Wisdom Offends
Prov 9:1-11 and John 6:51-69
August 19, 2018 – Redeemer
Today I’m going to tell you a secret, some hidden wisdom. Do you know how to go through life and never offend another person? Accept what they do without question. Tolerate their behavior or beliefs no matter what. If your son moves in with his girlfriend keep quiet. If the government decides to start putting old people to sleep like we do with our dogs, just follow along. Because you know what happens if you don’t just go along? Someone takes offense.
If you don’t want to offend people don’t ask them to change. Don’t introduce change. Don’t tell them that anything they think, feel, say, or do is wrong. Use soft words that can be understood a number of ways. Don’t ever insist that on the truth or that there is indeed a right way and a wrong way. Let’s face it. Our first response when someone challenges our beliefs or actions is the same – offense. I don’t want to change my ways. I get upset when Menard’s remodels and I can’t find what I’m looking for.
God doesn’t follow the wisdom of the world, because the world’s wisdom promises peace, but delivers death. Because God wants you to have life He does not accept you as you are, nor does He tolerate what you do (check out His commandments if you don’t believe me.) So if you walked into Redeemer this morning hoping you would be accepted in your sin and that we would tolerate the evil you do, sorry. That church has a different address. We don’t preach the world’s wisdom – we preach God’s wisdom – Jesus Christ and Him crucified for sinners like you and me.
In today’s Old Testament reading we hear Wisdom personified as a woman – her seven pillared house is most certainly God’s house. She has set her table and prepared a feast. But her dinner invitation isn’t very nice – she calls the simple, those who lack sense. She sends her young women to the high places – the places where the false gods are worshipped. She calls them to change their ways and live. Let me put this scenario in a modern context – what or where are most Minnesotans worshipping this morning? They are worshipping the lake god or the hobby god or the sports god. Imagine going to a soccer tournament some Sunday morning. Hundreds of families are spread across dozens of fields and somehow you get ahold of the public address system. How popular would it be to say, “O you simple minded parents. You lack common sense. Leave your child’s pleasure behind and come where true life is found. Soccer won’t give them anything that lasts. Bring your children to church for an abundant serving of Jesus.” Would you get anyone to leave the field? How many would you offend? Dame Wisdom realizes that her invitation will be spurned – correct a scoffer and you’ll suffer abuse. Reprove a wicked man and you’ll get injured. How do you react when someone attacks your false gods – those things which you worship and pursue in the stead and place of Jesus?
It is somewhat disappointing that the second half of Proverbs 9 is not included in today’s reading, for there we meet another woman – Dame Folly. She is loud and seductive and doesn’t know anything. But she sets a great table, right on those high places of pleasure and perversion. She too calls to the simple and those who lack sense, but she doesn’t call them to change. She says, “Stolen water is sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” Her menu is wide open. Whatever you want she’ll serve. Even though God reserves sex for marriage – she puts it on the menu and says indulge. Even though we hate it when others talk behind our backs, Dame Folly encourages that sort of dinner conversation. At Dame Folly’s table you can have it your way and that’s why her house is full, because we love what she is serving.
Wisdom says, “You don’t know what’s good for you.” Folly says, “Sure you do.” Wisdom says, “Change your ways and live.” Folly says, “You’re dying, why not enjoy yourself?” Wisdom says, “Eat what is good.” Folly says, “Eat what feels good.” God’s Wisdom is boring like unadorned broccoli. Folly is sweet like an $8 dessert at your favorite restaurant. Folly’s house is packed because your ears are naturally tuned and you belly naturally hungers for her food.
God’s wisdom rubs us the wrong way for God’s wisdom is Jesus, God’s Word made flesh. If you want life look to Jesus, listen to Him, but be warned. He is not the friendly, accepting, tolerant imaginary Jesus that the world has made up without actually reading the Bible. He is offensive as we find in today’s Gospel reading. For five weeks now we have been in this same story – and today is the finale. Jesus fed the 5000, then He walked on water, then He healed all sorts of people in Capernaum. He had the crowd right where He wanted them. Now if there had been a good Public Relations expert among the Apostles he would have made sure some highly trained writers would have crafted the smoothest, slickest, most easily digested speech to get this crowd behind Jesus. But Jesus doesn’t use PR because He is God in the flesh.
That’s the offense. It’s not your flesh, your heartfelt desires, your thoughts, your happiness, your blood, sweat and tears, that brings and delivers life. It is not what you think or feel or do. It is Jesus. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise Him up on the last day.” It is impossible not to think about the Lord’s Supper when we hear those words, but there is a problem with that. The Lord’s Supper wasn’t instituted yet when Jesus spoke those Words. These are not easy Words to understand. If they aren’t talking about the Lord’s Supper what are they talking about? Martin Luther said these words are about faith. This is the wisdom of God – you have no life in you. Life is in Jesus and that life is yours when you believe in Him, when your heart and mind consume Jesus by faith.
This is Jesus’ own interpretation of His Words. He says, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The Words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” Your flesh is of no avail. You have no life in you. You are sinner born in unbelief. Life is found only in the flesh and blood of Jesus. He became flesh to give you life. He died for your sin and rose again. He ascended back into heaven, returning to His Father who sent Him. On the last day everyone will see that Jesus is true God, ascended to His Father. Then the wisdom that is hidden in the flesh and blood of Jesus will be revealed. The wisdom hidden for us in the boring sermons and the 66 books of the Bible and the waters of our baptism will be revealed. What appears to be folly to the world, will be shown as the bread of life – hearing God’s Word, receiving His sacraments, listening to sermons, singing Christian hymns. In and under the folly of church, Jesus is fed to you for life.
Jesus is the food that endures. Every other food you eat on earth changes into you. Carbohydrates are converted into energy. Meat is changed into protein that makes up your muscle. Milk and cheese provide calcium for your bones. But the flesh and blood of Jesus changes you. When you are baptized Jesus changed you into a son of God. When you received absolution this morning you were changed – declared righteous before your Father. When you eat and drink the Lord’s Supper – it bestows on you the life and salvation Christ won. It changes you from dead to living, from slave to a free son. The food of Christ changes you by faith into a little Christ – or as we say “a Christian” – a holy, righteous, forgiven, living, certain of the resurrection, son of God. That shouldn’t offend you, because that’s a change we can all live with. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pr. Bruce Timm
August 18, 2018 anno Domini