"For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, at is it written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord". ' (emphasis mine)
Royalty-free image from Fa Barboza on Unsplash
This is the culmination of Paul's first criticism of the Corinthian church that was in verse 10 : They followed Christian preachers and leaders who had the prettiest words, the highest standing, the most baptisms under their belt, who trained under the most famous apostles, who related to someone who had met Jesus personally.
As evidence that God uses the "weak, foolish, and lowly", here are some examples (off the top of my head; you'll have to look them up because this is kind of a stream of consciousness post).
-Hagar. She didn't choose to be a slave or a woman. She didn't choose to be a Gentile in a household run by Jews. She didn't choose to be given to Abraham to bear his bastard child because Sarah refused to believe God's promise. She didn't choose to be mistreated and driven out to the wilderness to die. Weak, lacking in worldly wisdom, and lowly, God made himself known to her, of all people. He comforted her. He provided water in the desert for life.
-Various women in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). In those days, women were seen as the ultimate "weak, foolish, and lowly" people. How interesting that Jesus so often singles out women and commends them for their faith and strength!
-Jesus himself. He may have been physically strong as a carpenter, but he allowed himself to be taken prisoner and brutally executed. He may have been omniscient as God's son, but by becoming a man he got a tiny little brain and gave up that knowledge. He may have been followed by crowds, but he ended up naked and exposed, dying the most humiliating way possible and turned on by the same people who five days before had been beside themselves with excitement to see him." He became weak, "foolish", and lowly.
There are other examples too but I promised myself these posts wouldn't get too long.
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