross poses a great challenge for us, secondly, in that Jesus Christ became a perfect human and showed us what human beings should go to.

In order for us to understand the cross, we do not understand the cross just because we read many books, listen to many sermons, and study it. Instead, we become disciples of Jesus, stay within the words of Jesus, and understand when our lives change. Like the saying, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” as we live with the cross at the center of our lives, we become more aware of the mystery of the cross. You will be able to live a changed life. Throughout the period of Lent, we all rethink the deep meaning of the cross and hope that the life of the church members who are closer to the cross than before.