While in Asia recently I saw examples of eastern religion that were foreign to faith in Christ. My heart went out to mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters who have not yet discovered the incomparable and unparalleled life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Thinking back, however, I also remember how, on another trip to the region, I discovered some of the richness of eastern traditional wisdom.
At that time it occurred to me why so many young people were being drawn away from Jesus to the teachings of Buddha and Confucius. If they have been taught simply that all other religions are false, they might be inclined– after getting a stomach full of Christian hypocrisy, and legalism– to feel betrayed by those who taught them that all wisdom is confined to the pages of the Bible. Let me give you some examples that may also relate some of the issues we’ve been talking about the last few days.
According to Buddhist folklore, two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed. As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. “Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!” “Brother,” the second monk replied, “I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her.”
A Question of Wisdom-The insight of the second monk raises an interesting question for followers of Christ. If we acknowledge examples of moral and spiritual insight in another religion, do we weaken our case for the distinctiveness of our own faith?
I ask the question because I believe we actually strengthen our case by seeing that one of the things the Bible does is help us see wisdom outside of its own pages. By being our inspired standard for wisdom, the Bible shows how to recognize (1) natural, (2) religious, and (3) moral insights in the world around us. Most important, the Scriptures show us how these first three kinds of wisdom can help us see our need for (4) the redemptive wisdom of the cross.
Let’s take a closer look at how the first three kinds of wisdom can help us build bridges to those outside of our faith, without compromising the distinctiveness of Christ in the process.
Natural Wisdom-The Old Testament book of Proverbs gives us examples of practical insights that abound in the cultures and religions of the world. Solomon’s wisdom shows us how to learn from the animals, from agriculture, and from personal reflection on how life works. Many of his wise sayings illustrate the value of a natural wisdom that can also be found in other religions.
Wise is the one who is not too big to learn from the ant (Prov 6:6-8).
The most important battles are fought in the mind (Prov 16:32; 25:28).
A benefit of such natural wisdom is that it can help anyone live a more thoughtful life. A downside is that natural wisdom does not by itself give us hope in a world where all of our accomplishments are subject to change and loss (Ecc 1:1-11).
Religious Wisdom-People of many cultures have found it difficult to think that the wonders of the natural world have no counterpart on the other side of death. As a result, many religions have tried to give their followers hope beyond the grave. While the following quotes are from the Bible, they have parallels in other religious systems.
Those who hope only in this life are destined for despair (Ecc 2:15-20).
Nothing is more relevant than the eternal (Ecc 12:13-14).
By believing in life after death, people of many religions have found courage to make sacrifices for a better world beyond. But eternal perspectives have also been a problem. By minimizing the importance of this life, many have wasted the earth’s resources, waged unnecessary wars, and sacrificed their lives at the expense of others. Religious wisdom does not make people good merely by offering the hope of immortality.
Moral Wisdom-From Moses to Jesus, the Scriptures show that spirituality without morality can result in everything from false gods to religious exploitation of the poor. According to the Bible, moral wisdom is so important that our Creator wrote His laws not only in stone, but also in our hearts (Rom 2:14-15). The result is that the Bible resonates with a universal human conscience when it says things like,
Do to others as you would have them do to you (Matt 7:12).
Don’t return evil for evil but overcome evil with good (Rom 12:21).
Once again, however, we are faced with an insight that is incomplete. When we think about the moral wisdom of love, our problem is not so much in knowing but in doing. No matter how much we want to love, we easily slide into self-centered thinking that causes us to hurt and be hurt. None of us gives or receives as much love as our hearts long for.
Redemptive Wisdom-Because we are all wounded people, we need more than natural, religious, and moral wisdom to do the right thing. We need a redemptive insight to help us deal with the wrongs we have done to others and that others have done to us.
This was the kind of wisdom Jesus offered when He stepped into our broken world and said,
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt
11:28).
Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call good people, but sinners to repentance (Mk 2:17).
Christ’s invitation to hurting, helpless people was not new. For centuries, Jewish prophets had been declaring that the most high God lives not only in the heavens but also in the dark valleys of crushed and shattered people who recognize their desperate need of Him (Psa 34:18; Isa 57:15).
What was new with Christ was that at the crossroads of the world, and on the center page of human history, God unveiled the secret of His redemptive wisdom. By an act of immeasurable love, our Creator became our substitute, dying in our place, for our sin (1 Cor 1:17-31).
Wisdom doesn’t get more profound than this. The darkest, most tragic moment of human history became the means by which our Creator could offer us the light of His Spirit, His forgiveness, and His everlasting life.
By the redemptive wisdom of Christ, wasted, ruined, and hopeless people learn to love as they have been loved, to forgive as they have been forgiven, and to salvage as they have been salvaged.
Father in heaven, Your Son is known for rescuing the kind of people we are inclined to condemn. Something has gone terribly wrong. Please don’t let us rest until we too are showing every day, and in every way, the redemptive wisdom of the cross.
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