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There are some people who have the gift of persuasion. If you've ever seen the Music Man, it's a gift that Professor Hill had as he sold musical instruments to all the kids in town by convincing everyone that they could make beautiful music by just thinking the notes. He was what you'd call a smooth talker, which is a valuable skill for a salesperson. There are also other professions where it helps to have strong verbal skills that can be used for persuasion. Take politicians, for example. Bill Clinton was known as a smooth talker. In fact, he was so smooth that some people called him slick. I see Barack Obama having similar verbal skills; the man has an easy eloquence that's hard to dismiss. Of course, preachers are almost as notorious as politicians for having the ability to dazzle the ears of those who hear them speak. Many people are suckers for smooth talkers; they're easily taken in by what they're hearing.

Now, just because someone is eloquent doesn't mean they're being dishonest or trying to persuade you to do something that's not in your best interest. The problem is that you find yourself being so enamored with the person who is speaking that you aren't really listening to the content of what they're saying and if you're not careful, that can get you into trouble. They could be telling you that Santa Claus is the Antichrist and you would tend to believe them, not because what they're saying makes sense, but because their words are so impressive. If you can understand the allure of brilliant rhetoric, you have a jump on understanding the second reading for this Sunday.

First, here's the context. Paul is concerned about the church in Corinth because of the factions that have been formed. People have divided up into various house churches that have been named for well-known people in the faith, like Peter and Paul and Apollos. So people are saying, "I belong to Peter" or "I belong to Apollos." (Actually, that's a lot like we would say "I belong to Holy Trinity" or "I belong to St. John's," isn't it?) This is a problem for the Corinthians because instead of working together, in unity, these factions are competing with one another. (Hmmm -- I guess that has a familiar ring to it, too, doesn't it?) Well, apparently, there are those who are gifted in rhetoric and able to use that power to convince others to follow them and that's a big reason for the factions.

Paul doesn't want the Corinthians to be suckers for smooth-talking rhetoric. He wants them to get beyond the honey-tongued preachers and listen critically to what they're really saying. And he especially wants them to understand that there is a difference between the way the world works and the way God works. While the world seeks wisdom, God makes himself known in what appears to be foolishness.

It's important to understand what Paul was saying in its larger context so you don't get sidetracked by what he means when he refers to "wisdom" here. Paul was not disparaging wisdom. Wisdom was highly treasured in the Jewish community. True wisdom was not the issue. By "wisdom" in this passage, Paul was not referring to knowledge or an education. It would probably be better to translate the word "wisdom" as something closer to "verbal persuasion," given the context of the way the word is used here in 1 Corinthians. Just prior to today's passage, in verse 17, Paul talks about how he was sent to proclaim the good news, though not with skillful rhetoric. He says there's a good reason for that: it's so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. He brings this up again in the verses that follow today's text, in chapter 2, where he writes:

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
-- 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

So, is Paul just offering excuses for the fact that he isn't a very good preacher, or is he really making a point? Unlike politicians, preachers don't want to call attention to themselves when they preach. The last thing you want to have after preaching is people praising you as a wonderful speaker yet being unable to remember what on earth you said. You would much prefer to have them remember the message even if they don't remember who preached it. As someone who preaches on a regular basis, I can attest to that. But then the question becomes, why? What do we have to say that's all that important?

Paul talks about two different audiences he preaches to: the Jews and the Greeks. (When Paul talks about the Greeks that's the same thing as saying non-Jews or Gentiles. Because the culture was so heavily Greek, it was a simple way of dividing up the world into Jews and Greeks.) Paul's attack on rhetoric was against the Greek influence. Greek educators and philosophers were known for their rhetoric and it's how people in the world judged who was wise and who wasn't. Rhetoric was a sign of wisdom.

Paul contrasts the Greek way of thinking with the Jewish way of thinking. Both are seeking something to convince them of the truth of the gospel. Greeks are moved to action by persuasion. Jews, on the other hand, are moved to action by a sign from God. We can see this in the gospel accounts, when the Jews come to Jesus and want him to give them a sign. "The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, 'Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation' " (Mark 8:11-12). But, ironically, Jesus did give them a sign. It just wasn't the one they wanted. It wasn't a sign of power. It was a symbol of failure.

While the cross may be foolishness to the Greeks, Paul says it was a stumbling block to the Jews. In those days, when a stone building was constructed, the cornerstone of the foundation extended out a few inches. As people rounded the corner, sometimes they would trip over the cornerstone that was sticking out. A cornerstone was necessary, but it could also be a problem for those who didn't recognize it. Paul picked up on this double meaning saying that Jesus is both the precious cornerstone of Zion and the stumbling block for those who need a sign.

Paul's proclamation is that the cross of Christ may be foolishness to the Gentiles who expect to be persuaded by fancy speech, but it is the wisdom of God. It may be a stumbling block to the Jews who were looking for a powerful Messiah to defeat their oppressors, but it a sign of the power of God.

What does Paul's proclamation have to say to us who are neither the Greeks nor the Jews he was addressing in first-century Corinth? Do we ever focus so much on the way the gospel is packaged that we miss the message of God's love when it comes to us? Do we long for a sign from God in our lives, but ignore the one we have been given because it seems foolish, weak, or embarrassing to us? Is there a wisdom in the cross that can change the way we see the world and our lives? Amen.