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FAITH

In which the Apostle Paul takes a baseball bat to the knees of the wise…

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This week, I defended my dissertation before a committee of four professors and administrators. In the course of a short hour and a half, I presented them with the problem my research addressed, the research questions I established, a review of the literature I researched about the problem, the methods I used to conduct my own research, my findings, and a summation of what those findings mean as answers to the questions I’d asked. It was the culmination of nearly four years of studying, taking courses, and working independently.

The process goes like this: we logged on (my committee met by zoom, because we were all geographically scattered), the committee quickly gathered independent of me to discuss my dissertation, I presented, and then the committee asked questions of my research. (This is the part where I “defended” my work.) Following that, the committee broke away again to discuss whether or not they felt my work met their expectations–and when they returned, they each had changed their zoom backgrounds to congratulate me. I had earned my doctorate.

It was quite a moment.

I have every intention of writing more about the work (it was a lot of work, and there are some pertinent and interesting things that I’d like to rewrite into a more accessible form), but in keeping with my hope of writing about faith on a regular basis, I have to share something else from Monday morning.

I regularly use Instagram’s “on this day” feature–I’m a sucker for sentimentality–and as it was, Monday’s memories included a snapshot of a church bulletin from a Sunday seven years ago. The appointed reading at Trinity Episcopal that day included this passage from 1 Corinthians:

¹⁹ For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
    the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
²⁰ Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

I Corinthians 1:19-20

Well then.

On a day where I’m already at the end of my nerves, a day where I assure you, dear reader, I’ve quietly muttered several prayers of hope, a day where the whole idea is to convince a group of intelligent people this culmination of work qualifies me to receive a terminal degree, I felt like I had my legs taken out from under me by this scripture.

The Apostle Paul is reaching back to Isaiah here in his letter to the Corinthians when he says “for it is written.” That reference is to Isaiah 29:

¹³ The Lord says:
“These people come near to me with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
    is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
¹⁴ Therefore once more I will astound these people
    with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
    the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”

isaiah 29:13-14

It’s worth reading the entire chapter to step back and appreciate the full context of these verses, but the overall idea is one common to Isaiah: God’s people have wandered away from God, committing themselves to ideas of worship and law that are disingenuous, and they have done so at their own peril. The righteous have wrapped themselves in “human rules” that mean very little to God. (Remember the line from Isaiah 1, where God says that all the incense burning and performative ceremonies are worthless?)

Isaiah’s focus isn’t only on the immediate doom and gloom. I love the poetry of the 14th verse’s opening: “I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder.” Herein is the redemptive message, the light in the darkness: someone is coming to redeem us, to brush away the trivial nature of meaningless human rules. Someone whose foundational measure is love.

But I have to admit that it stings that all of this is set apart from the notions of wisdom and intelligence. Of course I have a personal bias about learning. My entire career has been in service to education, and I’ve just spent four years in pursuit of a credential that demonstrates I know what the heck I’m talking about (in a very niche, defined area of study). Doh!

Back in Corinthians, Paul provides a useful extension of Isaiah’s prophecy:

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

I corinthians 1:26-31

Perhaps the fastest, easiest emotional reaction I could produce was a bit of myopia. I’ve worked hard to get this piece of paper that I can frame and hang on the wall and show other people that I’m smart, and it’s hard not to feel attacked by what Paul is writing here.

It hurts, too, because we live in a cultural moment where public schools and higher education are under siege, a time when more and more people distrust our profession and question its value. In the last decade, the schoolhouse has become a crucible of partisanship.

But I’m taking things too personally.

Paul’s letter helps us to understand how God works wonders. A child born in a barn will save the world, and anyone who has ears to hear and a heart to love can follow him. Paul frames this piece about wisdom in a way that makes sure it’s always about God. Even better, Paul suggests, if the lowly is used for glory–because then it’s unquestionably God helping make it possible. At the end of this passage, Paul quotes another prophet. “For it is written,” he says, “‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.'” It’s not the individual, but the supernatural.

This bit comes from Jeremiah–and I love the symmetry here*. Jeremiah’s Old Testament book starts off with God calling him–and Jeremiah objecting that he was too young to be a prophet. He didn’t know anything, he protested. How on earth could he be useful, let alone a prophet? God responds that Jeremiah is to go where ever God sends him and speak whatever words God gives him.

Those include this additional piece from what Paul quoted:

²³ This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
    or the strong boast of their strength
    or the rich boast of their riches,
²⁴ but let the one who boasts boast about this:
    that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
    justice and righteousness on earth,
    for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.

jeremiah 9:23-24

The takeaway: accomplish what you will, but humble yourself enough to know God’s real objective. The keys to God’s kingdom aren’t encrypted in some Byzantine puzzle. It doesn’t take a doctorate to know God. Despite the millions of words and pages that have been composed about God, what God really yearns for is kindness and justice and righteousness on earth.

That wisdom is found in Christ crucified.

In a few months, I will don the ancient garb of the academics and receive my diploma. It will be a meaningful day, even if it’s ultimately a meaningless ceremony in the context of all that matters. I hope to make it more meaningful, though, by boasting that I couldn’t have done it without the God-given abilities that got me there. If I’m going to boast, I’d better get it right.

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*Two notes about symmetry, really:

First, Jeremiah’s objection follows a lovely bit that is widely quoted as evidence for other culture wars: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you…” When it’s read into the context of God calling someone who ultimately doubted his own ability to be useful, and especially considering Paul’s observation that God can cook up great things with humble ingredients, it is heartwarming to consider the potential that lies in any vessel.

Second, I am remiss to have not figured out a way to incorporate that the lectionary paired the scripture from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians with Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, where he preaches the beatitudes. Blessed are the those we so often devalue, despise, and fail to appreciate.