“While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one.” (1 Corinthians 1:22–24, The Message)
Everyone, and I mean everyone, wants to have their own way to get salvation. The Greeks were looking for wisdom, if the message was wise and profound, they would listen. The Jews were looking for the miraculous, do some demonstrations of God's power and perhaps you were from God. We moderns are looking for a god who takes us on our terms, in other words, we want a genie who will obey us.
What everyone gets—what everyone needs!—is Christ, the Crucified. The Message connects Paul's statement on Christ back to his comment on Jews and Greeks. You want a miracle? God's ultimate miracle is Christ. You want wisdom? God's ultimate wisdom is manifested in Christ. You (moderns) want a genie? You're not going to get one. You must take God on his terms, and that is Christ crucified.
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