From Worldly Wisdom to Divine Foolishness
September 5, 2024 - Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
1 Cor 3:18-23
The most popular schools of thought of the time of Paul were associated with their founders, such as Platonism with Plato and Stoicism with Zeno. Perhaps, some of the Corinthians mistook Christianity for yet another school of philosophy, with Paul, Apollos, and Cephas as its proponents. Within such a context, we have to place the phrase "wise in this age."
"If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool, so as to become wise" (1 Cor 3:18). Paul was such a fool for Christ. He gave up his status in Jewish religious circles as a prominent Pharisee, traveled across the Roman Empire to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles, and was constantly exposed to different sorts of dangers. But it was all worth it: "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord," he wrote from prison to his beloved community in Philippi (see Phil. 3:8).
Paul's invitation to become "fools" for Christ had a powerful influence on Russian Orthodox Christianity. The "holy fools" of Russia adopted counter-cultural behaviors and lifestyles. Their lifestyle was characterized by voluntary poverty, humility, and self-sacrifice. They often took upon themselves a prophetic role of social critique by speaking truth to their leaders. At the same time, ordinary faithful could find in them shepherds according to God's heart. The "holy fools" communicated profound spiritual wisdom that helped the faithful navigate the challenges of life.
Paul uses two quotes from the Old Testament (Job 5:12 and Ps 94:11) to make his point that "the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God" (1 Cor. 3:19). The "wise" in Paul's quote are in the Book of the crafty ones. The first time this word "crafty" appears in the Bible, it describes the talking snake from the garden in Eden: "Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made" (Gen. 3:1). Paul wrote that "God catches the wise in their own ruses" (1 Cor. 3:19). The cross is the ultimate example of this statement. What was supposed to be the greatest victory of evil turned out to be its ultimate failure. "The rulers of this age" (1 Cor. 2:8) who were "wise in this age" (1 Cor. 3:18) were unable to grasp God's hidden wisdom and "crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:8).
Paul's second statement, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile" (1 Cor. 3:20), comes from Psalm 94:11 and uses the original word "hevel," which features prominently in the book of Ecclesiastes. The book begins with the famous statement: "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity" (Ecc. 1:2). "Hevel" means "breath" or "vapor," and such are the thoughts of the wise—a mere breath, a mere vapor.
The entire passage about being "wise in this age" and becoming fools aims to lead us to a new way of thinking. The world often adores certain personalities, but there is no place for a "personality cult" in the Church. Paul can be considered the greatest missionary and theologian of Christianity, but he was one among many who laid the foundation for the spread of Christianity. To say that "I am of Paul" (1 Cor. 1:12) is to misunderstand what Christianity is all about. We are not followers of Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or some other great figures of the Church. We are followers of Christ, who is the Way to the Father.
"So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you, Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God" (1 Cor. 3:21-23).