Wednesday 30 April 2025

Psalm 114

Background
Yesterday we read Paul’s initial greetings to the Christians in Corinth. After that, he doesn’t waste any time getting down to the concerns that have led him to write.

Paul has been worried about the Church splitting into different factions. One manifestation of this has been a focus on ‘worldly wisdom’ – the use of sophisticated arguments to score points rather than to proclaim the truth. The remedy, Paul insists, is to focus on the cross of Jesus Christ.

It’s difficult for us, after 2000 years of Christianity, to imagine just how shocking, scandalous and plain foolish it must have seemed to base a whole religion on a figure who was tortured to death on a cross. Crucifixion wouldn’t even have been mentioned in polite society, it was so horrible. Yet Paul is prepared to stake everything on the belief that God in Christ was reconciling the world to God’s self through the Cross. What appears to be foolish is really the deepest kind of wisdom.

This, says Paul, is God’s way – it's God's modus operandi. The Corinthians can see for themselves that God hasn’t called them into the Church because they are successful, clever and strong. It’s God’s way to take what seems weak and foolish and to develop it into something strong and wise.

All this doesn’t mean that Christians shouldn’t ever try to argue for their faith. Paul could use rhetoric and argument when he needed to. However, the important thing is to focus on God and on the scandal of the Cross.

To Ponder:

• Can you think of examples in today’s world when sophisticated arguments are used to distort the truth rather than to reveal it?
• Can you remember knowing someone who helped make you aware of Christian faith, even though they didn’t have conventional wisdom or cleverness?

Prayer
Turn us, Lord, from the half-truths that seduce us, to the deep truth revealed through the Cross. Amen.

Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Richard Clutterbuck
Richard is a supernumerary presbyter, living in Gloucestershire after a ministry that has taken him to Tonga, London, Gloucester and Belfast. He was formerly Principal of the West of England Ministerial Training Course and of Edgehill Theological College.