O Come, O Come Emmanuel Verse/Antiphon 6

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, and order all things, far and nigh;

To us the path of knowledge show, and cause us in her ways to go.

Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.  For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles, foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:20-24

Nothing about the story of Jesus makes sense.  Why would a Holy, Mighty, Jealous God choose to come as an infant?  Why would the arrival of a liberator be hidden away in Bethlehem?  Why would it be announced only to shepherds?  Why risk the ridicule and skepticism of a virgin birth?  Why would the news be carried by a madman in a wilderness?

Why would a great leader have a following of fishermen, tax collectors, and other general rabble?

And why, if He was supposed to the ultimate champion and King of all, why would you let Him be killed?

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.  For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many might, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.  But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the LORD.”

1 Corinthians 1:25-31

Nothing about the story of Jesus makes sense.  No man can be pointed to as forerunner.  There is no leader in history that can claim Jesus as imitator.  No philosopher can claim influence on his teachings.  Jesus stands alone.

Nothing about the story of Jesus makes sense.  And because it follows no earthly reason, it must be God’s.

And here we have two truths:

1) All glory belongs to God.

2) When we don’t understand what’s going on, we can trust God to make His own sense of it all.  After all, He’s done it before.