Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:25)

There Is No Comparison

Wisdom is the quality of possessing the knowledge to discern and apply various disciplines to life. Admittedly, many people possess a higher level of knowledge than most men. Some surveys suggest the top four individuals in history who excelled in knowledge were Isaac Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, and Johann Goethe. These men had an intellectual prowess far beyond the common man. Albert Einstein is famous for the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics). His name is synonymous with being smart and having an incredible mind. History has been molded by the theories of Newton, the beauty and designs of da Vinci, and the conclusions of Einstein. Much of the modern world still revolves around the conclusions of great men who shaped the course of humanity. While the lives of great men and women who lived genius lives are admired and sought after, there is a rudimentary knowledge that young children possess and common men and women have that far exceed the greatest minds in history. The foolishness of God is greater than the heights of man’s wisdom.

In 1969, an incredible human accomplishment took place when Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon. Few things come close to how human wisdom was able to transport three men to the moon and back especially considering the technology available at the time. What is forgotten is who put the moon there in the first place. Science has launched spacecraft to deep recesses of the universe and put machines on Mars sending back incredible pictures. By comparison, the wisdom of man has put a few men on the moon, perused the Martian terrain and opened the depths of the seas, and unraveled many mysteries of disease but cannot explain the order of the universe, its creation, and the love of God. The story of a carpenter from a small Galilean village of Nazareth who lived two thousand years ago does not cause a ripple in the curious wisdom of humanity. If the story is to be believed, this itinerant early century teacher was convicted as a criminal and executed by the Roman government. Where is the wisdom in that story?

The comparison between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of man is separated by such a wide chasm there is no tool to measure the infinite disparity of the two. At best, the foolishness of the Divine is greater than all the minds of humanity since the beginning of time – combined. It’s like comparing an atomic particle of dust (human wisdom) to the expanse of the known universe (God’s wisdom) and that pales in comparison. Jesus Christ dying on a cross does not compute to the wisdom of men. It makes no sense. There is no purpose. To most of humanity in the last two thousand years, the death of Jesus was of little or no consequence. Human wisdom could not and would not accept a story so outlandish. And yet in the story of the gospel of Jesus, the incredible wisdom of God is found.

To those who are drawn to the cross of Jesus, there is power. The wisdom of God unfolds every day through creation. When the heart spends time in the word of God, the value of God’s wisdom fortifies and solidifies the soul with peace, knowledge, understanding, joy, and hope. Human wisdom cannot give this. Only through the word of God will man find his role in life and the answers to what is beyond the vale of death. Great men can change the world and leave their mark on the pages of history. But the real question is what happened when Albert Einstein died and discovered the world beyond the grave. How important was the theory of relativity? The only thing relative to Einstein at the moment of his death was his relationship with God. That is the wisdom of God compared to the wisdom of man. The wisdom of man ceases at death. Knowing the wisdom of God will take one safely through the valley of the shadow of death. I love the foolishness and weakness of God because it makes me wiser and stronger.