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Epilogue: Jesus and
Wisdom
We live in a world of good and evil. But
all things, good or bad, ultimately serve the Lord's purpose. And the very
center of the Lord's purpose is Jesus the Christ. Paul said,
For he has made known to us in all wisdom
and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he
set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things
in him, things in heaven and things on earth (Ephesians 1:9, 10; RSV).
to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery
hidden for ages in God who created all things; that through the church
the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities
and powers in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose
which he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3:8-11; RSV).
God moves in mysterious ways. Truly, it is through
obedience to the leadership of that special man, Christ Jesus, that evil
is overcome. But, of course, this man Jesus is far more than a man. Consider
what John said of him:
In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God;
all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made
that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it
(John 1:1-5; RSV).
That which was from the beginning, which
we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have touched
with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest,
and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life
which was with the Father and was made manifest to us (1 John 1:1,
2; RSV).
There is something very deep in the meaning
of word. We know that when God spoke the world came into being.
Once, when Jesus was praying to him, he made this statement:
thy word is truth (John 17:17; KJV).
Regarding the word truth, Jesus also
used it to apply to himself.
I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no one comes to the father, but by me (John 14:6; RSV).
And Paul wrote this about Jesus:
Christ [is] the power of God and the
wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24; RSV).
to have all the riches of assured understanding
and the knowledge of God's mystery, of Christ, in whom are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:2, 3; RSV).
Jesus, then, is the "word," and the "truth,"
and the "wisdom and power of God." He possesses "all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge," revealing to us understanding and the knowledge of God's
mystery.
There is another Being involved—the Counselor,
the Holy Spirit of God—whom Jesus referred to as the Spirit of truth. (See
also
John 14:17 and 15:26.)
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth,
is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself;
but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you
things to come (John 16:13; KJV).
Later John wrote:
the Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6;
KJV).
And Jesus has said:
It is the spirit that gives life, the
flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and
life (John 6:63; RSV).
Thus, we find this: Jesus is the Word; God's
Word is truth; Jesus is God's wisdom; he is the truth and the life; the
Spirit is the truth; the Spirit gives life; the words of Jesus are spirit
and life. Putting it all together we find that the Son of God, the Holy
Spirit of God, and the universal wisdom of God described by Solomon are
all interrelated, and one with God the Father, who is love. (See 1 John
4:8, 16.) Accordingly, we find an emphasis on these aspects of divinity:
power, truth-wisdom, and love. Combined they make the essence of life—a
dynamic intelligent unity.
Modern science has clearly demonstrated the
power of mysterious, invisible forces influencing this material world.
Such things as microorganisms (creatures invisible to the naked eye who
influence our lives for good and evil) can now be seen. Such things as
magnetism and gravity are still invisible, but we accept their reality.
Also we cannot see the intelligent energy of a television broadcast passing
through our houses and entering into our TV sets. All we see is the effect
on the device; but we still believe in the force beyond it. In like manner,
the spiritual forces at work in the world cannot be seen—only their effects.
The Bible teaches that the Spirit of God is everywhere at work; unseen
but powerful, intelligent, and benevolent. Truly, God is daily involved
in all that happens. The prophet Zephaniah said:
The Lord within her (Jerusalem] is righteous,
he does no wrong; each morning he shows forth his justice, each dawn he
does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame (Zephaniah 3:5; RSV).
What appear to us to be fixed laws of nature
are simply reflections of the faithfulness of God continuously upholding
the order of the universe by his power. Only once was this ultimate and
universal life force made visible.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
the Father,) full of grace and truth (John 1:14; KJV).
No man hath seen God at any time; the
only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared
him (John 1:18; KJV).
In many and various ways God spoke of
old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken
to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom
also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very
stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When
he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he
has obtained is more excellent than theirs (Hebrews 1:14; RSV).
Solomon lived about one thousand years before
Christ and the New Testament. God has made Jesus supreme, and Jesus' wisdom
recorded in the New Testament is the climax of Holy Scripture. It is the
last and best of the divinely inspired truth. Speaking of himself, Jesus
said:
The queen of the South [Sheba] will
arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came
from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something
greater than Solomon is here (Matthew 12:42; RSV).
But Jesus did not come to do away with the wisdom
of Solomon or any of the Old Testament truth. He came not to abolish it,
but rather to extend and enlarge it, to enrich it and make it mature and
complete. He said:
Think not that I have come to abolish
the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill
them (Matthew 5:17; RSV).
In sum: Jesus, the Son of God, Lord of heaven,
and earth, came to this vain world to offer life and hope, and to share
with us a wisdom much greater than Solomon's.
Copyright 1997 by Walter
L. Porter may be reproducted for non-commercial purposes at no cost to
others.
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