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 The
following was found among the graffiti on a wall at St. John's
University: "And Jesus said unto them, 'Who do you say that
I am?' And they replied, 'You are the eschatological
manifestation of the ground of our being, the kerygma in which
we find the ultimate meaning of our interpersonal relationship.'
And Jesus said: 'What'?"
Commenting
upon the above, Bill Love (Christian Appeal) wrote, "Jesus
did not talk in the code language of a third year seminarian
because he cared too much for... people. He spoke in parables
because he came to confront the pride of man with the love of
God; he wanted both to bless the 'poor in spirit' and to confuse
those who were inflated with religious and intellectual
pride.... Jesus set forth the deepest truths about God and man
in seemingly simple stories about a young runaway and his
father, about a poor woman searching for her lost coin, and
about a farmer sowing a field... Those who are as unpretentious
and receptive as children will see God in these stories; those
who are full of their own achievement will 'go empty
away'." Are you unsophisticated enough to
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grasp that? Paul wrote, "Not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called" (the
last two words being supplied in K.J., 1 Cor. 1:26). McKnight
suggests the supplied words should be "call you,"
referring to the "earthen vessel" character of the
callers (preachers) rather than to those who heeded. God chose
not the learned and noble of this world as messengers; but
humble, lowly men, whom He then equipped with His Spirit so that
the glory might be of God and not of man (2 Cor. 4:7). This does
fit the immediate context of 1 Cor. 1 and 2:1-f. Either way, it
isn't difficult to imagine the perplexity of an early saint,
should he hear the religious jargon, the human philosophy, or
even the social announcements that come from pulpits of our day.
With a puzzled look he might well say, "What?"
When
we have filled ourselves with the content of God's message; when
"Christ, Son of God" says "Savior," and
means exactly what it says; then plain gospel truth will be
enough.
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