— William MacDonald
Jesus possesses wisdom so brilliant that it transcends all underlying knowledge becoming divinely simple. Such is the pattern for true wisdom. This wisdom is like white light, what we tend to imagine at the mention of light. Although our eyes do not detect it, the scientific fact is that white light is the combination of all color wavelengths combined into one. It turns out that the simplest light to imagine is actually the fullest in terms of bits comprising it.
There is a multitude of facets that make up wisdom, but in the end, true wisdom is expressed in the simplest of terms. Jesus was so wise that pretty much everything He ever said was simple. Yet, we know that He understood every last nuance of the subject matters that He spoke of. This is one of my favorite things about Jesus. He spoke in primitives that, even under the most intense scrutiny and dissection, always held true. He stood on a mountain of Truth, forever inclined to share the view from the top for the sake of motivating His disciples. Jesus kept it simple and pure. Might we learn something from Him?
As Jesus taught, the best things in life are the simplest. Living a simple life of “faith, hope, and love” (ala 1 Corinthians 13:13) is the best life to live. This wisdom produces freedom.
And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.
“For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?
“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.”
— Luke 12:22-31
I often ask myself why people are so stressed out in this world. I ponder what, exactly, it is that keeps people up at night, tossing and turning. The answer, the simple wisdom on this, is that the world is filled with people who don’t have faith in God’s ability to provide. I’m speaking primarily of unbelievers, but even believers can get caught up in the rat race. What Jesus was teaching His disciples in Luke 12:22-31 was threefold. First, our daily needs are small, much smaller than we have been deceived into thinking. Second, not only can we live simple lives, but we should. Thirdly, why should a believer be anxious about the future?
The best way to live is in the fullness of the Light, that is Jesus, “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace” (John 1:16). True wisdom understands that God is especially gracious to those in Christ. “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). While some will continue to argue about this or that concern in time, we believers are free to cast any such anxiety on Him (1 Peter 5:7).
You don’t need the history of how a mountain was formed, or even to understand the underlying rock structures that support you standing on its peak. You only need to enjoy the transcendent view it offers you, in its most raw and simple form. Such is wisdom from above. “But the wisdom from above is first pure” (James 3:17).
Paul, one of Jesus’ prominent disciples, explained the value of simple wisdom, “and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5), making the same general statement Jesus did when he wrote, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4). Paul’s fear was that, “[our] minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
Simplicity is light, wisdom. Like white light, while it is the sum total of its parts, it expresses singularity. Jesus Christ was the very manifestation of divine wisdom. “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:4-5). Unbelievers, being stuck in darkness, cannot comprehend how very simple eternal life in Christ is. Instead, they behave like scientists seeking to understand something pure by deconstructing it to the point of frustration, missing God’s intent for sharing it in the first place.
Sadly, so many people spend their days toiling over things that we believers are promised - food, clothing, and pleasure - things that form the very center of their existence. They are slaves to their own appetites. We believers have been set free from bondage, given hope in things eternal and faith in the One who provides all our needs.
Let us enjoy the view from the mountaintop, for that was Jesus’ vantage point. Learn to live a simple life and watch how magnificent it can be to look across the expanse that God has seen fit to bless us with.
Love in Christ,
Ed Collins
