Christianity Is Upside Down

The great strength of Christianity lies not in its ability to appeal to the rational human mind but in its whimsical defiance of human analytics as it turns truth on its head. The movement begun by Jesus trades in the coinage of paradox and leaves many of the greats of the world shaking their head in utter confusion. One of these paradoxes is the more the world tries defame Christianity the stronger its fame grows. For those who have taken time to think them through, these paradoxes are some of the greatest truths every foisted upon mankind. Even those who do not see the beauty of these mysteries cannot deny their impact. These paradoxes are packaged in frustrating irrationalities yet who can deny they have changed the world? This strange phenomenon can only be explained in terms of divine power. What we can say is that God’s truth spills down to humanity in many strange enigmas which are foolish to wise and wise to the foolish. Paul said it this way, ‘For since in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe’ (1 Cor 1:21). This verse is typically confusing to many. Welcome to the world of paradox. In the wisdom of God He decreed that man’s wisdom could never access what is truly wise. Only the foolishness of childlike faith is able to nudge open the door to God’s beautiful world. Mysteries are designed to separate those who get it and those who don’t. This is why Jesus spoke in mysteries, what we call parables. But how do they separate? By separating those who think they know what they say and those who realize they don’t know what they say and need help. The point is that many people think they understand the parables but they always shoot too high. The parables are children’s stories; they are so low that only those who are willing to go down in their own esteem will understand them. And only when one becomes a child in his own esteem and admits he knows nothing will these parables begin to make sense. As the disciples asked Jesus about the parables he made this startling announcement. ‘It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them (the wise) it has not been given. For whoever has to him more will be given and he will have abundance, but whoever does not have even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables because seeing they do not see and hearing they don not hear nor do they understand’ (Matthew 13:11-13). Here we have the greatest mystery of all. Jesus actually spoke to his hearers so that they would see the truth but not understand it? Jesus spoke so as to NOT be understood. What kind of craziness is that? But this is always the way Jesus spoke. Who can deny that He spoke frequently in ways that were not intended to be grasped by the general populace? Was it not He who said, the last will be first and the first last? Or how about this one: those who are poor shall be rich and the rich shall be poor? Or try this on for size: the weak shall be made strong and the strong weak? And to top it off Jesus said that the one who would be master must be servant to all. This all sounds like such confusing language. So does Jesus revel in confusing people? Well, in a matter of speaking, yes He does. But now comes the greatest paradox of all. The reason Jesus tries to confuse people is so they will understand. What seems like a calloused cosmic joke on the part of God is truly an act of divine mercy. How then is speaking in confusing language an act of mercy? Very simple: God knows that in order for the human species to be saved it must be driven from self-sufficiency to despair. For men to know God they must come to the shocking revelation that they know nothing in themselves. That is to say, the greatest roadblock to understanding anything is one’s smug assertion that he understands. Jesus said in John 9:39, ‘For judgement has come into the world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.’ Try that one on for size. Yet there is divine wisdom that transcends our meager intellects. Why do men not believe in Jesus? Not because the think it is too lofty for them. They dismiss it because it demands they abandon their lust to satisfy all reason. The cry of the wise of the world is always, ‘How can I believe in a religion that makes no sense!’ Instead of believing the paradoxes unbelievers attack them. If Christianity is meant for fools, then why do Christians study? If Christianity is for the poor, then why does it beg for money? If it is for those who are blind, then why do so many want to see? What these wise men of the world have failed to understand is that these paradoxes are turned right side up when God helps them to see. Fools indeed are wise but only when their feeling of inadequacy drives them to seek the living God. The poor will indeed by rich but only when the poor become poor in spirit and lean on God to help them. The blind will see but only those who know they are blind and ask God to give them spiritual light. So the paradoxes of Jesus are all true but only true when God gives the hearer a new set of glasses. The glasses of faith. Without faith, a man will continually try to make sense of Jesus but it will all be for naught. So long as they cling to reason alone they have not the right mechanism to understand God. Men trying to know by their own reason is like a man trying to distinguish color by listening to music. This is all good news to the poor, the blind, and the weak. This was certainly good news to Jesus’ closest followers. Throughout the gospels the apostles are depicted as haven’t a clue as to what He was saying. They had no idea why He engaged a Samaritan woman. When he said ‘it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven’ they did not understand that either. When He spoke of his demise in Jerusalem Luke notes, ‘but they understood hone of these things’ (18:34). Jesus confused His disciples because he had a greater plan in mind. He was driving them out of themselves so that they would find their all in Him. And this is precisely what Jesus is doing today for those who read His parables. So I ask the reader; ‘when you hear the parables of Jesus what is your response?’ You will respond in one of three ways. First, you will dismiss the parables out of hand and conclude that they are a bunch of ancient sayings that cannot be understood by moderns and are therefore irrelevant. Or you may try to apply all your mental powers to try to reconcile the sayings of Jesus with your need to understand. You will try to fool yourself into believing you know what he is saying when in fact you don’t. You will play the part of the man who finishes a jig saw puzzle by forcing pieces together that don’t fit. He ends up with a finished puzzle but the wrong picture. A third response, which sounds foolish at first but is the right one, is that you admit your complete inability to know divine truth so that you abandon all your self-sufficiency and cry out to God for understanding. Jesus spoke in mysteries, not because He was looking for a select few who might understand but in order to drive sinners to seek the Lord. God’s desire is for us to shed our lust for reason and to seek Him through faith. For most of us this is an altogether unattractive path to follow. Mankind demands to know by figuring things out for himself. Jesus, on the other hands, calls people who can’t figure things out and who trust Him for understanding. In giving the parables, He undresses us so that He might dress us His way. All of this is a paradox that cannot be seen until one is first blind. Only he who is blind will see.