Thursday, October 23, 2008
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Whose Fool Are You?
Being a fool from the Bible's perspective is not generally a good thing. The fool is one who believes that he is right and will not listen to anyone else (Proverbs 12:15). He really does not want to know the truth, but nevertheless revels in airing his own opinions about everything (Proverbs 18:2). A foolish person despises instruction (Proverbs 15:5) and correction or discipline, even when harsh makes little if any impact (Proverbs 17:10). A foolish person is all talk and little action (Ecclesiastes 10:14-15), and he trusts only in himself (Proverbs 28:26). Most condemning of all, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' " (Psalm 14:1, 53:1). This kind of person is his own worst enemy. The Psalm continues:
"The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Will evildoers never learn —" (Psalm 14:2-4, 53:2-4).
In the New Testament, we read about foolish people as well. There is the foolish man who chose not to put the word of God into practice and might just as well build a house on sand (Matthew 7:26). There is the rich fool who worked his whole life to build a comfortable life for himself, not knowing how long or if he would live to enjoy it (Luke 1216-21). A fool seems to be anyone who does not take God into account when he is making plans and living his life. Not a good way to live! Not a way to live at all!
It appears that the Corinthian church, or at least some of the people in it, did not know the true meaning of the word "fool" and they certainly neglected the rather harsh words that Jesus reserved for someone that would call his brother a fool (see Matthew 5:22). Apparently, they were saying that they were wise and that Paul and those ministering with him were fools. And, when we are serious about being Jesus' people in the world, it seems that there are always those religious people that will accuse us like this. Did Paul argue with them or try to show them how wise he really was? No, he embraced their attack. He says,
"For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world" (1 Corinthians 4:9-13).
In the end, Paul discovered, and we each have the opportunity and privilege to discover this too, that nothing really matters save what God thinks of me and how I am related to him. I don't have to be anything to be something. And I would rather be a fool for him than be wise for myself! I would rather be any of these "negative" things for him that be "positive" and without him! After all, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are" (1 Corinthians 1:27-28).
John Wimber, who went on to form the Vineyard Church, tells of a time before he was a Christian when he was walking through Times Square in New York. He saw a religious freak approaching him wearing a sandwich board that bore the slogan "I'm a fool for Christ." And John felt compelled to agree with him. "Yes," he thought, "you certainly are." As the old man walked past him, he saw what was written on the back of the sandwich board: "Whose fool are you?" And, it was enough to get John thinking. Bob Dylan, in his 1979 song, "Gotta Serve Somebody" sang "Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you're gonna have to serve somebody."
We really only have two choices. We either serve God and be everything, even if a fool for him. Or we serve ourselves, which ends up being less than and cutting us off from God, which means in the end that we are really serving . . . yes, you guessed it, the other guy. If I am going to be a fool — and compared to God, I will always be that — who better to be a fool for than for Jesus? The other option has entirely lost its appeal!
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