Strength in Weakness

Tim Keller:

In ancient times, when the oldest son always got all the wealth and the second or younger sons had no social status, how does God work? Through Abel, not Cain. Through Isaac, not Ishmael. Through Jacob, not Esau. Through Ephraim, not Manasseh. Through David, not his older brothers. At a time when women were valued for their beauty and fertility, God chooses old Sarah, not young Hagar. He chooses Leah, not Rachel—unattractive Leah, whom Jacob doesn’t love. He chooses Rebekah, who can’t have children; Hannah, who can’t have children; Samson’s mother, who can’t have children; Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother, who can’t have children. Why? Over and over and over again God says, “I will choose Nazareth, not Jerusalem. I will choose the girl nobody wants. I will choose the boy everybody has forgotten.” 

Why? Is it just that God likes underdogs? No. He is telling us something about salvation itself. Every other religion and moral philosophy tells you to summon up all of your strength and live as you ought. Therefore, they appeal to the strong, to the people who can pull it together, the people who can “summon up the blood.” Only Jesus says, “I have come for the weak. I have come for those who admit they are weak. I will save them not by what they do but through what I do.” Throughout Jesus’ life, the apostles and the disciples keep saying to him, “Jesus, when are you going to take power and save the world?” Jesus keeps saying, “You don’t understand. I’m going to lose all my power and die—to save the world.” 

At the climax of his life he ascended not a throne but a cross. He came as our substitute to bear evil, suffering, and death—the consequences for our turning from God. He did this so that, if we believe, we can be reconciled to him, so when he comes as King the second time he can end all evil without ending us. So his weakness was really his strength.

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I found this really refreshing and helpful when thinking through how to speak to friends here. The three main faiths here are full of needing to work hard and try your best and they leave behind those who are physically weak and poor. For example: the huge expense of going on pilgrimage; the terribly hard thing it is to fast from food and water in 45 degree heat; very poor people feeling the need to spend $95 on a goat for religious sacrifice. Living here can't fail to make the gospel more beautiful to us when we see God's plan of salvation in comparison to the burdens weighing our friends down as they try to get right with God. Jesus said, "It is finished!" He has done the work for us and takes our burdens from us.