Today I feel that two of our readings are wonderfully linked together. In James we are given an explanation of what wisdom is, and in our Gospel, Jesus’ actions show us wisdom at work. Then there is the Ode to a Capable Wife in Proverbs. If I am honest, I am not sure how this fits it! But more later.

First let us consider the reading in James. He writes of wisdom; “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity”. For James, God is the source of all gifts, including wisdom. As he wrote in Chapter One, “every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change”. James believes that wisdom comes from the Lord, that it is a gift from him.

Thinking on this you might ask, “Well, can wisdom come from another place?” Being the way we are, we perhaps might think first of all that wisdom can come from our own selves. From within ourselves.  I would say to that, yes, as we grow older we do gather some wisdom, but mostly, what comes just from us is knowledge, not necessarily wisdom.  As the famous English writer H. L. Mencken said “The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.” Wisdom, in my mind, is greater than just knowledge.

Actually, I agree with James, for I feel that wisdom has to come from something or someone that is or who is outside of ourselves. In the spiritual sense, I believe, as James does, that true wisdom comes from the Lord, it is brought to life by having a relationship with the Lord, it is formed by faithfulness. For it is the Lord who wants to give this free
gift to his faithful people. And the difference between “earthy” wisdom and “God’s” wisdom is substantial, because God’s gift of wisdom is, as James says, is a “perfect gift”. In other words, if you follow God’s wisdom, you will never go wrong.

In many ways I feel this is what the capable wife does in our reading from Proverbs. Interestingly enough, this oracle from King Lemuel was taught to him by his mother. And talk about capable! She is strong in mind, body and spirit. She is in control of her home, and with those she trades with, and has compassion for the needy, and loves her children. All this is under girded by the fact that she fears the Lord.  With God’s wisdom she can do no wrong. However, I feel this passage just on its own outlines an idealized woman in the very patriarchal society of the time. She is made out to be some type of wonder woman. The one way I can accept this reading is that it actually ties in with what Proverbs says about wisdom; that wisdom itself is personified as a woman. In Chapter One of Proverbs we read; Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. And in Chapter Eight; Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice?. So, for me, when the Capable Wife is tied to Lady Wisdom, it does not just have a list of so many things to do, but rather, points out that as this woman fears the Lord,  the Lord will make her wise in all her ways.

So, what does God’s wisdom look like? James says that the Lord’s wisdom in our lives has six main characteristics:

1.Pure – pure in motive, to do God’s will – this imparts virtue and godly character
2. Peaceable – As the Beatitude says “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God” – this emphasizes again the relationship with God.
3. Gentle – meaning it is fair, and considerate.
4. Open to reason – it is open and approachable.
5. Full of mercy and good fruits – it is compassionate, graciousness, and embodies kindness
6. Without uncertainty or insincerity – in other words it is genuine

With these characteristics of true wisdom in mind, I feel that wisdom is a bit like a sacrament. James has just outlined for us what the outward signs of wisdom are; pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, certain and sincere. However, wisdom is far more than that.  What about the inward spiritual grace of wisdom?

Our Gospel lesson today leads us towards that inward spiritual grace. The disciples are arguing over an outward sign as they ask each other, “Who is the greatest?”  They are thinking of earthly power. Jesus replies to them with wisdom as he says, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” And to prove his point Jesus takes a child in his arms.

Remember the status of children in Jesus’ day: they had absolutely no status and therefore could not serve society at all. It would have been a real shock for a Rabbi to take a child in his arms. And on top of this, Jesus links the child to the most important relationship in the world. He says, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” Jesus links the child to himself and himself to God, hence linking the child to God, and giving the child total status.

On top of this, Jesus shows how children can be the very symbol for service. A child is naturally small, weak, and in need of help in life. Jesus uses the child as a symbol to show the disciples who they should be ministering to, to those who are weak and in need of help. By taking a child in his arms Jesus himself is showing how he does care for and show kindness to children, quite exceptional in his day. Later Jesus will tell his disciples, “receive the kingdom of God as a little child”.

Jesus, in holding and caring for a child, has actually answered the disciples’ question about who is the greatest. He is showing his disciples what type of greatness he is taking about. Greatness has everything to do with service and not status. I feel Jesus just being there with a child in his arms is wisdom at work.

It will take the disciples quite a while to understand this wisdom, that the person who is the greatest is also humble and serving.  Certainly the Saints of the church all came to understand this wisdom. For wisdom is far greater than any one person, it is a gift to the community. A wise person can change the path a society will take, for the better of all. The inward spiritual grace of wisdom is the community becoming more and more like the kingdom of God. Certainly this is what we here at Christ Church Cathedral wish to reflect.

My prayer today for all of us is that we will all come to know some measure of Jesus’ perfect wisdom in our lives. And that knowing that, we would know, as James writes, “a harvest of righteousness”.

Amen.