Where is the wise man?  (1 Corinthians 1:20).

   In the Bible, wisdom is an apprenticeship.  You cannot just launch out solo to become wise.  You attach yourself to an elder, a sage, a teacher, someone who can lead you by the hand into their cellar, sit in a rocker and pass the afternoon, dust off some truth with considerable vintage, and you walk away richer, and deeper.  Mark Helprin wrote of a boy who would go riding with his grandfather, and learned “the soft lessons that would become the steel of his life.”

   Sometimes it is hard, in our superficial circles, to find the wise.  Celebrities bully their way into view, we gawk at the latest whiz who beat the system; “Ooh, she’s gorgeous, and gee, that guy can jump really high.”  But we need someone whose vision of life soars above the rest, one whose interior beauty is ageless.  The hunt for wisdom will be thought foolish by the world (1 Corinthians 1:20); Flannery O’Connor said “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you odd.”

   We can find mentors in the pages of books – good books, the kind that “can remake your soul; when you are finished with them they have a kick like a mule” (Helprin).  You may find your sage in your memory.  My grandfather had no education or money.  He never travelled, or met anybody famous.  But he was wise.  He understood life, people, and God.  His home was steeped in the Bible’s stories and commandments.  My generation has degrees and money, but we are ignorant of the deeper things he knew.

   This eWisdom series is dedicated to my own wise mentor.  I was so lucky to study with the world’s foremost Wisdom scholar, Father Roland E. Murphy; he directed my Ph.D. while I served as his teaching and research assistant.  Fr. Murphy taught and published impressively on wisdom – but more importantly, he was wise.  I turned to him for counsel and inspiration until his death 4 years ago; in my heart, I still lean heavily on him.

   Perhaps for the census of the wise to increase, it’s up to you and me to be wise, to discover (surprisingly enough) that the answer to the question “Where is the wise person?” is us…  At least this is our prayer.

   Lord, help us find and tag along with someone who is wise.  Feel free over time to craft me into such a someone.

James

james@mpumc.org

Coming up:

eWisdomAug28 – character formation in the Scriptures

eWisdomAug29 – wisdom in other religions

eWisdomAug30 – sacred vs. secular?

eWisdomAug31 – Jesus as the wisdom of God

eWisdomSept1 – the Bible’s wisdom books

eWisdomSept4 – the fear of the Lord

The complete eWisdom series (thus far) may be found by clicking here.