THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF CANTON
Sunday, February 2, 2020 ~ Fourth Sunday After Epiphany
Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor
Sermon: “The Foolishness of the Cross”
Epistle Lesson: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
In many of his plays, Shakespeare often includes a fool. Wikipedia astutely observes, “Shakespearean fools are usually clever peasants or commoners that use their wits to outdo people of higher social standing. In this sense, they are very similar to the real fools and jesters of the time, but their characteristics are greatly heightened for theatrical effect.”
In the opening of the First Letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul talks about being “a fool for Christ.” I highly doubt that he meant act like a dupe or a laughingstock. He meant fool in the way that Shakespeare meant it. Being a fool for Christ means going against the norm — the worldly norm. Much like Shakespeare, Paul meant to be clever spiritually in order to shine a light on the foolishness of worldly ways — ways that are accepted as the norm to most people, especially those who have privilege and power.
Why? Because the message of the Gospel seems utterly ludicrous to those who put their faith in what the world values most. Being focused on wealth, power, and prestige is what mature people do, right? From a young age, you are taught to strive for such things. “You need to do well in school,” your parents tell you, “so you can get into a good college, get a good job, and make lots of money.” I remember hearing that from a young age. Actually, I remember my Dad saying, “You better go to college and get a good job, because you’re not living here for the rest of your life.”
But the Gospel teaches us a different message — one that runs counter to the ways of the world. This is why Paul says we seem foolish to the world. Remember the story in Matthew in which a man comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to obtain eternal life? First, Jesus tells him to follow the commandments. The man says, “I have followed them. What do I lack? What else do I have to do?” Jesus says, “Sell all your possessions, give the money to the poor, then come and follow me.” The man, we are told, walked away distraught, because he was wealthy. We don’t know what this man did next, but imagine if he went home and told his family and friends that he was going to sell everything he owned, give them money to the poor, and follow Jesus. What do you think they would say? What are you, crazy? You’re a fool! Yes, he would appear to be a fool.
Again, this isn’t the way the world works. You’re supposed to look out for number one. Yes, it’s ok to help others — the less fortunate — but only after you’ve taken care of your own needs (and the needs of your loved ones) first. It is foolish to act otherwise. Maybe that is why Jesus said that we need to be like children to inherit the kingdom of heaven.
Think about children and the way they act, for a moment. Yes, children can be selfish, but usually it is about something minor: they don’t want to share a toy or a candy bar. There is probably a developmental reason for this if you ask a psychologist. A study that came from the University of Notre Dame almost seven years ago suggests that it may be genetic: some kids are naturally selfish whereas others are generous, much like adults.
Children can be kind also. They are typically very trusting, almost to a fault. In fact, we have to teach our children to be suspicious of strangers, because they are oblivious to the fact that some may do them harm. It’s sad that we have to compromise their innocence that way, but it is for their own safety. What would we say about an adult who was totally trusting the way a child is? We’d say that they are foolish. Adults, like children, should be on their guard against strangers who may take advantage of them. In recent years, the elderly have been targeted by phone schemes — scammers who call them pretending to be the IRS or that they are a grandson who has been jailed in Mexico and needs fifteen hundred dollars immediately to be released. On both ends of the spectrum — the very young and the very old — we find people who trust, because they assume that people are genuinely good. While that may be true, it’s the bad people that capitalize on such blind trust.
But think about what we can learn from such trust. What if we had the same unquestioning trust when it came to God and God’s will for us? What would it look like if we truly believed the Gospel and that Christ died for our sins? How would we seem if we fully embraced the idea that the resurrection opened up the gates of everlasting life for believers? How would we live our lives if we confirmed our every thought and action to the conviction that Jesus Christ is our Savior? If we did, the world would probably think that we are fools. Living according to the Gospel is far from the norm. It does seem ridiculous to the rest of the world.
But we’re not supposed to just be fools; we are to be wise fools. Glenn Pease describes it this way, “The wise fool…recognizes that human wisdom is so limited, and so there is a need for wisdom from above. They are seen as fools from the point of view of the worldly fool.” We are to discern when we are prioritizing God in light of everything, as opposed to just being lazy or apathetic. At the end of the day, being a fool for Christ is not synonymous with being a buffoon, a nitwit, or a nincompoop, as the thesaurus suggests.
The twentieth century theologian Karl Barth was a learned scholar. Some scholars systematize their theology into a single volume — maybe two. Barth’s legendary Church Dogmatics is a massive, fourteen volume compendia of his analysis of the core doctrines of the Christian faith. “Once a young student asked Barth if he could sum up what was most important about his life’s work and theology in just a few words.” (Kind of like asking him for his elevator speech.) “Barth just thought for a moment and then smiled, ‘Yes, in the words of a song my mother used to sing [to] me.’” We sang his answer a moment ago:
Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little to ones to him belong
They are weak, but he is strong
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so
That is the faith of a child — pure, perfect. Foolish, according to many. If you believe this, then I guess you are a fool, too. I know I am. Amen.
© 2020, Dr. Tamilio
All rights reserved.
Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor & Professor 