One of my favorite scenes in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is when the protector of the Holy Grail told the seekers, “But choose wisely, for while the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you.” One of the Seekers was this “Nazi” Guy who went first and chose one of the chalices. Anyone remember what kind of chalice he chose??
And after Donovan, the “Selfish Greedy Fellow”, drank from the false chalice, he disintegrates and dies and I love what the Grail Knight simply said: “He chose poorly.”
And of course our hero Indiana Jones chose a simple chalice without all the glitz, fitting for a carpenter. And the Grail Knight said to Indie, “You chose wisely!”
Having wisdom is choosing wisely.
But like the story of Donovan and Indiana Jones, there are at least 2 types of wisdom to choose from. What type of wisdom did Donovan the Nazi chose??
Donovan chose based on “worldly” wisdom!
Christians are to be children of wisdom!
In our Bible passage today, we will learn from Jesus which wisdom we need to choose. Open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke Chapter 7.
Before reading our text, let us pray together our commitment to God’s Word…..
Luke 7:24-35……
We Christians are to be children of wisdom! There is worldly wisdom and there is godly wisdom. What does Jesus our Savior Creator God tell us through Luke 7?
Let us summarize the story.
Jesus spoke about John the Baptist.
Based on v24-26, why did Jesus do that?
Jesus challenged the people to think about John the Baptist and decide what to do with him! What did Jesus say about John the Baptist? Look again at v26….
And then Jesus cited the Old Testament prophecy about the messenger who will prepare the way for the Savior Messiah; that Messenger was John the Baptist!
In v28, Jesus praised John the Baptist!
Through John the Baptist,
Jesus challenged the people to think about what God has said, has done, and is doing and respond to it! Jesus challenged the people to think about God and respond to Him!
How did the people respond? God notes for us 2 types of people. In v29, we note all the people, including tax collectors (who were most hated by Jews), acknowledged God’s way was right! How did the people acknowledge God’s way? They followed God’s plan! The people who acknowledged God’s way noted what God was doing (they heard Jesus’ words), what God has done through John the Baptist, and what God said in the Old Testament!
But what do we read in v30?
Look at that verse again………
The Pharisees and experts of the Law of course knew the Old Testament; but what was their problem??
They did not get baptized by John! What does that indicate? The Pharisees and experts of the Law knew the Old Testament but they did not believe it was happening through John and through Jesus!
In v33-34, those religious leaders called John the Baptist a demon and Jesus Christ a sinner!
The reality of God’s Word was happening in front of their noses but those religious leaders chose not to believe!
What did Jesus say about those religious leaders who did not believe in John or Jesus? V32………
Picture that for a moment…. Kids in the marketplace yelling at each other, “We are doing all sorts of things and you’re no good for not joining us!”
Have you ever seen a kid having a temper tantrum because they are not getting their way?
Those who do not believe in John the Baptist and in Jesus Christ were acting like kids having a temper tantrum because they were not getting their way!
And what was their way?
Those religious leaders chose their own way instead of God’s way!
And what was Jesus’ final word regarding the 2 types of people; those who chose God’s way versus those who chose their own way? V35……
If we look up the original word for wisdom in this verse, it is Sophia!
And it is interesting that this Greek word Sophia for wisdom has 2 meanings!
a. the wisdom which belongs to the world
b. supreme intelligence, such as belongs to God
Jesus said, “Wisdom is proved right by all her children”. And since there are two possibilities for wisdom in that statement, a person becomes a child of the wisdom they choose. A person who chooses the wisdom of the world becomes a child of the world. A person who chooses the wisdom of God, becomes a child of God!
And so, what does this have to do with our lives today?
If we claim to be Christians, Believers of Christ, we are children of God!
If we are children of God, then we are to choose the wisdom of God not the world’s! How are we doing?
We are bombarded with the wisdom of the world everyday!
During this time of the year we are really bombarded with the world’s wisdom. Like selfish children speaking to us, advertisements and commercials today tell us what we really need for Christmas. Like flutes and songs, the world uses all the glitter of the world to entice us. What do we see in commercials today which try to get our attention??
The world is clever and will entice us through psychological means and technical effects; yes they will use sound, music, lights and glitter, happy and attractive people, special effects, memorable symbols, cute children and animals, stories that we are imitate!
We can be easily “hooked” by the wisdom of the world!
How are we doing if we really are believers and followers of Jesus Christ?
As the day of celebrating the birth of our Savior in this world approaches, will you seriously consider who you are listening to; the world or truly from God?
And yes, we are to have joy and celebrate and give to one another for we have a God of joy and love. But let me encourage you to do a simple thing on Christmas morning… Before you open all the presents under the Christmas tree, gather together as a family to pray to God, acknowledge what He has done through Christ, and truly give thanks!
And let me add a final note: Like Jesus who challenged the people to think about God and respond to Him, may we all pray and daily look for opportunities to challenge people to think about Jesus Christ and challenge them to respond to the Only Savior Messiah, the Only truly important thing about Christmas!
