Stupid Or Resistant?

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being save it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

Foolishness – I read the footnotes.  Footnotes often contain bits of information that are essential for understanding the author’s method and meaning.  For example, R. F. France has this tiny little footnote on page 430 of his 1169 page commentary on Matthew.  “exegesis, here as everywhere, must proceed from the Greek text as we have it.”  That seems harmless enough, doesn’t it?  But France uses this statement to dismiss the idea that Matthew 11:12 (a very controversial verse) should be understood from an Hebraic perspective, not a Greek one.  The footnote reveals his predisposition.

Unfortunately, biblical authors didn’t use footnotes.  They didn’t use any of the modern stylistic markers or punctuation that would help us decipher their meanings.  So we have to do a lot more work when we want to understand them.

This verse from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is a case where modern linguistic meanings must be replaced with much more ancient meanings.  Contemporary cultural meanings of “foolish” stem from the Greek connection of moria with its root moros, that is, deficiency, especially mental dullness.  If we read this verse with the meaning from classical Greek, then it looks as if Paul is saying that the message of the cross appears stupid to those who are being destroyed, lost or ruined (perishing = apollumi).  But that hardly makes any sense at all.  The message of the cross should be the most important thing these people can ever hear.  It should be anything but stupid since it is the way of escape from their impending doom.  It should be brilliant insight and amazing grace.  Clearly, Paul cannot mean moria in the classical Greek sense.

What we discover is that Paul uses moria as a summary of the Hebrew view of foolishness.  In the Hebrew view, foolishness is not associated with mental dullness.  It is associated with lack of the true knowledge of God because of hardness of heart.  In other words, foolishness is practical atheism.  It is living on the basis that there is no God in charge of life.  It actually doesn’t matter what I say about God’s existence.  If I live as if God doesn’t matter to me, I am a fool.  With this in mind, the message of the cross is not salvation.  It is submission!  Those whose lives are characterized by practical atheism find the message of submission to be utterly opposed to their behavior.  To them, submission is the denial of everything they hold dear.  Submission is the antithesis of their values.  Consequently, it is considered false and even immoral.  The man who believes that he is in charge of his own destiny rejects God’s claim as completely impractical illusion.

Once again we discover that understanding Paul requires examination of the Jewish-Hebrew background of his thought.  And once again we see that Paul’s thought is grounded in what we do, not what we say.  If we live as though God’s directions for life do not matter, we are foolish in the worst sense of the word.  We are hopelessly destroying ourselves in our efforts to make up our own rules.  Our resistance is only a symptom of a deeper rebellion against God’s claim of sovereignty and ownership.  To refuse to submit is to deny the power of the cross, a symbol not of forgiveness but of obedience unto death.

Topical Index:  cross, moria, foolishness, atheism, 1 Corinthians 1:18