Proverbs 18:7 says, "A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul." In 1904, Ohio Governor George Nash stepped out of his office and for a moment, out of his role as Governor. He tucked his large, black Bible under his arm and made his way down the hallway of the Columbus State Penitentiary. As a Christian, he wanted to share Christ with Benjamin Wade who was waiting on death row. Guilty of first-degree murder, the condemned man was just hours away from the electric chair. Upon seeing the elderly man with a dark suit and Bible under his arm, Wade thought him to be a minister, so he angrily cursed the man and sent him away. A guard standing nearby could hardly believe his eyes. "You fool," he said, "don't you know who that was?"   "Just some preacher," said Wade. The guard said, "That was the Governor, the only one who could set you free, or keep you alive." Benjamin Wade died a few hours later, guilty not only of murder, but also of being a fool for sending away his only hope for life.

         A fool is a person deficient in judgment and foolishness is the trait of acting stupidly or rashly. In today's text, Paul says the cross is foolishness, but only to those who don't know its true meaning. Christians have been called fools since claiming Jesus rose from the dead. But God had to bring salvation to this world through some means, and the cross is no more foolish than anything else.

          Some people think reincarnation is real, or the idea a human can become a god. At least one religion advocates the killing of unbelievers. Christians think those ideas foolish. But the idea of God sacrificing His only Son in order to save the world - that has made even Christians say, "Foolishness!" If so, then Christians are justly called fools - "Fools for Christ."

         During the past several decades, the university and scientific communities have mostly rejected God. They have rejected creationism and many say humans are better off without religion. It's far better, they say, to live in a secular world, devoid of God and religion. What they don't realize is that when we toss God out, we leave people with nothing to believe in.

         Take away God and we're left with a vacuum, an emptiness of the soul, and a vacuum will not remain empty for long. People will fill it with something else. If people don't believe in something true, they will fall for anything false.

         A teacher once received a note. The note was unsigned and contained just one word - "Fool." This teacher had strong opinions and often received notes objecting to his beliefs, but this note was unique. Unsigned and only one word - "Fool." So the teacher told his class, "I have often received notes with content but no signature. But this is the first time I have ever received a note with no content, and only a signature."

         Today the foolishness of the cross has been replaced by the foolishness of secularism. Faith in God has been replaced by faith in mankind. But look what secularism gave us in the last century - the Nazis, the communists, the drug culture, even AIDs. Secularism brings emptiness that is the breeding ground for anything that gives people a sense of purpose, including blowing themselves up.

         It may seem foolish to believe that a divine Being created this world. Secularists reason, how can people trust a God they can't see? How can we ignore all the evidence of evolution? How can we not see mankind as the center of all things? Aren't people smarter than that, they ask?

         If humanity is the center of all things, if people are the highest beings, the there is little hope for the future. Our greatest achievements have brought us little more than hate and greed. Better we should trust in a God we can't see, than humans who do truly foolish things. The foolishness of the cross is therefore far better than the foolishness of man.

         The idea of God having a Son who dies 2,000 years ago in an obscure country, among an opinionated people descended from a wanderer does seem foolish. It all started with Abraham, and back then even His family thought he was a crazy. God spoke to you, they asked? Which God? Why believe in only one god when there are many? Why do you want to leave the safety of your family and go live in a strange land? You're a fool, they told Abraham.

         But Abraham was a fool for God. In the following generations, his belief in the One True God who created heaven and earth finally took hold. Through God's chosen people, "Hebrews", wanderers they were called, God established a faith through whom He brought salvation to all mankind. The story of salvation began 4,000 years ago and culminated in Rabbi Yeshua ha Nosari, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus, Son of Mary, was also the Son of God. And all who trust Him are given the gift of eternal life with God in Heaven. God becomes a man - It all sounds so foolish.

         But why should it be foolish? Must God bring salvation through a mighty army? Must His chosen people be a race of supermen? Will giving us power and wealth make God more believable?

         But this is certain - to save us, God had to become one of us. He gave people freedom to choose, and didn't force them to follow. Because of sin, the world needed God's help, and He chose to enter into the human race, through a man called Abraham.

         The promises of God culminated in the Jesus of Nazareth, and His sacrifice on the cross. Jesus came to us through a human family. Salvation is from God to mankind. He gave it to us through the new man, Jesus. Everything in the Old Testament points forward to the coming of the Savior, and everything in the New Testament points back and says Jesus is the Savior. Jesus in the promised Savior - that's the central message of the Bible.

         God entered the human race through the Jews, His chosen people, and saved the world through the cross, His chosen means. The world was lost, so God rescued it. Jesus lived a perfect life, in exchange for the imperfections of all people. He took our punishment and exchanged His life for ours. That's the Gospel! That's the power of God for salvation to all who believe.

         The cross may seem foolish, but only to those who reject it. To all who follow in Abraham's footsteps of faith, who believe in the One True God, the cross is the symbol of eternal life. We may be fools, but I'd rather be a fool for Christ, than a fool for mankind.

         God is holy and just. He knows the world is unholy and unjust, so He chose His Son as the means of His forgiveness, and the cross as the method. God's great foolishness is in loving us, the wayward children. Is there a parent here today who would not still not love his child, no matter what? Even if he rebels and runs away, even if she openly hates her parents? A parent finds a way to keep loving. A parent is there when the prodigal child returns. God is the best parent of all.

         He loves the believer, as well as the unbeliever. Now that seems like foolishness - to love the unbeliever. Dennis Praeger, common sense talk show host, says He won't believe in a God who loves a terrible sinner. He wants God to rid the world of the bad guy. But God is joyful for the sinner who repents, the lost one who comes back. Yes, God also loves the one who stays, the faithful older son. But He also loves the foolish one who returns in repentance.

         God did not send His Son into the world to be understood, but to be believed, to be trusted. He came into love the world, not to destroy it. He sent His Son, not to condemn the world, but to save the world through faith. God has mercy on us. He doesn't seek vengeance against our sins. The father of the Prodigal Son did not send out his army to forcibly bring him back. Instead, he waited for him, longed for him, and watched for signs of his return. And then threw a big party when he finally did come back.

         The cross may seem like foolishness, but only to unbelievers. Thank God for the foolishness of the cross. Thank God He loves sinful people. Thank God He chose to take us rebels back, us deserters, we who squander His fortunes in foolish living. Taking us back makes Him all the more worthy of our faith and love.

         Paul also wrote in today's text, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."

         Wisdom is usually worth the cost and effort. Automaker Henry Ford once asked electrical genius Charlie Steinmetz to build the generators for one of his new factories. He did so, but one day the generators ground to a halt, and the repairmen couldn't find the problem. So Ford called Steinmetz, who tinkered with the machines an hour or so and then threw the switch. The generators whirred to life--but Ford got a bill for $10,000. Flabbergasted, the tightfisted car maker inquired of Steinmetz why the bill was so high. His reply: For tinkering with the generators, $100. For knowing where to tinker, $9900. Henry Ford paid the bill.

         And so, as we have been so richly blessed, we should therefore serve Him and His people however we can, whether by serving in the army or by protesting injustice, whether by preaching the gospel or by shoveling snow, whether by driving a tractor or by driving a tank. You and I are called upon to serve Him every day. And I thank God for all you servants, whoever you are and whatever you do for the Lord and for His people.

         God grant that each of us will hold fast to the foolishness of the cross. Thank You, Father, for giving us hope for this life and hope for the life to come. Give us all a deep appreciation for the love that moved You to the foolishness of the cross. Help us be fools for Christ. Amen.

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