"...the essential, eternal life and love which are in God, appeared unto mankind in Christ." (I John 1)

"But Christ was rejected. The princes of this world crucified the Lord of glory. It was not the ignorance and folly of the world that rejected the Messiah; not the uncivilized barbarians, but Greeks and Romans; human culture in its highest and noblest aspect. 'The Apostle views the men who were immediately concerned in the crucifixion of Christ as represenatives of the spirit of the world, as it appears in Hellenic philosophy; they acted in the name and spirit of the antique world. (Neander) To the wisdom of the world Christ crucified appeared foolishness."

'It was not the immorality, the wickedness, the frivolity of the world that rejected Christ. While the degraded and the profligate were striving into the kingdom of God, and drawing near to listen to the holy Friend of Sinners, the religion, the piety, the theology of the world accused the Lord of blasphemy, and rejected His testimony of truth and love. The wisdom and piety of the world could discern no beauty and perfection in Christ Jesus, in whom the divine glory shone so brightly. The Spirit of the world cannot see Christ; it is necessary that the Spirit of God should descend to open human eyes and hearts to behold the Sun of Righteousness."

(Adolph Saphir - "Christ Crucified: Lectures on I Corinthians II") - London, 1873, 101-02.

Me: I'm thinking one may not agree with everything the good brother wrote but I thought there was a well enough amount of good to share in his thoughts. It wasn't the low and base that nailed Christ to the cross but the best and the brightest the age had to offer. Those sitting atop the religious world who were steeped in their religion's theology along with a obviously strong doese of the spirit of the world of antiquity. Christ appeared to this spirit and wisdom (and this envy) as the basest of follies and it's still the same today. I'm struck again by how much we need the Spirit of revelation to open people's eyes as we proclaim what Christ has done. The best and the brightest of His day were dead in the water without the quickening of the Spirit to see Christ for who He was and the best and the brightest of today are in as great a need of the Spirit's eye opening and quickening activity. The wisdom and spirit of the present day wages as strong a war against the divine kingdom of God in Christ the lowly servant as it did in the world of antiquity. Yet it's just the way the nature of the kingdom of God is. It has no human origin and must be revealed and that it must be revealed lays face down in the dirt human wisdom and ingenuity.

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David Winter