One of the greatest blessings you and I possess as followers of Jesus, is His wisdom and His mind. Through Jesus we have a new perspective, new eyes, and a new outlook. There are things we are being divinely equipped to understand that the unbelieving world cannot comprehend.
When you look at the things this world pursues, it's very clear that power and authority are high on the list. But which would you rather; authority or insight? Power or understanding?
Insight holds greater long-term value than authority. Scripture tells us that ultimately, every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. So what sense does it make to spend our lives trying to usurp His authority or build our own kingdom? I'd rather join Christ in what He's building than try to build something of my own. I'd rather gain insight into the deep and everlasting truths of God than spend my life immersed in the philosophies of man.
In 1 Corinthians 2:8-9, Paul shows us why insight holds greater value than authority.
I. Possessing power doesn't guarantee that you also possess wisdom
"None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Corinthians 2:8)
A little over twenty years ago, I served on a ministry board with a very interesting man. In some respects, I appreciated the work he did, but in other areas, I often felt a check in my spirit when I spoke with him. For a while, I couldn't put my finger on what was bothering me, but then I heard him deliver a speech to a group of leaders and everything became clear to me. I noticed that every time he referenced the concept of "power", he practically salivated. He seemed fixated on obtaining power in all realms of his life, and the power he craved struck me as a desire to obtain an unhealthy amount of control over the lives of others. Years later, he was stripped of all his authority when this became clear to those he was supposed to remain accountable to.
When Paul was writing to the church in Corinth, he referenced the people of their era who possessed great power. Paul called them "the rulers of this age." Based on the context of this passage, I believe he was referencing both political and religious leaders in that statement, and he made it clear that even though they had great authority, there was much they didn't understand. The fact that they possessed power didn't guarantee that they also possessed wisdom. In fact, many of them had hardened their hearts to the Lord who is the source of true wisdom.
Years ago, I purchased a book called "Eyewitness to Power." It's an account that was written by David Gergen who served in an advisory capacity to several U.S. presidents. As I read that book, I wondered what it must have been like to offer counsel to the most powerful men in the world. Would they listen? How open would they be to outside instruction or ideas?
When a person becomes powerful, it can become quite difficult for them to receive wisdom from others. In many instances, they may fall into the trap of trying to deify themselves. They forget everyone who helped them get where they are. They frequently begin to think of themselves as the source of all the good things that have happened on their journey.
One of my favorite accounts of leadership in the Bible is the story we're told of Solomon. Solomon was a young man when he assumed the throne in Israel. It's widely accepted that he was less than 30-years-old, but some historians believe he may have actually been in his teen years when his reign began.
If you were made king of a powerful nation, what would your first action be? What would you do right from the start. Scripture tells us that as Solomon began his reign, he prayed to the Lord for wisdom. He could have asked the Lord for anything, but wisdom to lead well was his request.
"Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” (1 Kings 3:9)
The Lord honored Solomon's prayer, and I believe He's pleased when we make the same request. The leaders of this world want authority. They want power, and they aren't afraid to kill in order to obtain it. But followers of Christ are offered a gift that is of greater value than the limited power of this world. We're offered wisdom through Christ that this world's leaders struggle to understand.
II. Your understanding of Christ impacts what you do with Christ
"None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Corinthians 2:8)
Have you ever been offered something that you didn't know what to do with? A while back, a friend of our family invited us over for a meal. The food was fantastic. We enjoyed several foods that were common in her ethnic tradition that were, up to that point, unfamiliar to us. One particularly tasty item on the menu was strips of meat that were prepared in a way we had never seen. In fact, when they were served to us, we weren't sure how to eat them, so we started cutting them with our knives and eating them with a fork. While we were doing this, our friend looked at us with confusion. Eventually, she admitted that in her culture, those strips of mean are typically picked up by hand and eaten like we would eat fried chicken.
We didn't know what to do with the food we were served, and it's clear that the leaders of this world had no idea what to do with Jesus when He offered Himself to them.
When Jesus was conducting His earthly ministry, people genuinely marveled at who He was. His reputation for wisdom and miraculous acts grew large. His willingness to confront unscrupulous leaders was also well known. Those in leadership were posed with a dilemma, "Do I worship Him, ignore Him, or crush Him?" Unfortunately for them, they chose to attempt to crush Him. At the behest of the religious leaders, and with the cooperation of the governmental leaders, Jesus was crucified and put to death. They killed Him because they didn't know what to do with Him.
I'm a little curious to know if we know what to do with Jesus? Your understanding of who He is will directly impact what you do with Him. Will you worship Him, ignore Him, or attempt to crush Him? If your eyes have been opened to see His divine nature, to understand that He is indeed God who became man, you'll be inclined to worship Him and submit all aspects of your life over to Him. But if you still think He was nothing more than a very interesting man, for the most part, you'll ignore Him. And if you're convinced His message is an offensive problem that needs to be prevented from spreading further, you'll do your best to crush Him by crushing His followers.
Let me say this in the plainest way I can. There is no more important question you need to answer than "Who is Jesus?" Your answer to that question will directly impact your understanding of your purpose in life. It will also directly impact your future destiny. If you want to grow in wisdom and live in hope, I dare you to ask and attempt to answer that question.
III. It's hard to imagine or quantify the wonderful things God has in store for His children
But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— (1 Corinthians 2:9)
One of the hardest, but most beneficial things I have done in my adult life was obtain a master's degree in counseling. The courses and the group labs were intellectually and emotionally challenging. It has been almost a decade since I earned that degree, but I chose to earn it at a difficult season of life. It isn't easy to get a master's degree when you have a full-time job, and a family with four young children. The last six months of that process were particularly grueling, and I used to dream every day about the fun things our family would do the Summer after that degree was complete. I still remember how relieved I felt when that Summer finally came. It was wonderful to see and experience what I had been looking forward to for a long time.
I'm grateful that in this passage, Paul makes reference to the good things the Lord has in store for us in the future. In his comments, he makes reference to Isaiah 64:4 which says, "From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him."
Do you ever spend time wondering about what the Lord has in store for those who love Him? It's hard to imagine, and even harder to describe, but because we've been given the mind of Christ, we can already perceive and understand that it's going to be better than anything we've ever experienced. I don't know why I let myself get so attached to the things of this world, because the Lord has good things in store for us that are far greater than anything we've ever experienced this side of Heaven.
Not long ago, I started going through the contacts I had saved on my phone and I came across my mother's cell phone number. I miss her and I wish I could still call her, but it's been several years now since she passed away. Out of curiosity, I kept scrolling through my contacts and realized that multiple people in my contact list had passed away. One at a time, I went through and began deleting their numbers. Part of me felt sad, but another part of me felt intensely curious. I'm curious about what they're seeing and experiencing at this very moment.
Through Christ who helps me understand things I cannot see, here's what I truly believe. I believe that many of those the Lord has blessed me to know are experiencing sights greater than they ever saw on earth, sounds that are more beautiful than their ears ever heard on this planet, and experiences that are more amazingly wonderful than they experienced on the very best day of their earthly life. And if we also have the mind of Christ, which we receive through faith in Him, we can already perceive that the Lord has that in store for us as well.
In this world, there are many people spending their lives chasing power and authority, but they'll never find the peace their hearts crave even if they gain the power they seek. But those who trust Christ will be granted His sight. We will see with His eyes, and we will enjoy the blessings of the peace, hope, and contentment He supplies even now.
"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)
© John Stange, 2020
