THE WISDOM OF CHRIST
Wisdom is not a matter of book-learning. It requires eyes and hearts that have been opened to it. Jesus was sowing a wisdom of such exceeding value that prophets and kings had longed to understand it:
∑ “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; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. (Luke 10:21; John 3:19-20)
However, even the “wise and understanding” were not amenable to such wisdom. Wisdom comes with pain to those who have lived in the darkness and are not accustomed to the light. Therefore, Jesus had been cultivating the soil of the hearts of His disciples to receive His precious life-changing seeds of wisdom and understanding. He informed them:
∑ “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given…But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. (Matthew 13:11, 16-17 ESV)
They were being blessed even though it might not have been apparent to them. Jesus had just taught them a parable about His seed and that different soils into which His seed had been sown. Jesus subsequently explained to His disciples that they were the good soil, but what characterized good soil? Understanding:
∑ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. (Matthew 13:19)
The devil’s strategy is diametrically opposed to God’s. The devil seeks to sow confusion, anything to obstruct the growth of God’s seed. He seeks destruction and darkness, while God seeks to impart light and spiritual transformation through the understanding of the truth.
However, some soils might only seem to be fertile. They receive the Word of God with joy, but this “joy” anticipates immediate gain:
∑ As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. (Matthew 13:20-21)
This soil fails to understand what is truly at stake. Real joy rests with our anticipation of being with our Beloved forever. If, instead, our hope is based exclusively upon here-and-now benefits, “tribulation or persecution” will certainly drive us away.
The good soil has to be made willing to undergo severe pruning (John 15:1-2). Their eyes have been opened to see that Jesus is worth any costs. Jesus likens Himself to a pearl which is so valuable that we are willing to sacrifice all that we have for it:
∑ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)
As our eyes become accustomed to the life-giving light, we begin to see that Jesus is of such surpassing value that we become willing to sacrifice our comforts and earthly dreams for His sake (Matthew 6:33; 10:37-39), the “pearl of great value.”
Jesus then analyzed the next form of infertile soil:
∑ “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22)
Here too, the seed did not produce fruitfulness. This person was willing to allow the “deceitfulness of riches choke the word.” His own desires did not enable Him to see the “pearl of great price.” Therefore, he remained in the darkness.
What characterized the cultivated soil which had been enabled to receive the seed?
∑ As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” (Matthew 13:23)
Such a person not only hears the Word but also understands it. As a result, his/her life is fruitful, while the others were totally unfruitful, as God regards fruitfulness (Hebrews 11:6)
Why does Jesus (and the rest of the Bible) place such a high priority on wisdom and understanding? Isn’t love the greatest of all possible fruits? Yes, but a tree cannot bear good fruit unless it is first a good tree (Matthew 7:15-21), and part of being a good tree is having the light of wisdom. Without such wisdom, all of our attempts to love may be marred by enablement and demotivation of those we are seeking to love. If we remain in the darkness, our good deeds will become further marred by our self-serving motives, pride, arrogance, or even resentment when the objects of our love do not reciprocate according to our expectations. In contrast, while Jesus was experiencing the most excruciating and undeserved crucifixion, He still prayed that they would be forgiven.
Love can quickly morph into arrogance as even a gourmet meal will rot when left outside. Without wisdom and understanding, many of the most successful people become further hardened and corrupted by what is normally good. This is why Jesus had taught that love depended upon understanding, and understanding depended upon cultivated soil.
Wisdom is a matter of seeing clearly. Wisdom has eyes, which allow us to navigate the traffic. Wisdom is also our inner eye. It keeps watch over our lives so that they will align with our values. When wisdom is abandoned in favor of “love” or mystical experiences, it is like navigating without a roadmap, compass or GPS. Eventually, we will get lost and frustrated.
Today, wisdom has been rejected in favor of “You’ve got to find your own truth. No one can tell you what you should believe.” Consequently, there is nothing to learn, no elders to seek out. Instead, “If it feels right, it is right.” Therefore, we can no longer see beyond our reactions and feelings, and these have become our masters. Without an objective wisdom, we become morbidly self-absorbed.
Hope dies with wisdom. All that remain are our animalistic feelings and drives, and these cannot satisfy, not for long.
In contrast, Jesus found hope, truth, and wisdom through the Word of God. Therefore, in answering the devil, He quoted Deuteronomy 8:2-3:
∑ But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
Wisdom would have us do no less.
