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What do wise people know?
Christmas Program DevotionalThere’s a wonderful line from the hit movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I'm referring to the scene in which, like a powerful king of sorts, Maria's husband reminds everyone that as the man, he’s the head of the house. He’s the one who makes all the important decisions. But after he leaves the room, Maria says behind his back, "Well, the man may be the head but the woman is the neck and she can turn the head anyway she wants."
To me it sounds like both Maria and her husband have a lot to learn when it comes to Biblical relationships in marriage...but there’s at least a seed of truth in Maria's statement. I say this because, as we learned in our Christmas study last week and as we’re going to learn in the next two weeks, women have vital, pivotal roles to play in life. They’re much more than just "body parts" to be ordered around and a great example of this is seen in the amazing-inspiring-roles they played in the unfolding of the Christmas story.
During December we’re studying the head-turning contributions that three particular women, three wise women (Elizabeth, Mary and Anna) played in the birth of Jesus. Since we've been talking so much about wisdom, this morning I want to summarize our study by seeking an answer to this question: What do wise people know that other people don't? Let me suggest two truths.1. Wise people know this life doesn't last. People who embrace a godly wisdom know this life is very temporary. Psalm 103:15-16 says, "As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more."
These three wise women understood this truth. Knowing that this life is temporary and the next one eternal is what enabled Elizabeth to endure the heartache and disgrace of being barren all those years and still be "...upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly." (Luke 1:6) This knowledge is what gave Mary the courage to say “Yes” to God's request even though she knew Joseph would have the legal right to divorce her, and that her parents and friends would probably reject her, and that she would be branded a loose woman and might even face death by stoning. This is how Anna dealt with the grief of her husband's death and why she spent her life hanging around the temple. This is why these three women were faithful to God at a time when, due to the subjugation of the Romans and the rule of cruel King Herod and 400 years of silence from God, it seemed to everyone else that He’d abandoned them.
They were able to endure the difficulties of this life because the wise know this life doesn't last. They were like the "ancients" mentioned in Hebrews 11 in that, "they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. They longed for a better country, a heavenly one" (Heb. 11:13, 16).
These three wise women rejoiced in the parts they played in the Christmas story because they knew that as the angel told Mary, the Child that was born that first Christmas night was not just any king-but the Eternal King. As the angel Gabriel put it in Luke 1:33, "He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end."
We’d be very wise to embrace this truth ourselves, especially in this season of the year when we are smothered in consumerism and materialism. If we’re not very careful all the things of this world will make us love this world too much. Earthly pleasures make us forget eternity.
Remember the parable Jesus told about the foolish farmer who was so preoccupied with the things of this temporary world that He forgot there was another world...an eternal one? He built two barns and planned to eat, drink, and be merry but God told him, "You fool, this very night your life will be demanded of you." (Luke 12:20) Tragically, he was a fool indeed! Someone once said, "This world is a bridge. The wise man will pass over it but will not build his house upon it."
Tolstoy once told a story of a Russian peasant who was told that he could have all the land he could walk around in the time between sun rise and sun down. With the rising of the sun the peasant began walking as fast as he could. By mid-morning it seemed that he was moving too slowly, so he increased his pace and didn't even stop for lunch. As the afternoon heat beat down on him he hurried his pace even more. He felt that he simply must circle more and more land. By late afternoon he was soaked with sweat from head to toe. He was exhausted. He’d walked around a huge section, but still he yearned for more. So, he began to run. Breathlessly he pushed himself to a total fatigue he’d never known. His heart beat wildly. Then, sundown was just minutes away so he ran faster. But, as he raced toward his point of beginning, a point that would make him the largest landholder in the district, he fell to the ground dead.
In grasping for the things of this world, he foolishly forgot to prepare himself for the next world, the eternal world. He would have been wise to realize that as Proverbs 11:4 says, "Your riches...the things of this world....won't help you on judgment day. Only righteousness counts then" (The Living Bible). And this leads to a second thing wise people know...2. Wise people know that they need a Savior. They know they’re not righteous. They know that their sinful state separates them from our Holy eternal God, and that no matter how much they try, they can't prepare themselves for eternity on their own. They know they need a Savior.
Our three women knew this. Mary heard the Angel say the child would have the name Jesus because He would save His people from their sins. She heard this and praised God that her Savior had been born. Elizabeth was the first to refer to Jesus as Lord. And Anna, upon hearing Simeon exclaim that he’d seen God's salvation, spent the rest of her days telling everyone she saw that God's Redeemer, our Savior, had been born.
Wise people like these women know we can't be good enough or smart enough to earn our way to heaven when this life ends. They know they need a Savior. They know the only One qualified to save them was born that first Christmas night.
Paul referred to this characteristic of truly wise people in 1 Cor. 1:18-30. The wisest decision anyone can make is to repent of their sins and invite the Christ of Bethlehem into their hearts and lives. This decision gives them a peace that passes understanding, a life of fulfillment and meaning, and the knowledge that when this life ends, eternity in heaven awaits. As Paul put it, "to live is Christ...and to die...well, that is even better yet" (Philippians 1:21).Conclusion: Many years ago there was a very wealthy man who shared a passion for art collecting with his son. They had priceless works by Picasso and Van Gogh adorning the walls of their family estate. As winter approached, war engulfed the nation, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram. His son had died. Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming Christmas holidays with anguish and sadness. The joy of the season had vanished with the death of his son. On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed old man. As he walked to the door, the masterpieces of art on the walls only reminded him that his son was not coming home. As he opened the door he was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hands who said, "I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he was killed. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you." The soldier mentioned that he was an artist and then gave the old man the package. The paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the man's son. Though the world would never consider it the work of a genius, the painting featured the man's son's face in striking detail. Overcome with emotion, the man hung the portrait over the fireplace, pushing aside millions of dollars worth of art. His task completed, the old man sat in his chair and spent Christmas gazing at the gift he had been given. The painting of his son soon became his most prized possession, far eclipsing any interest in the pieces of art for which museums around the world clamored.
The following spring, the old man died. The art world waited with anticipation for the upcoming auction. According to the will of the old man, all the art works would be auctioned on Christmas Day, the day he’d received the greatest gift. The day soon arrived and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world's most spectacular paintings. Dreams would be fulfilled that day.
The auction began with a painting that was not on anyone's museum list. It was the painting of the man's son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid, but the room was silent. "Who will open the bidding with $100?" No one spoke. Finally someone said, "Who cares about that painting. It's just a picture of his son. Let's move on to the good stuff." The auctioneer responded, "No, according to the will we have to sell this one first. Now, who will take the son?" Finally, a neighbor of the old man offered $10 dollars. "That's all I have. I knew the boy, so I'd like to have it." The auctioneer said, "Going once, going twice. Gone." The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone exclaimed, "Now we can bid on the real treasures!" The auctioneer looked at the room filled with people and announced that the auction was over. Everyone was stunned. Someone spoke up and said, "What do you mean, it's over? We didn't come here for a painting of someone's son. There is millions of dollars worth of art here! What's going on?" The auctioneer replied, "It's very simple. According to the will of the Father, whoever takes the son gets it all."
And that's the same way it is in our lives. The person who realizes he or she needs Jesus and responds to that decision by repenting of his or her sin and inviting Him into their hearts and lives, this person is wise indeed because whoever takes the Son gets it all.
My friend, have you accepted God’s Christmas gift…to you! It wasn’t just the baby in the manger. It’s God’s Son dying for you on the Cross, paying for all of our sins – yours and mine. In 2 Corinthians 9:15 Paul cries out, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” He was talking about Jesus! But a gift to truly be a gift must be accepted. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?
