TEXT TO REFLECT ON
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:18-23
REFLECT
Worldly wisdom is overrated, that is Paul’s message in this text. We have all been deceived into thinking that worldly wisdom is man’s best asset, and that it should be prized above all. And conversely then, that human folly is what one should despise and avoid at all cost. Paul then goes on to say, that if any person thinks he is wise, it would be better that he become a fool. For then he will be wise. Because the world’s wisdom is folly to God. The world’s wisdom consists of craftiness and one’s ability to outwit another.
Earlier on, Paul had addressed the problem of the Corinthian Christians taking their positions one against the other – the followers of Paul against the followers of Apollos. Each side claimed that the one they followed was superior to the other. And Paul had to admonish both sides that neither he nor Apollos was anything at all. It was God who caused them to grow. The two apostles were mere instruments that God used.
Underlying this schism was the Christians’ propensity to compare one against the other. That their leader had superior skills, or was cleverer, or a better preacher, or simply a better person. And that his followers were therefore superior as well. And Paul was pointing out, “See what good this superior wisdom has done to you all! It has only served to divide the church. Don’t you think it is wiser to be a fool, than to try to be wise and wreck more damage onto the church?”
The truth is that for all our abilities to make things happen, even if we were to enrich lives or to outdo another, if we fail to bring people together rather than to divide, what we have is futile. We have simply failed. Would it not rather that we be fools and inept, than if we were ‘wise’ yet destructive in our ways?
RELATE
Humans (and that certainly includes me) are generally competitive. We seek to outdo each other in what we do. We pride ourselves in being better than others. And we are no different when in Christian ministry. When I was a youth in the church choir, I climbed my way to choir director. But I wasn’t satisfied with just being a choir director; I wanted to be the best choir director the church ever had. I wanted our choir to be better than other churches’ choirs. And strove to be recognised as such. There is nothing wrong with being at our best. But what does this striving do for the Kingdom of God? If our ambition and competitiveness cause others to stumble, if it hurts another or puts another down; or even if it puts us on the pedestal and wins us the adulation of crowds, then what good has our wisdom done for God’s Kingdom. Would it not be better if we were fools?
A wise pastor once gave me this piece of advice: “The best thing you can do when God is at work, is to get out of His way.” God wants to involve us in His work. He does not want us to be slothful. On the other hand, we need to recognise that our best efforts are nothing compared to what God does. As Paul quotes, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” And then he continues, “So let no one boast in men”. One of the biggest mistakes that we make in ministry is that when God is working a miracle, we jump in to claim a part of the credit. We want to stamp our mark on God’s work. We want to be known as the ones who accomplished great things. What happens then is that various people will want the recognition for the work that God is doing. And we end up fighting each other for that credit. But in God’s eyes, we are nothing more than vandals carving our mark into His work of art. A truly wise person sees the damage that such vanity creates on God’s work, and prefers to be the fool who claims no credit for God’s miraculous works.
REST
I’d like to share the first stanza of one of my favourite songs. Do check it out. It is by Michael Card and entitled God’s Own Fool. I’ll let the lyrics speak for themselves.
God’s Own Fool
By Michael Card
Seems I've imagined Him all of my life
As the wisest of all of mankind
But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to men
He must have seemed out of His mind
For even His family said He was mad
And the priests said a demon's to blame
But God in the form of this angry young man
Could not have seemed perfectly sane
When we in our foolishness thought we were wise
He played the fool and He opened our eyes
When we in our weakness believed we were strong
He became helpless to show we were wrong
And so we follow God's own fool
For only the foolish can tell-
Believe the unbelievable
And come be a fool as well
Chiu Ming Li
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