1Corinthians 1:22,23 – Not popular

Since, in fact, Jews signs are requesting and Greeks wisdom are seeking, yet we are heralding Christ, crucified, to Jews, indeed a snare, yet to the nations stupidity.

This whole section makes it clear that the wisdom of this world does not match the wisdom of God at all. For Jews it is impossible to speak about Christ without signs of an established Kingdom. A Christ who would not have been recognized by Israel’s leaders and was even crucified does not fit the profile of their Messiah. That is what they trip over.

And the Greeks? To this day, they are known for their desire for wisdom. The well-known philosophical schools can still be traced back to Greek thinkers of old. But can’t accept the Christ Paul proclaimed. He is, after all, resurrected from the dead: a completely non-Greek idea! There was broad support for the concept of an ‘immortal soul’. But a corpse that would have been made alive on the third day was plain foolishness to them.

In such a world Paul operated as a herald. His message was a stumbling block for Jews and for all the others it was foolishness. But would Paul therefore adjust the message? On the contrary. The rejection by the world just confirms the truth of the message!

Delen: