Wisdom Wednesday: The Wisdom of the Resurrection
Submitted by Debbie’s Dad
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”
(Romans 11:33) NASB 95
When I was in graduate school, and I was facing the last of any lingering doubts I had about my faith in Christ, I pondered why God had not provided a more explicit “miraculous” item of evidence to convince men and women of His existence. I dreamt up concepts that I thought would be convincing. Like spelling “I am God” in clouds in the sky … in Hebrew. Of course, my concepts were silly – as if the creation, stars, planets, our bodies, reproduction, and our minds were not enough to know of God’s existence and power. The creation alone leaves us without an excuse to claim we are unaware of Him. (Rom. 1:20)
But it made me think not about what is the most impressive miracle, but about what is the most meaningful miracle that God could provide. The categories of impressive miracles have been identified by magicians and other illusionists who seek to create the illusion of a supernatural miracle. The general categories that illusionists seek to perform include:
- An object appears where it was not, or an object disappears from where it was.
- An object changes position in space.
- An object changes form (size, shape, and so on).
- One object appears to pass through another.
- An object is damaged and then restored to its original condition.
- The appearance of extraordinary mental or physical abilities.
- The apparent ability to control the movement of objects without physical contact.
- The appearance of clairvoyance, telepathy, precognition, or mental control.
You can relate some of these to the tricks that you have observed magicians perform on the stage. You can also recognize that some of these categories were genuinely and supernaturally performed by God throughout the Old Testament, and by Jesus in the Gospels.
But which of these are the most meaningful? Calming a violent storm, healing a blind man, causing soldiers to fall over, and other miracles were impressive and sufficient to validate Jesus’ credentials.
But the most meaningful miracle of all – in fact, the only one of eternal value (meaningfulness) to you and me is the genuine resurrection from the dead. Jesus raised his friend Lazarus of Bethany from the dead and then was resurrected Himself from the dead several days later.
Why is this the only meaningful miracle? It is because we all will die, and the only hope beyond the grave is a resurrection to eternal life. And this is the miracle that Jesus demonstrated.
Paul expressed this event – Christ crucified- as the central point of God’s redemption of sinners. The crucifixion-resurrection is the expressed wisdom of God:
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”
Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor 1:18–24)
In Romans chapter 5, Paul explained the result of the resurrection – justification of the believer to eternal life. “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.”
(Rom 5:19). And he concluded his extended doctrinal teaching on redemption to the Roman believers, with the exclamation, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” (Rom 11:33)
Yes, with a little thought, you realize that the most important, the most meaningful miracle we seek is a personal resurrection from the dead – by One who offers that miracle to us and the promise of eternal life. That One is Jesus Christ, Creator and Redeemer!