He says later that the message of the cross sounds foolish to those who don't understand. And he asks the question in verse 16, Who can know the Lord's thoughts . . Who knows enough to teach him? In other words, What was God thinking of when he came up with this plan? I can tell you with absolute conviction that he was thinking of you and me, and how he could make a way to do away with our sins and anything else that stood between us and eternal life with him.
Question: If you were God, and you had the job of saving the people of the world from their sins, how would you do it?
Would you come to earth as a baby boy, born in a backward town, in an insignificant country? Think about it; his birth was announced not by kings and royalty, but by shepherds! Shepherds were not the romantic picture we often think of. It was one of the lowliest, loneliest, dirtiest, and unwanted jobs you could do. When Jesus was 8 days old and his parents presented him to the priest at the temple, only 2 people amongst hundreds acknowledged who he was! He grew up in an obscure area in Palestine as the son of a carpenter - a very humble profession. Hardly a thing was known of him by the time he was 30 years old.
No, I don't think this would have been part of yours or my plan to save the world.
After 3 years of doing good things, healing people, performing miracles, and setting free all who were tormented by the devil (acts 10:38), Jesus was subjected to a mockery of a trial, beaten beyond recognition, then suffered a humiliating death - naked on a cross - he died and was buried in a common grave.
Again, I don't think this would have been the script for a "world-saving crusade", if you or I would have planned it. (Just for the record, my plan would have involved people like Indiana Jones, The Terminator, and Batman).
Imagine that you are one of Jesus' closest supporters. Put yourself in the shoes of these men and women who did believe that he was the Messiah - the saviour of the whole world. They have spent the last 3 years of their lives on a dead end dream.
As they stood around the cross and watched him slowly die by crucifixion they were devastated!
Their feelings were summed up by Peter, one of Jesus' closest followers: after Jesus was buried he said, I'm going fishing (John 21:3). In other words, I'm going back to what I was doing before I got involved in this!
But Jesus knew exactly where they were. The next morning he met them on the beach, had breakfast prepared, and asked them to join him. It's interesting that Jesus didn't condemn them for their lack of faith, but rather invited them to a meal with him. How good is that?!
(Maybe this a clue for us: when we are down on our luck, or lacking in faith, it's not always best to understand what's going on; but rather to simply sit down with Jesus and enjoy his company).
So . . . . that was God's plan all along: for Jesus to die, and come back to life again. In doing this he beat man's biggest enemy (death), and also provided a sacrifice for sin that would last forever.
Sounds like a good plan if you ask me. (Not that I would have thought of it). And the New Testament goes further and says that if Satan would have understood these things he would never have inspired men to kill Jesus (1 Corinthians 2:8).
Sounds like God had it over the devil all along.
Again from 1 Corinthians 1, The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the power of God . . . . . . This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength (verses 18 & 25).
I wonder if our heavenly father has some other plans going on that seem a bit dopey to us? Maybe at the moment it seems that there is a whole bunch of foolishness about the way your situation looks. It might be good to remember the verse above (25).
Talk soon . . .
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