Foolishness or Wisdom?

~~~ Passion of Saint John the Baptist ~~~
~~~1 Corinthians 1:17-25 ~~~ Psalm 33 ~~~ Mark 6:17-29 ~~~

...the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

When we look at the passion and crucifixion of Jesus
we may find it difficult to see the wisdom.
Why would God send Jesus to live among us only to have us,
humans, brutally murder him?
It is hard to accept much less comprehend.
As Christians we believe it was all about how much
God desired to save us...how much he loved us.

I am reminded here of the passage where God tells us
 that his ways are not our ways.
No joke!

It may take a lifetime to grasp the wisdom in the ways of God.
Sometimes they seem so contradictory to what we would choose.
How does a terminal illness bring an estranged family back together?
Why does running late for work save you from a fatal accident?
Why does a broken relationship prevent future tragedy?

Paul's words here border on being comical...
How can we begin to think of God as foolish in the first place?
God does reveal his sense of humor to us, just look at nature.

When he (Herod) heard him (John the Baptist) speak 
he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.

John the Baptist challenged Herod and his sinfulness.
He also gave him ample cause to stop and think.

John spoke with passion and conviction
which made Herod curious and perplexed at the same time.

John spoke the truth without fear of the repercussions.
Herod was a spineless wimp who let a child
 plunge him into the beheading of John.

Herod did not have the passion or the conviction
 to refuse such a heinous crime. 

Perhaps exactly what Herod admired
so much in John was exactly what was missing in his own character.

Herod had no wisdom, yet as a ruler he had much power.

Herod failed to accept that John was speaking
 the words of wisdom inspired by God.

Instead he simply found John amusing and entertaining.
Herod chose to close this chapter of his life
 by committing a grave sin, murder.

Do you admire in others what you find lacking in yourself?
It may not be immediately apparent. You may need to
become more aware.
Oftentimes we envy things
about others that we wish we possessed ourselves.

I long to be able to speak, as others I know, with Scriptures
meaningfully used within the context of the conversation.

It is still a work in progress, I must admit.

No matter how foolish God appears to be in our eyes
he always and only has our best interest in his plan for our lives.
What matters is what are we going to do with our life?
Herod squandered his opportunity to be a better human being...
What about you?

Blessed in loving and being loved by a foolish God.
Makes me want to giggle out loud!
~~~Peace~~~