“When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. . . . my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest . . . on the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:1–5).
St. Paul describes God’s power as something that is not like human power. God operates through a “demonstration of spirit and power,” not through “sublimity of words or of wisdom.” Elsewhere, Paul indicates that he is thought of as unimpressive and soft-spoken when he speaks in person, but his letters show forth God’s work more clearly. God’s power works almost despite Paul, transforming him from an enemy of Christ to a critical apostle.
Today’s Psalm describes God’s commands as giving more understanding, wisdom, and discernment than teachers, enemies, and elders. We would think that this would make Paul eloquent and impressive, speaking confidently and dumbfounding his listeners with the Gospel. But, as we know, Paul was not like this, and his success is due to the strange workings of God’s power and wisdom. When the Psalmist describes God’s commands, we have to understand the resulting understanding, wisdom, and discernment as supernatural, a different kind than what we might expect. It is still a higher wisdom, but it is not one identical to human wisdom.
Jesus tells His listeners that the wisdom of God will not be received by all. Although human wisdom is powerful enough to be understood by many, divine wisdom requires a different sort of receptivity: faith. If Jesus wanted to use human eloquence to make Himself known, He would have done so, and His listeners would have not taken as much offense at His claims. Instead, He relies on the power and wisdom of God. As a result, He is not understood by those without faith, and they take offense at His messianic claims. He is dishonored in His hometown of Nazareth and is nearly thrown off of a cliff.
These readings show God’s working as something higher than human working, and also something qualitatively different. As Paul shows us, it seems to work despite his failings. It is transformative, allowing us to act in ways that we could never do on our own, giving us outsized influence and effect. As the psalmist says, it rises above human power and wisdom. It may not always operate in human terms, but it will be infinitely higher than them. As Jesus points out, it is still a mystery to those who are not receptive to it. The infinite greatness of God is clearly better than human greatness, but it is only understood as such to those with faith.
With this understanding in mind, we can have a healthy reliance on God for His power and wisdom, recognizing that these things are supernatural gifts and are not things that we can acquire by our own merit.
“Cuando llegué a la ciudad de ustedes para anunciarles el Evangelio, no busqué hacerlo mediante la elocuencia del lenguaje o la sabiduría humana… Cuando les hablé y les prediqué el Evangelio, no quise convencerlos con palabras de hombre sabio; al contrario, los convencí por medio del Espíritu y del poder de Dios, a fin de que la fe de ustedes dependiera del poder de Dios” (1 Cor. 2:1-5).
San Pablo describe el poder de Dios como algo que no se parece al poder humano. Dios opera “por medio del Espíritu y del poder de Dios”, no con “palabras de hombre sabio”. En otro momento, Pablo indica que se le considera poco impresionante y de voz suave cuando habla en persona, pero sus cartas muestran la obra de Dios con mayor claridad. El poder de Dios obra casi a pesar de Pablo, transformándolo de un enemigo de Cristo a un apóstol indispensable.
El Salmo de hoy describe los mandamientos de Dios como que dan más comprensión, sabiduría y discernimiento que los maestros, los enemigos y los ancianos. Pensaríamos que esto haría a Pablo elocuente e impresionante, hablando con confianza y dejando estupefactos a sus oyentes con el Evangelio. Pero, como sabemos, Pablo no era así, y su éxito se debe a las extrañas obras del poder y la sabiduría de Dios. Cuando el salmista describe los mandamientos de Dios, tenemos que entender la comprensión, la sabiduría y el discernimiento resultantes como sobrenaturales, de un tipo diferente al que podríamos esperar. Sigue siendo una sabiduría superior, pero no es idéntica a la sabiduría humana.
Jesús dice a sus oyentes que no todos recibirán la sabiduría de Dios. Aunque la sabiduría humana es lo suficientemente poderosa como para ser comprendida por muchos, la sabiduría divina requiere un tipo diferente de receptividad: la fe. Si Jesús hubiera querido utilizar la elocuencia humana para darse a conocer, lo habría hecho y sus oyentes no se habrían ofendido tanto por sus afirmaciones. En cambio, Él confía en el poder y la sabiduría de Dios. Como resultado, quienes no tienen fe no lo entienden y se ofenden por sus afirmaciones mesiánicas. Es deshonrado en su ciudad natal de Nazaret y casi es arrojado por un precipicio.
Estas lecturas muestran la obra de Dios como algo superior a la obra humana, y también como algo cualitativamente diferente. Como nos muestra Pablo, parece funcionar a pesar de sus fallas. Es transformador, nos permite actuar de maneras que nunca podríamos hacer por nuestra cuenta, dándonos una influencia y un efecto descomunales. Como dice el salmista, se eleva por encima del poder y la sabiduría humanos. Puede que no siempre opere en términos humanos, pero será infinitamente superior a ellos. Como señala Jesús, sigue siendo un misterio para quienes no son receptivos a él. La infinita grandeza de Dios es claramente mejor que la grandeza humana, pero sólo es entendida como tal por quienes tienen fe.
Con este entendimiento en mente, podemos tener una confianza sana en Dios por Su poder y sabiduría, reconociendo que estas cosas son dones sobrenaturales y no cosas que podamos adquirir por el propio mérito.
David Dashiell is a freelance author and editor in Nashville, Tennessee. He has a master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University, and is the editor of the anthology Ever Ancient, Ever New: Why Younger Generations Are Embracing Traditional Catholicism.
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