God Is Weak

[KnightofChrist]

People flocked to Him, but who flocked to Him? Not the priests, not the theologians, not the rich, not the powerful, not the 'important' people in other words. Demoniacs, the poor, the sinners, they all flocked to Jesus. By earthly standards, in which the rich, the powerful, the wise and the pure are the most important people, Jesus was not successful in those terms, that's what I mean.

 

Over all yes the rich and powerful didn't flock to Christ, but a few did. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea for example. I do believe by worldly or earthly standards it can be said Christ is and was weak, and that Christianity is also weak. Also according to worldly standards Christ was not successful but God's success is not to be measured by worldly standards.  

[KnightofChrist]

Pride is not always sinful. Pride is often used interchangeably with honor. 

[Nihil Obstat]

[21] For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world, by wisdom, knew not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of our preaching, to save them that believe. [22] For both the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: [23] But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumblingblock, and unto the Gentiles foolishness: [24] But unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. [25] For the foolishnessof God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

[25] The foolishness: That is to say, what appears foolish to the world in the ways of God, is indeed most wise; and what appears weak is indeed above all the strength and comprehension of man.

[26] For see your vocation, brethren, that there are not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble: [27] But the foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong. [28] And the base things of the world, and the things that are contemptible, hath God chosen, and things that are not, that he might bring to nought things that are: [29] That no flesh should glory in his sight. [30] But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and justice, and sanctification, and redemption:

[31] That, as it is written: He that glorieth, may glory in the Lord.

 

 

[Kia ora]

as Seven77 said, st. paul said that when i am weak, i am strong (corinthians). but that is when i am weak.

 

and when jesus said that those who lose their lives for his sake will find it, but those who save their lives will lose it, i really think he meant that to find life, one must lose life.

 

and this may mean losing one's life in terms of martyrdom. whatever the life it is that the martyrs gain in the next world, perhaps one could call it the 'true' life, surely it cannot be denied that they are also losing their earthly life for god.

 

for the other side of the equation to be true, the first must be true as well.

 

i am frightened of the idea that we fall into word games in order to make jesus' teachings less disturbing. that is, we may appreciate and proclaim that to save one's life is to lose it, and that to lose one's life is to gain it, but we don't really believe it.

 

if someone came up to you and said that you had to drop your possessions, your family, your friends, your job, your dreams and hopes, and work in the service of god for the rest of our earthly lives, with the probable outcome of achieving precisely diddly squat, then we'd better believe that is really losing one's life.

 

only if one really loses, only if one is really weak, can one really gain, can only really be strong.

[MarysLittleFlower]

I think that Our Lord IS able to do anything but He doesn't always choose to do certain things.

The reason He stayed on the Cross is not because He couldn't send legions of Angels to free Himself.. Or just do that by His direct power and will... But because He FREELY willed to die out of love. It was love not weakness that made Him take on so much suffering. He made Himself as a slave freely for love, not because He had no power. That is why it says in the Bible that He lowered Himself to a servant - that assumes He has the highest place of His own nature, but humbled Himself out of love.

God is all powerful and He emptied Himself taking the form of a slave because of His Will, which has the power to do anything. Jesus could have done any miracle to save Himself but He didn't choose to do that because He wanted to suffer to the maximum and give all - for us.

It doesn't mean He didn't show true suffering on the Cross. He did. And He loves us tenderly, and He wept for Lazarus, - but He also raised Lazarus from the dead.