“For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person (Mar 7:21-23).”

As a police officer and soldier, you see the worst in people.  I am not saying that good doesn’t exist I’m just saying that I have seen the worst.  When Jesus tells us that their exists in the heart of man sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, and pride it is almost self-evident.  That every legal system has prohibitions against these things seems to witness to the fact of this universal understanding of the evil inherent in these things.  That every religious system wrestle with these things seems to witness to the same fact.  That those of us who strive to be good people rate our goodness in terms of how well we are avoiding these things also seems to witness to the same fact.  If that is true, what sets the Law apart, what sets Christianity apart, and what sets the Christian apart?  I submit that it is in foolishness.

Just before the Israelites move out of the wilderness and into the promised land Moses writes a song.  The song was given to him by God to confront the Israelites when they would eventually find themselves in disobedience.  In that song Moses describes the God of Israel.  “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice.  A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he (Deu 32:4).”  Later, in that same song, Moses will contrast that Rock with the rocks of the other nations.

Deuteronomy 32:31–33 (ESV)
³¹    For their rock is not as our Rock;
our enemies are by themselves.
³²    For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom
and from the fields of Gomorrah;
       their grapes are grapes of poison;
their clusters are bitter;
³³    their wine is the poison of serpents
and the cruel venom of asps.

First, to trust in another rock is to be alone.  The Rock of Israel is the LORD.  The rock of the nations is at best an idea devoid of power at worst is an idea; a lie sold by demons.  It comes from Sodom and Gomorrah.  It is poisonous and destroys.  Foolishness is to trust in anything other than the God of Israel!

Deuteronomy 32:37–39 (ESV)
³⁷    Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods,
the rock in which they took refuge,
³⁸    who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offering?
       Let them rise up and help you;
let them be your protection!
³⁹    “ ‘See now that I, even I, am he,
and there is no god beside me;
       I kill and I make alive;
I wound and I heal;
and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

There are no other rocks!  Foolishness is to trust in anything other than the God of Israel!  So let me ask you in what Rock do you take refuge?

Jesus will make this same point in the Gospel of Luke.  He starts by asking who will leave ninety-nine sheep to search for the one that is lost (Luk 15:3-7)?  He builds by asking who does not sweep their entire house to find a lost coin (Luk 15:8-10)?  This is the build up to the parable of the lost (prodigal) son in which Jesus ultimately describes a father who rejoices at the repentance of his lost son (Luk 15:11-32).  While the unrighteousness of the prodigal son is apparent and his need for repentance is clear if you are not careful you can miss that Jesus is also describing the unrighteousness of the brother and his need for repentance.  In doing so Jesus is describing the unrighteousness of the Pharisees which provoked the telling of the parable (Luk 15:1-2).

Where Jesus points to their foolishness is at the conclusion of the parable of the shrewd manager (Luk 16:1-9) and encourages the Pharisees to, “make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings (Luk 16:8-9).” There is a hint of sarcasm here. The Pharisees were trusting in their own righteousness and were using that pretend righteousness to enrich themselves within the sacrificial system. That righteousness would fail and when it did who could they trust for eternal life? No one! The sarcasm is found in the foolishness of trusting in anything other than the God of Israel!

There is only one way to eternal life.  This way has accounted for the evil that is in your heart because He became that evil (2Co 5:21).  Jesus is the way (Joh 14:6)!  He is the Rock upon which the Christian church has been built (Mat 16:18).  Are you depending on your own righteousness?  This is foolishness.  Are you depending on another truth?  This is foolishness.  Are you depending on any other gospel?  This is foolishness.  Are you perpetuating the idea that any of these things can lead to eternal life?  This is foolishness.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (Eph 5:15-17).”  Anything other than that which is true is foolishness.

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Photo by Marius Venter from Pexels