WISDOM
by
Rev. Suzanne L. Taylor
Wisdom, as with most things, comes in at least two parts. First we see that wisdom, Hebrew “chochmah” (choach-mah) is the ability to live rightly. One who has wisdom is sagacious, or shrewd, having discernment. He is able to make decisions by practical and sensible means. He does not give into the emotions of the moment, but takes time to pray and seek the Lord in all ventures. A wise man or woman never tries to accomplish anything important alone, but gives way to God’s will.
Who is our role model for acquiring such wisdom? Let’s look at some of the things Jesus did and see if we can find the answer to that. Let’s begin with reading Mark 6:45-52 “And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore. And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him, And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was. And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.” Here we see that after the miracle of feeding the five thousand, Jesus went off by Himself for a bit before performing the miracle of walking on the rough, wind-tossed water.
Now look at Mark 1:35-38. “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.” When Jesus woke up that morning, He went off to be alone for a while, leaving those who woke up later to wonder where He was. The apostles and the disciples searched for Jesus, but, when the found Him, they never asked what He had been doing, but only rebuked Him with, “Everyone is looking for You!” What was the response Jesus made? Was He angry? Not that I can tell. It seems He brushed off their rebuke and told them it was time to move on because He had work to do. No excuses, no debate, He just said they were leaving the area, and they went. That’s a display of wisdom for us on knowing that we must choose our battles. Not everything that bothers us is worth fighting about.
Read Luke 6:12,13. “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles...” Do you see the connection all these verses have? Each incidence mentioned in these verses was spearheaded with prayer. Not once do we see Jesus act on His own, but rather, we see Him communing with God before every decision is made, even to naming the men He would choose to send out to heal the sick, raise the dead, and free the captives in His name.
During the most important hours of Jesus’ life before His crucifixion, He sought the Lord’s face in prayer (Matthew 26:36-46, “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, "Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder." And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me." And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, "What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, "Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.”) Now listen and pay close attention to this. Jesus wanted prayer support! He brought the apostles and disciples with Him to pray for Him while He was off talking with the Lord and gathering the strength He would need for the days ahead. He knew, even as He prayed, “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me...” that it was God’s will that He should suffer. That’s why He came to the garden with His followers, and why He brought the three whom He knew loved Him best, Peter, John, and James, closer to where He would be to stand watch with Him. But they slept!
The “watch” in verse 38 is not like the watch around the dead, or of a wake; it’s the watch around a person sick unto death. Jesus wanted His hand-picked men to uphold Him in prayer, seeking the will of God for what was to come, and for the strength for themselves to be able to remain faithful to the Lord. But they slept, so they missed it all. They gave in to the weariness of the flesh, so had no faith to stay by the Lord’s side as He was arrested, beaten, tormented, and eventually nailed to the cross. Their fear of pain and death was stronger than their attachment to their Savior. Only John came and stood watch as Jesus slowly died, holding on to Mary, Jesus’ mother. And because of this act of grace toward the Lord and His beloved mother, John was given spiritual charge of Mary from then on.
And it is prayer from which wisdom comes. If the apostles had spent time in prayer along with their Jesus, they would have been emboldened by the Spirit to face the force of evil that caused Jesus’ death while standing right by His side.
The second part wisdom I want to talk about is “sophia”. Sophia is being able to live in truth. What truth? All truth. This includes all spiritual and practical truth. When we have “sophia” we can apply all the knowledge we have been given by the Holy spirit to any situation we come against. We have the insight to know what’s right, and how to implement the gifts needed for any given circumstance.
How can we know that Jesus had this kind of wisdom too? In the Book of Wisdom 1:6 (not found in most Christian Bibles, but should be) it says, “For wisdom is a kindly spirit, yet she acquits not the blasphemer of his guilty lips; because God is the witness of his inmost self and the sure observer of his heart and the listener to his tongue.”
Now let’s go look at Matthew 12:31,32. “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.” To blaspheme is to speak profanely against God the Father, Son, and Spirit. As you speak against one person of the Trinity, you speak against them all. When the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting the devils out by satan, they were calling the Holy Spirit a devil! That’s a sin unforgivable because it likens omniscient God of heaven to the little god of this world. It is to strip God of all He is, and of all His power.
One reason blasphemy of God’s Spirit is unforgivable in this world and the next is that it is rejecting God’s Son Jesus, whom the Holy Spirit calls us to for salvation. If people reject Jesus, they cannot be saved, and therefore condemn themselves. Now understand this. When you repent of your sins, and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life, no matter how many times you have rejected His offer in the past, it is forgiven! It’s only when people die rejecting the Lord that they go to hell.
I have discussed this with several friends and colleagues, and we agree, there will be many people in heaven whom we did not expect to see. These are people who will have received salvation in what is termed a “death bed” conversion. This is not to say that only those in their beds can be saved last minute. It is for any who, at the realization that they are about to cross the threshold from life to death, call out to the Name that saves, Jesus. That’s why it’s so important that we make sure they know who that Name is before they face the end.
Now read Matthew 12:33-37. “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Jesus was not easy on people who spoke against God. He called them vipers! If you are evil in your heart, you blaspheme the God of eternity. It’s in your heart where you store up hate, bitterness, wrath, destruction, and all forms of evil. And when you speak out against God, you are displaying all the malice you harbor. A good man brings forth good; an evil man brings forth evil, and both from the heart. And Jesus makes it well known that we will have to answer for every word we speak, whether it be good or evil. “For by thy words thou shalt be justified (declared innocent, absolved), and by thy words thou shalt be condemned (convicted, found guilty).
We need to search out wisdom so that we can have spiritual discernment (chochmah) and practical discernment (sophia) to know how to live our daily lives. We make decisions all the time, and we need to know God’s will for us so that we can make wise choices. That means time in prayer and Bible study, which is where we find God’s direction in all things. Wisdom 3:11, says, “For he who despises wisdom and instruction is doomed. Vain is their hope, fruitless are their labors, and worthless are their works.”
