"what wisdom is this?"

8/7/2019 "What Wisdom is This?"

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Vignette 1, for Mark Chapter 6:1-13; 30-32

4/10/11

“What is this wisdom?” Mark 6:2

Throughout history, the quest for knowledge/wisdom has dominated most every

other pursuit of humanity. By the time that Jesus Christ walked the earth, centuries of

wisdom had been collected in books, transmitted from one generation to the next for thesake of perpetuating the cultures of the world.

Reverence for ancient knowledge, written and oral, is evident in every culture.

The culture that transmits its values, and embraces the teaching of its predecessors

thrives. Though we have new technology for telling our stories, the quest for meaningfulconnections with the past and practical paths to the future rules the heart of every

thinking man and woman.

The Code of Hammurabi, the Mahabharata, the Gilgamesh Epic, all written

centuries before the time of Christ, are examples of literatures purveying worldviewsthrough stories and laws that teach in order to extend the cultures from which they are

derived. These from the east have the same goal as literature from the west, such as theworks of Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle.

Religious literature, however, distinguishes itself from secular writings in that it

brings a God-centered moral framework to bear upon humanity. The Lord Jesus Christ

had a moral framework that was both clear and understandable. His knowledge wasderived from the teaching of the Law as well the writings of the Prophets and the

Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament.

What Jews call Torah, Tenach and Talmud, the Christian understands asfoundational to the life and teaching of the Lord Jesus. It is upon these

writings/scriptures, as well as the writings of the Apostles that the foundations of thechurch were laid. They form a firm foundation still.As he addressed a gathering in his own synagogue in Nazareth, there were those

in attendance who’d known him from the time of his birth. They were those about whom

we’d say, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” They asked the contemptuous, but notunreasonable questions, “What gives?” “We’ve known him so long. How’d He get to be

such a know-it-all?”

The answer to these questions is simple, though we tend to hyper-spiritualize and

make a mystery of things that are not intended to be mysterious. The Lord Jesus wasinstructed in the clear teachings of the Law of Moses, as well as the writings of the

Prophets and the wisdom literature of Israel from the time of his birth. The answer to

their question, “What wisdom is this?” is simple, it’s the wisdom of the Book.The Hebrew people, among the greatest to ever populate planet earth, have

painstakingly transmitted their own history, culture, religion and wisdom from one

generation to the next. The Lord Jesus received what every other Hebrew child received,a solid synagogue education. In addition to the vocational training he received at home,

he received an education in the synagogue at Nazareth that included extensive reading

and study of the Torah.



Today, both bar and bat mitzvah candidates recite at the bema a passage learned

from the Torah, which includes the first five books of the Christian Bible. The Lord

Jesus also studied the other writings of the Hebrew people. He was introduced to thehistory of His people through the stories contained in the Historical writings, became

familiar with the office of the prophet as he read Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel.

He stood in the midst of the synagogue in his hometown and read the great propheticpassage of the glorious days of Messiah, and said “in your hearing this day is this

scripture fulfilled.” The wisdom about which he was questioned was that which was

equally available to each of his contemporaries.Looking at the nature of such wisdom, it’s clear that it was not “hidden wisdom”

of the type found in Dan Brown’s religious/political conspiracy thrillers. While the

Apostle Paul says that there are hidden things that the ministry of the Lord Jesus

revealed, into which the apostles were initiated, it was hidden only to be revealed; not tobe kept hidden. We live in the time when that which was to be revealed has been

revealed. The only thing left to be revealed in our time is that of the second coming of

Christ.

So, the wisdom of the Bible and of Christ is not the wisdom of the mystery cultspopular in the collective psyche of Americans. Rather, the wisdom of the scriptures was,

is and always will be pragmatic. That is to say, having received it, there is something tobe done with it.

This is true of the Hebrew religion in general. It’s practical. At its core is the

means by which sins are atoned, blood sacrifice. More to the point, the Hebrew

Scriptures reveal the means by which sins can be avoided, obedience to their clear andpractical instruction.

Three passages serve as a quick reference point for the wisdom with which the

Lord was equipped; one from each of the main divisions of the Old Testament.First, the Law. “"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all

your soul and with all your might. "These words, which I am commanding you today,

shall be on your heart.” (De 6:5-6 NAS95)The one big downside of the technological revolution is the fact that we are losing

our connection with the faculty of memory. In the recent past, memory was endemic to

the human experience. How many phone numbers do you still have memorized? Fewprobably. Because the need to memorize them has been removed. They are there at the

touch of a button. But scripture has always been and must remain a focus of the mind

through the faculty of memory. Hebrew scripture was on the Lord’s heart. He

committed it to memory.If the Law requires it, the Psalmist affirms it. From a second division of the

Hebrew Bible we read, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against

thee.” (Ps 119:11 AV) The light of scripture keeps the obedient child of God from sin.To commit it to memory brings light (read wisdom) to the soul, the innermost being.

This is Jewish pragmatism through and through.

One more example is found as we look to the prophets, a third kind of writingfound in our Old Testaments. The Lord Jesus quoted from the book of Isaiah one day in

his synagogue in Nazareth. Among the many passages with which he was familiar is this

one, "…this people draws near with their words and honors Me with their lip service, But



they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition

learned by rote,” (Isa 29:13 NAS95)

This prophetic word from Isaiah is the cornerstone of the New Covenant, thatwhich the Lord Jesus was revealing. The renewal of the inner man results only after the

heart has been saturated with scripture. Religious custom is too easily learned by rote;

too ineffective at dealing with the core issues of life. Spirituality is a matter of the inner being. That being is impervious to external religious stimuli. It is penetrated only as the

Spirit uses the implanted word of God to impact an individual’s life.

“Where did this man get this wisdom?” they asked. He got it from the Law, theProphets and the Writings. It’s there for believers today as well.

"what wisdom is this?"

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