âWise Foolsâ John 2:13-22; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Sermon âIt is ...

David Lee Hulsey, Jr. March 29, 2009 

“Wise Fools” 

John 2:13-22; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 

Sermon 

“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to 

open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.” This has to be one 

of my favorite quotes. It has guided me through tough 

discussions, and other times it has humbled me when I let my 

words get away from me. 

o original author is unknown, many variances in actual 

quotes, but many think it originated from Proverbs 

17:28 

“Even fools who keep silent are considered 

wise; when they close their lips, they are 

deemed intelligent.” 

This is a very helpful quote. 

“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to 

open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.” I guess I will admit 

that this is actually a confession of mine today. There have 

been times in conversations with my wife, where she has 

asked me something and I don’t say anything because… well, 

then she’ll realize I’m a fool. 

However, for today I want us to look at our two pieces of 

scripture. They both can resonate well with us as individuals 

and as a community. Keep this in mind as we read: the world 

sees Christians as foolish in what we believe and what we do. 

How do we respond? 

Scripture Review 

John is good about telling stories as a good narrator 

would. He tells all the action, but he also shares information 

that doesn’t happen in the dialogue of the characters in the 

story. He tells what people are thinking, broadcasting inner 

monologues, and sharing the meaning of things when the 

characters aren’t aware of the message. 

John 2:13-22 

Narrative consist of two parts: Jesus’ actions in the Temple 

(14-17), and Jesus’ saying about the destruction of the Temple 

(18-22) 

o Actions in the Temple 

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V14-16 are actually one long sentence in Greek text 

(creates a mood of urgency and haste, underscoring 

the intensity of Jesus’ actions) 

14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, 

and doves, and the money changers seated at their 

tables. 15 (And) Making a whip of cords, he drove all 

of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the 

cattle. (And) He also poured out the coins of the money 

changers and overturned their tables. 16 (And) He told 

those who were selling the doves, “Take these things 

out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a 

marketplace!” 

Reason for money changers and selling animals 

• We have misconceptions of this scene. In the 

musical Jesus Christ Superstar, I remember this 

scene where one of the tables in the Temple had 

guns, knives, grenades, and all other kinds of 

weapons that were being sold. It’s a little 

extreme. 

• While most of us might think that the Jews have 

simply started using the Temple as a marketplace 

for venders, those who involved are actually 

involved for worship related reasons 

• Since Passover was a pilgrimage feast, many of 

those coming to worship in the Temple would have 

journeyed a great distance and would not have 

brought animals with them. They needed to buy 

animals in Jerusalem in order to participate in the 

temple worship. 

• Similarly, the temple tax could not be paid in reek 

or Roman coinage because of the human image 

(the emperor’s head) on these coins, and foreign 

coinage had to be changed into the legal Tyrian 

currency in Jerusalem. 

• So the sale of animals and the changing of money 

were necessary if the worship was to proceed. 

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Most biblical commentators would say this is a public 

demonstration against the materialism that had 

become part of the Temple worship services. 

Jesus’ indignation wasn’t directed toward those 

engaged in worship, but those detracting from it. 

There’s also another reason. In the other 3 gospels, 

they focus on the distortion of a place of worship into a 

“den of robbers,” and this is where Jesus quotes Isaiah 

56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11 

But John doesn’t quote the OT and instead Jesus 

alludes to Zechariah 14:21 (“And there shall no longer 

be traders in the house of the Lord of hosts on that 

day.” 

o Jesus in not only pointing out the abuses of this 

temple system, he is issuing a powerful challenge to 

the very authority of the Temple and its worship. 

V. 17 quickly shifts the focus to the disciples 

The disciples aren’t involved in any of the action, but 

act as interpretive witnesses 

o The last few verses in this passage focus on what is being 

said about the “Temple” 

18 The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show 

us for doing this?” 

“Show us a sign” meaning they asked for a sign of 

authority to warrant his actions. What gives him the 

right to mess up their worship? 

“The Jews” here represent all those present who 

question Jesus and do not know him. 

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in 

three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “This 

temple has been under construction for forty-six years, 

and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was 

speaking of the temple of his body. 

This reference to destroying the temple is not made 

directly in the other gospels, but comes up indirectly 

through the testimony of false witnesses at Jesus’ trial 

and in the taunting of Jesus on the cross 

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The Jews only see the surface meaning of the temple, 

but the greek verb Jesus uses to speak of the raising of 

the Temple (egeiro) is also used on a symbolic level to 

speak of resurrection 

Since for Judaism the Temple is (the place where 

something happens) the locus of God’s presence on 

earth, v. 21 suggests that Jesus’ body is now the locus 

of God. 

John often writes in a way that provides the reader with 

insight and information the characters in the stories do 

not have, so verse 21 enables the reader to see the 

sign the “Jews” miss: Jesus has the authority to 

challenge the temple system because he is the locus of 

God’s presence on earth. 

Verse 22, like v. 17, focuses on the interpretive witness 

of the disciples (22 After he was raised from the dead, 

his disciples remembered that he had said this; and 

they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had 

spoken.), but unlike v. 17, v.22 they won’t understand 

the meaning of this until after Jesus’ resurrection. In 

John 14:26, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit “will 

teach you all things and will remind you of everything I 

have said to you.” In John, remembrance is active 

reflection on the past in the light of the resurrection 

with the aid of the Spirit. Such reflection leads to faith 

and a deeper understanding. 

Now this is not say that since Christ is now the locus of 

God that there is not need to gather together at the 

church. It is saying that when you come to church to 

worship, focus on Jesus Christ, focus on God, and let 

the Holy Spirit reveal the meaning and significance that 

comes from hearing the Living Word of God. 

But we have to be careful. It is probable, it is common 

that we find ourselves in the same state as the Temple back in 

the time of Jesus. It happens sometimes when we come to 

church because it’s part of our schedule and we have some 

business we need to do with fellow church members. We have 

meetings coming up, I volunteered to help with a fundraiser, 

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we have to set up the Fellowship Hall for a dinner after the 

11:00 service, I have to help Joy do something with the kids. 

There is a lot that is on our plate and these things are 

indeed important and need to be done, and it can be easy to 

forget that we gather Sunday mornings to celebrate what God 

has done for us and to praise God for who God is. I say this 

because every time I help in worship, I have to work diligently 

on making sure my focus is on worshiping God, and not on 

worrying about my notes, or speaking slowly and clearly so 

everyone will think I am doing a good job. These things are 

important to me, but the reason I’m doing all this is because 

we need to worship God. 

What do you think happened to Temple after that day 

Jesus came storming in? It probably went back to doing things 

like normal, but I’m sure people refocused their thinking, and 

thought more intently about worshipping God when they 

returned to the Temple. 

And it is not the case that everyone said, “Yeah, Jesus is 

right!” The majority of people probably thought he was off his 

rocker, even if he did have a point. They most likely thought, 

“Crazy fool, there’s no need to go about it that way.” But what 

an impact it had on that day and for the rest of history. Yes, 

Jesus did, what the world would call, some foolish things. This 

brings us to our reading in 1 Corinthians. 

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 

• Listen again to Paul’s words to the church in Corinth: 

1Corinthians 1.18 For the message about the cross is 

foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being 

saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, 

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, 

and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is 

the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom 

of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did 

not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the 

foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22 

For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we 

proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and 

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foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, 

both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom 

of God. 25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, 

and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength 

• In v. 23, Stumbling block = scandalon (greek); where we 

get the word scandal 

o The term has a range of meanings including trap, 

enticement to false belief, or something that offends, 

repulses, and elicits opposition. 

o It is a shock to hear that redemption comes by this 

humiliating and ugly manner of execution for lower 

class, slaves, and criminals… dieing on the cross. 

o One biblical scholar makes this emphasis on the 

symbol of the cross. When wearing a cross around 

your neck, or crosses hung in your home 

Imagine instead it was a miniature electric 

chair. That’s appalling 

o It was by this humiliating method that God brought 

redemption to the world. 

• Paul does not want to do away with wisdom 

• That is why he emphasizes this in v. 24. Christ is the 

power of God and the wisdom of God 

• The reason Paul writes this letter is not because there is 

some theological debate or an issue with church 

government. 

• The church in Corinth wanted status, just like everyone 

else in the world (including today). They wanted to be 

known by others that they had it right, that they were 

doing things right. 

• This is not about wisdom vs. faith. This is about wisdom 

vs. wisdom 

o It’s not about having the right wisdom 

o At stake is the temptation for us to confuse 

redemption as coming from possessing the right 

wisdom, of mistaking salvation for thinking the 

proper way or having the right ideas. That is the 

wisdom of the world. 

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o What counts is not what one knows but by whom 

one is known. 

So we as Christians face a daunting task. We have been 

given the message of the cross, which is the power of God. 

And we are to share this message in a world that thinks we are 

fools for what we believe and how we are called to live. So 

today, I have two things to tell you: 1) You can’t do that. 2) 

Remain silent and be thought a fool 

1) “You Can’t Do That!” 

• Have you ever done something in your life that you knew 

in your heart of hearts it was the right thing to do, and 

people laughed at you or just thought you were dead 

wrong? 

o History is full of great people (known and never 

known) who were told “You can’t do that” 

Jesus, Martin Luther, John Calvin, George 

Washington, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King 

Jr., Helen Keller 

The single mother trying to raise her two 

children on minimum wage, the little boy 

growing up in the rough part of town who wants 

to become a doctor, you and I. 

o We’ve all been told, “you can’t do that.” I’m willing 

to bet that almost all of us have proven others wrong 

when they doubted what were capable of. 

• If you are seeking to fulfill the will of God and live out the 

call of Jesus Christ in your actions and if I ever tell you 

that you can’t do that, prove me wrong. 

2) “Remain silent and be thought a fool” 

In this world, we feel we must validate our choices to those 

around us so that we might be understood. Sometimes it is 

impossible to convince people with words, but we can convince 

them with our actions. I don’t remember when or by whom, 

but I always think of the saying, “I may not believe what a 

man says, but I will believe what a man does.” 

Here’s the root of all this: God does not need you to prove 

Him right to the world. But what God is calling you to do is to 

go out into the world and love others. Care for one another, 

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serve one another, treat each other with respect. God has 

provided the words, scripture. And God has equipped the 

messengers, us. 

Let the Living Word do the talking, and our lives respond. 

• So just smile and continue down the path God has called 

you, just let the work of Christ take shape around you, 

and just watch what happens when you let the Holy Spirit 

do its things. Then the world will truly know what wise 

fools we are. 

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