Can you read the sign? If you can, you probably saw "A BIRD IN THE BUSH". But it doesn't say that, instead, it says: "A BIRD IN THE THE BUSH". We read right over the second "THE" and ignore it. Odd, but its way the mind works. The human mind is strange in many ways, learning not only by rote, but by the oddest of associations and coming to logical conclusions that sometimes leap over what appears to be the next step in reasoning to one that is several steps ahead. Genius, pure genius. Yet, as human beings we have frailties; physical infirmities arise over time, and some of us even lose intellectual capacity later in life. Eventually, we die. But, along the way, we may have the opportunity to do good for others, to change the world for the better. And some will do the reverse. Here is an example of how a good thing can go terribly wrong....
1 Corinthians 1:10-23 (WEB)
10) Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11) For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.
12) Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.”
13) Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?
14) I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius,
15) so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name.
16) (I also baptized the household of Stephanas; besides them, I don’t know whether I baptized any other.)
17) For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Good News—not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ wouldn’t be made void.
18) For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.
19) For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.”
20) Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21) For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.
22) For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,
23) but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,
10) Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11) For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.
12) Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.”
13) Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?
14) I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius,
15) so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name.
16) (I also baptized the household of Stephanas; besides them, I don’t know whether I baptized any other.)
17) For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Good News—not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ wouldn’t be made void.
18) For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.
19) For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.”
20) Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21) For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.
22) For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,
23) but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,
Have you ever known anyone who was too smart for their own good? The kind of person who always knew every answer and even anticipated the next question before it was asked. I have; not pretty. After awhile, pride set in and it was unpleasant to be around them for any time at all. And then there were the Corinthian Christians. Brothers in Christ who had to analyze everything, who thought of Christianity as just another "school of thought" and naturally broke down into opposing viewpoints. Sometimes its not good to be "smart". The truly intelligent person has a tendency to over-think everything and that leads to trouble. No matter how smart you are, someone else in this world is smarter. And no matter WHO they are, GOD is better, and not just a little bit; HE is better on another whole order. But, its really not about intelligence, rather its about sin and the remedy for it. Which is something human beings can't solve, no matter how hard they try. Only Jesus has conquered that one. Like the Corinthian Christians, we need to get over ourselves and what we know and who we are and look to Jesus for forgiveness. And remember that we are all brethren and love one another. Now, THAT IS SMART!!!