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Advent 4: Wisdom in Action ...
Wednesday, Dec 4, 2013. What is wisdom about? What is knowledge about? We know that it is not enough to know, but that “know how” is also important, and sometimes it is crucial. We need to know more than just something about something - we need to know how to do it, how to live with it, how to survive!
God's Wisdom is Practical …
Recently, I ran into two old images. One is about Nicodemus, who met Jesus. Nicodemus was some scholar, he knew the bible and he knew the old Jewish law quite well. But somehow he realized that there was something special with Jesus. So he came to Jesus in the middle of the night to ask him. He wanted to find out himself.
Jesus met him. He listened to him. Let us read the beginnning of this story!
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus1 by night and said to him,
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Often, people jump onto the words about being born again. And they are very important. But I first stumbled over the initial words of Nicodemus. His heart told him: something is special about Jesus. His mind did not grasp it, so he tried to get some arguments together. He said: “no one can do these signs”. But Jesus knows exactly, what his heart needs. It is about renewal. It is about finding God. It is about change. So he talks about the new birth! Sleeping in the Storm … **
The second image I found was one about the disciples of Jesus in the boat, during the storm. His disciples were fighting the storm. Jesus was sleeping. This is another image about God's wisdom, in the middle of the storms of our life.
Jesus slept in the storm. “Do you not have any faith?” he asked his disciples? And then, he stopped the storm. Commanding the waves, and the wind. But it is a story about wisdom, about faith. In faith, many things are possible. Without faith, there is only the storm!
We need to accept: our wisdom is not catching up with the wisdom, which Jesus shows. God is so much more wise. He knows so much more. He knows about the secret possibilities of the most high. They are not that secret. But they are unknown to the world as it lives without God. And even among believers, they are not standard. The disciples had their difficulties - though they were walking with Jesus. This is an invitation to us today, to learn about him. We are invited to follow him, day by day. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts