Airwaves fill to bursting with important people saying important things. Politicians and prognosticators compete to produce sound bites for our consumption. Experts opine on every possible topic. I listen to those with impressive voices, even if I disagree, because the noise draws my attention.

But the Lord promotes a different soundtrack. The wise, strong, and powerful fail to impress God. Instead, he enhances the other end of the spectrum.

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.

When Paul (the author of this passage) refers to things that are not, what does he mean? Here’s how John Chrysostom (AD 407) explained that line: Those persons who are considered to be nothing because of their great insignificance.

The people I walk by and fail to see, or choose to ignore due to their seeming insignificance, are the very people the Lord notices and promotes. Realizing this practice strips away pride and self-importance. God’s methods work opposite to my expectations. Ultimate credit for the good in this world belongs to God rather than human status or strength.

Christianity spread throughout the Roman empire primarily through ordinary people who chose the ways of Jesus. What seemed foolish in a society enthralled by power slowly yet steadily undercut the foundations of arrogance.

Today the noise of our society draws attention, clicks and cash. It seems wise to follow that crowd. But much of what I pay attention to on a daily basis matters naught in the long run, because God flips the script. Better to look to the humble to see where the Lord is quietly, yet inexorably, at work.

1 Corinthians 1:26-30

Photo by Clay Banks