“Wise but Foolish”

What does it mean to be ‘wise but foolish’?  Well, it means to be wise in one way, but foolish in another.  Wise in the smaller matters but foolish in the larger and all important ones.

Perhaps you have heard the story of the ancient king who had a clown to entertain him and his guests.  After a time the king became ill and realised that he was going to die.  He felt that the clown would be too simple to understand about sickness and death.  So he called the clown and gave him his royal rod, saying that he was going away and would no longer need it, and if the clown found someone more foolish than himself, to give it to him.

“Where are you going?” asked the clown.  “On a very long journey,” replied the king slowly.  “And when will you return?” asked the clown.  “Never”, replied the king.  “It is a long, long journey and I shall never return.  “What preparations have you made for this long journey?” inquired the puzzled clown.

“None at all”, the king replied.  “You are going on a long journey from which you shall never return, and you have made no preparations for this journey!” replied the clown.  He handed the rod back to the king saying, “Here!  Take this rod.  I may be a simple clown, but I am not so foolish as that.”  The king was wise enough to rule a kingdom, but foolish in that he was facing death without any thoughts of God or eternity to come.

The Lord Jesus told a story to illustrate this very thing.  He told how a wise and hardworking farmer ploughed his fields and sowed them with good grain.  That year was a very good one, the rains came at the right time and he had a bumper crop.  Then he realised that he would not have sufficient space to store all his crops.  So he pulled down his small barns and built bigger and better ones. Then he reaped his grain; wheat, barley and corn, and stored it safely in his barns.  Naturally the neighbours all looked on with admiration and praise for such success.  Now this man felt very contented.  He congratulated himself by saying to himself, “You have stored up supplies for many years, sit back, take your ease – eat, drink and be merry.”  As he looked ahead, everything looked secure and safe, he now had all he needed.

But God called him a ‘fool’. God said, “this night shall your soul be required of you.”  The man died that very night – perhaps by a heart attack.  He had been very diligent and anxious about his physical needs and of his own and his family’s needs for years to come, but he had not given a thought about God or about his need of forgiveness and salvation.  He was wise and hardworking in one way and foolish and careless in another.  Now, God did not condemn him for his diligence or being careful about future needs, but because he lived as though there was nothing more to this life than having plenty of food, and eating and drinking.  He forgot the One who made him and had given him health and strength, and to whom he would have to answer on the day of judgment.  He should have remembered his Creator and turned to Him.

The Bible urges us to, “Prepare to meet thy God.” (Amos 4:12.)  The farmer prepared well for his physical needs, but neglected entirely to prepare to meet his God.  But how can we prepare to meet God?  It is by seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness in prayer and by placing our trust in Jesus Christ our Saviour.

There are three things that we all need to remember:

Firstly that we all have a soul as well as a body, and our souls will live forever.  Our bodies soon grow old and die, but not our souls.  So this present life is not everything.  We have to meet God after death.

Secondly that we are sinners who need forgiveness from God.  We have all broken God’s holy laws, and we will be judged and condemned if our sins are not forgiven.

Thirdly that God has provided a way of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.  He came into this world to die for sinners and to pay the penalty of their sins, and when we turn from our sins and put our faith in Christ, then all our sins are fully and completely forgiven.  Then we are right with God and prepared for eternity.  This is to be spiritually wise.

The Lord Jesus asked a very searching question of us all, “What shall it profit (or benefit) a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36.  If a person is wise enough to gain the whole world, what good is it to him if his own soul is lost in hell forever?  Are you ‘wise but foolish’?

The Bible is God’s message of salvation to us. Read Matthew chapters 5-7.

Compiled by,

Rev R. Cameron-Smith.