There is No Yellow Brick Road
(1 Corinthians 1: 18-31)
I doubt that there is anyone in our age demographic that hasn’t seen the Wizard of Oz on at least one occasion and probably more as we sat and watched it with our kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. It’s almost like a right of passage for most families. It has been the topic of exhaustive study and analysis of many professionals and pseudo intellectuals who have struggled to find the meaning behind Dorothy’s story, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some colleges even, at one time, offered a class in interpreting the hidden meaning behind the story. The challenge is not to read too much into it but for the purposes of my analysis let’s say it’s the story of a young girl who has suffered a tragedy, a setback in her life, that has separated her from her family and she desperately wants to find her way back to her loved ones and the safety and security her home offers. No one seems to be able to help her, but they all give her the same advice. She must follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City to see the all-powerful Wizard who will know exactly what to do.
Along the way Dorothy encounters several characters who are also looking for something that is missing in their lives, courage, knowledge, and a heart, who join her in her journey to see if this wizard can give them what they are seeking. After encountering several challenges designed to impede the quest, they finally make it to Emerald City requesting a meeting with the Wizard. The Wizard is pretty terrifying and intimidating and seemingly put off by these requests for his assistance, but when the curtain is literally pulled back, he is revealed as a fraud, a charlatan, all smoke and mirrors. Exposed to the truth the man posing as the Wizard tells them that they’ve been looking in all the wrong places for what they desire and it has been right there in front of them all this time, hiding in plain sight. It seemed too simple to be true but true it was.
And that’s what the Apostle Paul is dealing with in his letter to the church in Corinth. The gospel of Jesus Christ seems like foolishness because it is so simple. There must be more to it which moved people to look elsewhere for knowledge, courage, and empathy. The Jews couldn’t accept the fact that Jesus as the Messiah was one who was perceived as weak and meek in the face of authority. And the Greeks felt that such wisdom could only come from someone who was schooled and possessed unsurpassed knowledge and wisdom. Something so simple as this Good News could not stand the test of time.
And that’s what the Apostle Paul is contending with in our scripture reading for today. The gospel of Jesus Christ is so simple it doesn’t make sense to those who think there must be more to it. In Paul’s world, a world dominated by the Roman Empire, the cross was the most shameful way to die, reserved for slaves and political criminals who threatened Roman order. The idea of a weak, publicly shamed, so-called messiah put on a cross by those he was expected to vanquish was a scandal. Because of this, many Jews considered the Good News of Jesus Christ to be foolishness, because they thought the Messiah would be a conquering king like King David accompanied by signs and miracles. And for the Greeks, they too considered the gospel to be foolishness. They did not believe in a bodily resurrection, nor did they see in Jesus the powerful characteristics of their mythological gods and thought no respectable person would be crucified by the authorities. Associating the power and wisdom of divinity with a disgraced Jew on a cross was complete foolishness. To them, death was defeat, not victory.
And that’s what Paul is getting to when he says: The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved. He references Isaiah 29: 14 where the Lord says: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the intelligence of the intelligent. What Paul is saying is that God’s way of thinking is not like the world’s way, normal human wisdom. He’s trying to tell them not to overthink and complicate the simple message of the cross and Jesus Christ. Rhetorically he asks where are the wise, the legal experts, and the debaters who like to sit and talk things to death without resolving anything. He’s asking the same questions that we find ourselves asking today as we face the challenges of trying to get by in the face of 21st century problems: Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish? He goes on to say that in God’s wisdom he determined that the world wouldn’t come to know him through its wisdom. Instead, he says, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching. Saving people through the preaching and teachings of those inspired by God and guided by the Holy Spirit. He observes that the Jews are still looking for signs that fit into their narrative of who the Messiah will be and the Greeks are obsessed with looking for irrefutable wisdom. But, Paul says. we preach Christ crucified, which is a scandal to Jews and foolishness to Greeks.
When you stop and think about it the same debate rages on today as disaffected people continue to question the wisdom and compassion of what we claim to be an all-loving and forgiving God. How can an omnipotent God allow such suffering and pain to go unchecked in the world? And others who seek wisdom and irrefutable proof say that there are no credible proof of a virgin birth and the resurrection of one who died such a cruel and complete death. They continue to laugh, scoff, and mock us and now have the internet and artificial intelligence to assist them in their assaults against the Good News. But the Apostle says that to those who are called—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. This, he says, is because the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. What he is saying is that God took what was “weak and foolish” according to culture’s categories of common sense to show the world what true divine power and wisdom were. In fact, the very existence of the Corinthian community is a perfect example corroborating God’s action on the cross. This is what Paul meant when he said: Look at your situation when you were called, brothers and sisters! By ordinary human standards not many were wise, not many were powerful, not many were from the upper class. But God chose what the world considers foolish to shame the wise. God chose what the world considers weak to shame the strong. And God chose what the world considers low-class and low-life—what is considered to be nothing—to reduce what is considered to be something to nothing. Yeah, some out-of-work carpenter from a dusty out-of-the-way inconsequential village begins a self-professed ministry to save the world. As people are fond of saying in the south: “that dog won’t hunt.” But Paul responds that it is because of God that we are in Christ Jesus. Christ became wisdom from God for us. This, Paul tells us, means that he made us righteous and holy, and he delivered us. What we have is not earned or bestowed upon us because we are something special. We are merely chosen by God’s grace and if we must brag, let us brag in the Lord.
The Good News of Jesus Christ still sounds foolish to many. Our society worships power, influence, and wealth. But Jesus came as a humble, poor servant, and he offers his kingdom to those who have faith, not to those who do all kinds of good deeds to try to earn his gifts. True strength begins with the knowledge that all we are comes as a result of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our relationship with Christ yields spiritual fruit: kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, humility, and authenticity. These gifts strengthen our hearts and the hearts of our communities. They enable us to do God’s work, and they empower us to endure hardship and sorrow. The strength that Jesus gives in these gifts make us supple and unbreakable, not brittle or unyielding.
Paul emphasizes that the way to receive salvation is so simple that any person who wants it can understand it. Skill and wisdom do not get a person into God’s kingdom—simple faith does—so no one can boast that his or her achievements helped him or her secure eternal life. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation; we need only accept what Jesus has already done for us. It’s right here for the asking, there is no all-powerful wizard, there is no yellow brick road.
Let us pray.
So, what does the Lord require of us? He requires that we seek justice and love, and kindness, and that we walk humbly with him. That really doesn’t seem like much to ask in exchange for all we’ve been granted through his unmerited love and grace. But we do it because we know of the wisdom of God, a wisdom mocked and discounted by those who think they are wise and intelligent, by those who seek wisdom from other men, by those who think the cross of Christ is foolishness. But we know better because you picked us, us who by society’s standards are not wise, who are not powerful, and not from the upper class, the privileged. We are many and in you we get our strength, the strength required to walk humbly with you. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
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2/01/26
There is No Yellow Brick Road
True strength begins with the knowledge that all we are comes as a result of our relationship with Jesus Christ.