Wisdom Does

                                                Matthew 11: 16-19, 25-30

 

 

          Ever been around a spoiled child? I have been blessed to never have had spoiled children, but I have certainly been around them. They are rude. They don’t share. They are bossy and demanding and always want to be first. When an adult asks them something, they ignore him. If you say no to them, then it’s on. You will be greeted with howling and crying and stomping. You know what I mean. There is no pleasing a spoiled child. It wants what isn’t there.

          In the eleventh chapter of Matthew’s gospel, it seems as though Jesus has encountered another version of spoiled children, only they aren’t children at all. Earlier in this chapter, Jesus has been speaking to the crowds concerning John the Baptist, who is now in prison. Jesus has called him the greatest among those born of women, some very high praise for the Baptist. We know that Jesus does not include himself in that number. Jesus is unique. He is the Son of God. But then, Jesus points out that the least of those in God’s kingdom are better than the likes of even John the Baptist.

          Then, Jesus takes a look at the current generation.  The context surrounding his remarks tells us that he is focusing upon the religious leaders of the time. He compares them to spoiled children. They don’t like the Baptist because he dresses funny and lives in the desert. He has no sense of humor. He doesn’t drink and he eats weird stuff. They don’t like Jesus either, though he has a great sense of humor and spends time around people, eating and drinking with them. There is no pleasing the religious leaders of the time. They have devised a set of rules that practically no one can keep. Of course they don’t like John the Baptist or Jesus, because they won’t play by the existing rules. If the rules don’t make sense, then they just ignore them. The scribes and Pharisees have a lot invested in these traditions. They are angered by anyone who would presume to challenge their authority. They take their pleasure in their rules and in the criticism that they level at those who can’t or won’t live by those rules. They remind Jesus more of spoiled children than men of wisdom. They are bossy and demanding and always want to be the most important.

          Jesus says that “wisdom is justified by her deeds.” Wisdom is justified by her deeds. What does that mean? The Greek word for justified is the same one used to say “made righteous.” Paul uses that word a lot to help us understand how the sacrifice of Jesus works for us. It allows us to be made righteous. So we might say that righteousness is the doing of wisdom. Normally we might think of wisdom as an attribute, something like a personality trait. We think of certain people as “wise,” because of what they say or sometimes because of what they refrain from saying. Wisdom is something said, like a phrase from Abe Lincoln or Mark Twain.  For instance, the lyrics of the great Beatles song Let It Be talk of Mother Mary speaking words of wisdom. They allude to the whisper or speech of wisdom, as do many places in literature.

But that doesn’t appear to be what Jesus is saying.  Jesus seems to be equating the state of wisdom with some sort of action,  rather than a state of being or an utterance. What a curious turn! Jesus says wisdom is justified by her deeds. Put into context, all the rules and regulations and laws of the religious leaders do not amount to wisdom. Jesus tells us that wisdom is lived out in the hands and feet of disciples. The evidence of wisdom is the deeds we do, the actions we take. Until we act on our intentions, they are just so many more words. They can serve as a call to action, but at the end of the day, it is the action we take by which we will be measured. Wisdom does.

          After a declaration of woe issued to certain cities because they won’t turn away from sin, Jesus then turns back to the crowds. He tells them three things and they are worth our attention. First, Jesus thanks God for the revelation sent to those whom God has willed to receive it. Those who are busy being spoiled and running things do not receive the revelation. Rather, it is those who receive the gospel in simple, believing faith to whom it is revealed. God’s Word is complex and sometimes just plain difficult, but God’s message is simple.

Next, Jesus announces that all authority under heaven has been given to him. The authority comes from the Father, but it has been given to Jesus. Jesus is free to give it out to those whom he chooses. This is a revolutionary announcement. Jesus is claiming to be the Son of God and claiming that he has the authority of God to do all things. This announcement surely sent those spoiled children, the scribes and Pharisees, into a rage, for they would see such an announcement as blasphemy. The blasphemy was there all right, but it belonged to the scribes and Pharisees for their rejection of the Son of God.

It’s curious in this day and time that it has not occurred to some leaders of our very own denomination that blasphemy is not an outmoded idea. It can still be committed and it still will face dire consequences from our heavenly Father. Jesus in this very passage warned that the city of Capernaum would fare worse than Sodom for its refusal to act in Christian witness. Twenty first century religion in America, in its unquenchable thirst for relativity and its drive toward equality at any cost, now faces the wrath of the God whom it claims to serve. Instead of working to change the culture, some of our leaders would have us water down the message until the culture has changed the message. It won’t work. It never has. Those of real faith will perceive that Christian soldiering is far from a thing of the past.

Finally and thankfully, Jesus turns from his condemnation of those who would deflect the real values of the kingdom. He directs his attention to those whose eyes and ears have been opened to receive the good news. To them he issues an invitation. “Come to me”, he says. Are you laboring under all the rules and regulations? Come to me, believe in me. That’s enough. “I will give you rest”, he says. “Learn from me”, he says. My yoke won’t break you down; it’s easy. My burden won’t put you on your knees; it’s light. Don’t worry about the rule book. Just obey the Golden Rule. Jesus promises us that he is gentle, that he is humble. He promises us that a life of servant hood, the practice of humility, living unselfishly and in community, will bring rest to our souls.

You know, it seems to me that our Savior in these verses has shown us not only the way to live, but the way home as well. He is revealed to the body of believers. He has authority over all. He invites us to come. He shows us the way. He shows us that some rules are made to be broken, and perhaps more importantly, that even if the rule is made by church leaders, it is still subject to the authority of the living God and the scrutiny of his disciples. 

It would be unwise to ignore the teaching of Jesus, for that, too, is an act. His teaching is alive and it is clear. Wisdom does, but so does foolishness. When we do nothing, when we ignore, we are doing the deeds of inaction and disobedience.  If wisdom is action and deeds, then let our actions be in obedience to his invitation. “Come unto me…learn from me…you will find rest for your souls.” And that is wisdom.