“utter foolishness” or THE GOSPEL TRUTH!
“They went into Capernaum;
(The Gospel According to Mark 1: 21-24 NASB)
and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach.
They were amazed at His teaching;
for He was teaching them as one having authority,
and not as the scribes.
Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit;
and he cried out, saying,
“What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
[JESUS, MESSIAH, SON of GOD]
“I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
To the Jews & even to us, the Gentiles, trying to understand that God would somehow save the world through a crucified man appears to be utter foolishness to believe. Today, this thought continues.
- Would Almighty God send a baby, who would be born in a stable & allow Him to grow up in a poor, carpenter’s family?
- Would Jehovah God send His Son, who would be questioned and threatened in almost every setting where He walked in earthly ministry? &
- Would Creator God send “the Holy One of God” to only come to die upon a cross?
“utter foolishness” to Believe, indeed!
BUT IT’S TRUE!
BUT ALMIGHTY GOD DID!
& even though an unbeliever might claim that faith in the Messiah is “utter foolishness,”
THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH!
“For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;
(The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 1: 22-25 NASB)
but we preach Christ crucified,
to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,
but to those who are the called,
both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men,
and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
May we (who believe, who are “those who are called”) ask ourselves these life-changing questions:
Do we want to know ONLY the love of God?
OR
Do we want to share with others how Jesus died on the cross of Calvary?
Do we want to know ONLY the miracles Jesus performed?
OR
Do we want to share with the world how Jesus suffered on the cross & arose from the grave to make THE WAY for our salvation?
Do we want ONLY the goodness of God?
OR
Do we want to share with others how Jesus Christ’s blood on the cross was shed as we help them see with clarity the ugliness of our sin?
The wisdom of God believers share with others might look & sound like “utter foolishness,”
BUT WE (WHO BELIEVE) KNOW THE SALVATION JESUS PROVIDES IS THE GOSPEL TRUTH!
“Just then
(The Gospel According to Mark 1: 23-27 NASB)
[while Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath in the temple]
there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit;
and he cried out, saying,
“What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?”
[JESUS, MESSIAH, SON of GOD]
“I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
And Jesus rebuked him, saying,
“Be quiet, and come out of him!”
Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him.
They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority!
He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”
We are each called to be in a relationship with God that turns everything upside down; that turns the sideways—right. The wisdom of God we embrace may seem like “utter foolishness” to the world, BUT the wisdom of the world comes from the father of lies, from Satan & his deception.
The wisdom of the world says our faith is narrow-minded & blind-faith & complete craziness
BUT DIVINE WISDOM IS THE EXTRAORDINARY DEMONSTRATION OF GOD’S LOVE & GRACE—THE GOSPEL TRUTH!
While writing this morning, I heard the Gospel message in the song “God Is Real” performed by The Sound. Pause to be reminded of The Great Commandment & The Great Commission Jesus Christ has given to us (those who believe The Truth!).
“Little children,
(The First Letter of John 3: 18-24 NASB)
let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
We will know by this that we are of the truth,
and will assure our heart before Him
in whatever our heart condemns us;
for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
Beloved,
if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
and whatever we ask we receive from Him,
because we keep His commandments
and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
This is His commandment,
that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ,
and love one another,
just as He commanded us.
The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him.
We know by this that He abides in us,
by the Spirit whom He has given us.”