22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
I think our cultural demand is for pleasure. We want to feel good, entertained, and happy. We want the easy way out. We want all our struggles to be handled by someone else. The smallest inconvenience sets people into a panic. We have seen this when flights get delayed or cancelled. People act as though the world were ending that instant. They demand, fuss and fume. Very few people ever question the direction of their lives. As long as there is not too much pain people rarely stop to think about the larger issues of life. We are not a contemplative society. We are too busy seeking pleasure to do that. Some live so much for the vacations that they miss out on daily pleasures. I was talking to someone lately who is so busy that they literally could not sleep more than a few hours each night. If they got too much sleep, there was no way they could accomplish all the tasks they needed to. Our text today shows the goals of the two dominant cultures in Paul’s life. The Jews of his day were seeking the signs of God’s presence like they had read in the Scriptures. Their lives consisted in pushing for the fireworks. They wanted the splash and bang. If there was no splash, then they dismissed it. The dominant culture of the day sought wisdom, not to alter their life, but just so they could display that wisdom. It was an intellectual pursuit. They didn’t want to change how they lived, just the content of their minds. They wanted to be seen as wise. Notice that all these pursuits are about externals. The Gospel is about the internal. When the inside gets changed, then our outside will follow. When God gets a hold of our hearts, then our behavior will change. Our attitude will reflect His attitude. Signs, wisdom and pleasure are not bad in and of themselves, but they are unworthy as a goal for life. If our lives are lived in accordance with God’s design, then signs, wisdom and pleasure will be a byproduct. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things….
The Arnold Journey 