Jesus - Our Wisdom
[30th March 2012]
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He does not just direct us to the right way, but he is the way. He does not just speak truth, he is the truth. He does not just tell us how to receive life, he is Life itself. This is not playing with words..
The Law is the revelation of the holiness of God. The prophets apply the law to the life of the nation of Israel. The Wisdom literature of the Old Testament tries to explain some of the things the Law and the prophets do not answer. It tries to answer those unanswered questions: Why do the righteous suffer? Why is there death and illness in the world? Why does God allow wicked governments to prosper? Why is there injustice in the world? None of these questions are new. Job asked them all through his book.
Wisdom is not just literature. According to Paul, Jesus is our wisdom.
Col 2:2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Jesus is able to tell us of heavenly wisdom because he had been in heaven. He, as God’s Son, did not ascended to heaven to learn wisdom, but he came from there – that was where he lived normally –
Mt 11:25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
All things are delivered to the Son by the Father. He is the exclusive revealer of the Father. It is the Father who makes the Son known and vice versa. The Son comes into the world as many things, including as the revealer of wisdom. And He calls to us in wisdom language:
Mt 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
True wisdom gives us rest, rest from these questions. The written wisdom of the Old Testament: of Proverbs, of Ecclesiastes, of Job gives a little rest, but Jesus is the incarnation of wisdom itself. Jesus calls on his disciples to learn of him, because Jesus is the Wisdom of God.
The heart of wisdom is Calvary itself. Good Friday is the day when the Christian church remembers more than usual the death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the cross. Some of the questions that might have been asked by someone observing the events of that first Good Friday were perhaps: Why is this righteous man suffering? Why are these religious leaders being so wicked? Why is the righteous man being put to death when he has done so much good in Israel? Where does this injustice come from? Why can’t we have some rulers who dispense justice? Why does the Devil seem to be so victorious? Why does Jesus turn his back to his smiters? Why does he not defend himself? Hear these words …
Eph 3:8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
Then we discover on Easter Sunday that Jesus has overcome them all through the resurrection: He has confounded his Jewish opponents. He has defeated the Devil. He has overcome death. He has done this not only for himself, but for those who believe in him as well.
Believing in Christ is the beginning of wisdom. Learn from him. Job’s search comes to an end; Ecclesiastes’ Preacher’s anxieties wither away; indeed, Ecclesiastes only ultimately makes sense in the light of the person and work of Jesus Christ. All those questions … the answers are found in Jesus.
A righteous man suffering … God will ultimately prevail. Wisdom with power is the wisdom of God in Christ. Christ in meekness (in foolishness) goes to the cross for us, is raised and shown to be the wise one after all. He gives us his yoke that we might wear it. That yoke of the crossbar of that awful cross which he carried for us.
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Much of Jesus’ teaching is in wisdom form, and it all centres on Jesus himself.
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”
Wisdom is justified by her children. Although Jesus is of course speaking of a feminine concept he is speaking of himself. We are called to prove the wisdom of God.
Col 1:28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
We are called to teach and proclaim the wisdom of God. That is why we proclaim the gospel. That is why as we read the wisdom literature in the Old Testament, we need to remember that it only really makes sense with Jesus’ victory in the New Testament in view.