The Wisdom of Fools: A Meditation on Matthew 11

Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein

 most of his mighty works were done,

 because they repented not:

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida!

for if the mighty works, which were done in you,

had been done in Tyre and Sidon,

 they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable

for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven,

shalt be brought down to hell:

 for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee,

had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable

for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

At that time Jesus answered and said,

I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent,

and hast revealed them unto babes.

Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.

All things are delivered unto me of my Father:

and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father;

neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son,

 and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;

for I am meek and lowly in heart:

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11 begins after Jesus gave power to His disciples and sent them off to preach in the surrounding towns that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.  Hearing what Jesus was doing, John the Baptist from his prison cell sent two of his disciples to converse with Jesus, whom Jesus received, instructed, and sent back to John.  Then He turned back to the surrounding crowd with some pretty tough accusations, derisively comparing them to market place children playing games with capricious rules.  John the Baptist they didn’t follow, because he was an ascetic, and his lack frivolity didn’t pair with their own; Jesus they were disregarding because he ate and drank and socialized with everyone, including sinners, which conflicted with their own sense of piety.  The people to whom Jesus was speaking thought themselves quite smart, insightful, and judicious, while their rejection of the Prophet John and the Christ Jesus showed them to be fools beyond compare.

In fact, Jesus points out in plaintive tones, that if the preaching of John and the works of Jesus were done in the times and places of previously judged and destroyed cities, those people would have repented and remained until the current day.  Places like Tyre, and Sidon, and Sodom, cities which suffered the severe judgment of God for their misdeeds, were known to Jesus as more righteous and willing to receive His Word than the Jewish towns to which He was now speaking.  This was, of course, a profound rebuke, and many people didn’t take kindly to it.  As with most ages and places, modern people tend to think themselves the wisest and most intelligent, while blind to their true status in history.

Such a time is ours.  Screaming mobs of social justice warriors fill both media and the streets, spouting vulgarities and offenses which would make other generations blanch.  Within hours, or days, or weeks, one stupid idea can become a movement of thousands or even millions of people, tearing down monuments, vandalizing public spaces, destroying individuals and their communities over slanderous accusations.  Armed rioters demanding the dissolution of police; looters demanding the freedom to steal from private businesses; academics and their students using the freedoms of this nation to call for the destruction of the nation; Marxists, Socialists, Fascists, Anarchists, all fanning the flames of public outrage, while sympathetic (or cowardly pathetic) politicians lend their endorsements.  Destructive mobs are promoted and encouraged by mayors and governors and senators, while churches and schools are shut down.  The intelligentsia of our age perceives itself as the pinnacle of enlightenment and sophistication, yet when compared to other ages and places it is petulant, ignorant, and incapable of the civil, ecclesiastical, and artistic triumphs of their ancestors.  Our age tears down the Rembrandts and Aristotles and Augustines of ages past, replacing them with their own compositions of sidewalk chalk art and spray paint graffiti.

And yet, Jesus continues to reveal Himself to every generation, calling everyone to reconciliation with the Father through His grace.  Unlike the vapid and tumultuous mobs whose appetite for power and destruction is never satiated, Jesus shows the world a way which is truly wise, virtuous, righteous, and yields peace.  It is a way which leans not on human understanding or human power, but rather rests in the wisdom and power of God by faith.  Such faith hears the Word of the Lord for the eternal truth that it is, piercing to the center of every person to reveal not only their own personal depravity, but the sacrifice of love which absolves every fallen person in Jesus.  This is the way which leads to eternal life, a fellowship with God today which can never be broken by the putrefying powers of wicked men or demons, regardless of the size of their hordes.  This Word of forgiveness for Jesus’ sake, which calls everyone to turn from their paths of evil to the path of faith, hope, and love, is one marked by grace, life, and peace.  It is a burden which is light, a rest which is won, and a victory which is sure—not because of what we have done or what we can accomplish, but because of what Jesus has done through His life, death, and resurrection, and what He has promised to all who will follow him.

That is the difference in the callings of our times, between the voices leading to death and destruction, and the Voice which leads to life and providence.  Abandon the false wisdom of the fools of our age, and take refuge once again in the Wisdom of God, who alone has been the light and life of every age before us, and will be for every generation to come.  Amen.