March 3, 2024 – Lent 3B

“The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” John 2:13-22

What is wisdom? How would you define wisdom? Is wisdom the sum total of all knowledge? Or, does age and experience influence wisdom? Is there something that wise people have which the average person does not have? Who are the people you consider wise? Maybe I should ask you to list the people you think are fools. Would that be easier? What have the wise of the world actually contributed over the span of the millennia? Here are some people I think we might agree were wise:

Solomon was wise – Joseph was wise – Benjamin Franklin was wise – Confucius was wise – Jesus was wise……and Moses, we must consider him one of the wisest.

Moses was wise enough to listen to G-d calling him from a burning bush to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When they were on the precipice of their long journey, G-d had the wisdom to lay down some rules – rules for interacting with G-d – and rules for interacting with each other. So G-d gave them the Decalogue – the Ten Commandments – plus G-d gave them the oral laws – rules that extend those Ten Commandments to six-hundred and thirteen. And within those 613 commandments there are 248 Positive Commandments (things they can do) and 365 Negative Commandments (things they may not do). Now, let me ask you, did all of these rules and commandments suddenly make these Israelites the wisest of the wise? Of course not! Why? Because they were human – like you and me – and all of the wisdom of the world could not stop them and cannot stop us from doing stupid things – and making dumb mistakes. So, what is the wisest thing, phrase, teaching etc. that you have ever heard from a family member, friend or other?  I like this quote from Albert Einstein: “Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted, counts”.

Or, how about this one: “No good deed goes unpunished”. That one is the story of my life. The wisest piece of advice I have heard has come from two retired pastors – they both advised me to “Live without fear”. Live without fear. It is, at once, a challenge as well as an admonition – as much as it is Gospel advice. Live without fear. The body of Jesus, the death on a cross, the resurrection: it is there where we see the wisdom of G-d. It is there where we see how G-d made foolish the wisdom of the world. G-d turns the cross (which is a death machine) into a life machine. As such we preach Christ Crucified. And those who do not believe, when they call us fools, well, we have a choice: We can fall victim to human wisdom, and teaching, allowing the debaters of this age to lead us around like lemmings and fools.

Or, we can believe the scriptures – and trust that the cross was the ultimate expression of the power of G-d – and the love of G-d. Just think about it: G-d kills G-d’s self so we might have the opportunity for New Life. Is that foolishness? Is that crazy? The foolishness of the cross is our bridge to the prodigal love of G-d – the Grace of G-d – the mercy and forgiveness of G-d. Of course the world sees it as foolishness. After all, who would kill themselves to save others? The sign of the cross, is the foolish love of the foolish G-d, whose foolish Son died on a foolish cross – thanks be to G-d that G-d’s foolishness is wiser and greater than all human wisdom.

Pastor Dave