He Chose The Foolish Things

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the woman in the Gospels who comes to Jesus while he is reclining at the table, bringing costly perfume and pouring it out on him.1  

Her action is something that those present at the table not only don’t understand but classify as foolish, as unwise, as senseless and wasteful. They openly question her. They rebuke her.

They do not understand her.

What the men at the table consider a senseless and likely embarrassing waste, is, to her, a fervent love offering for her King. And while they sit in judgement of her and her behaviour, Jesus calls it a beautiful thing. 

I love everything about this.

The closer we get to the things of heaven, the less we will be understood by the things of Earth.2 This is promised to us in scripture, where the wisdom of God is contrasted with the wisdom of the world. The fruit of what we do may be embraced by people of all different faiths and philosophies. But the reason why we do it, the God that we point to, and we ourselves may not.

How are we preparing ourselves for this reality?

Think about that thing you’ve been afraid of stepping into, because it doesn’t seem to make human sense. Is your desire to be seen and celebrated getting in the way of where the Holy Spirit, in HIS wisdom, is leading? 

How are we living spiritual half lives, of partial effectiveness, because we are not willing to be foolish?

The rulers of this age, with all their wisdom and strength, are coming to nothing. 

BUT…

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”3

Let’s be freed from captivity to the approval or recognition of those around us; let’s pursue THIS. Let’s pursue exceedingly and abundantly more than all that we, in our humanity, can ask or imagine.4