Serving Each Other

There was a golden engraving on the massive wooden door in front of me: “House of Wisdom†it read. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door. Inside, my eyes were greeted by a plush entryway, red velvet under my feet, and glistening ruby walls. A curved, golden staircase stretched up farther than I could see. “Come higher,†a soft whisper beckoned. The rubies sparkled on the walls, pulling at me. Perhaps if I just pocketed one or two…I was tempted, but that still small voice was greater. Ignoring the urge to indulge in the temporary treasure, I ascended the staircase.

At the top of the stairs, there were two closed doors. My heart felt conflicted within me—which one to open? I knelt on the carpet and breathed a prayer: “Show me the way.†The door to my left was made of ornate topaz, the one on the right of simple wood, but strongly built. As I watched and waited, I heard the voice call from beyond the wooden door: “This is the way. Walk in it.†Emboldened, I twisted the knob and entered through the wooden door.

The room I entered was filled with treasures. I marveled at bowls overflowing with amethysts, a pearl as large as my fist, a mirror inlaid with sapphire. In the center of the room was a throne made of emerald, and on it was a book. The voice echoed through the room: “What is wisdom? Choose wisely.â€

My heart pounded in trepidation—what if I chose the wrong thing? What was wisdom, really? I approached the book and knew at once it was the Word of Life. My fingers brushed the feather-light pages of the Word and I read: “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding†(Proverbs 9:10). Sweet relief flooded my soul. “This. This is wisdom,†I spoke with confidence. Immediately, the Word was transformed into a Lamb. As the Lamb gazed into my eyes, I felt my entire soul was bare before Him. I fell down in worship. The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, is the true treasure. To seek and find Him is the greatest form of wisdom. • Savannah Coleman

• In this allegorical story, the search for wisdom leads to Jesus, who is the Word of God and the Lamb of God. In the Old Testament, the Jewish Passover lamb pointed to Jesus (if you want to dig deeper, read Exodus 11-12). While animal sacrifices had to be made again and again to pay for people’s sin (or wrongdoing), Jesus’s death on a cross took the punishment for the sins of the whole world. And when Jesus rose back to life, He defeated sin and death once and for all! Jesus knows us fully, and He loves us completely. If we’ve put our trust in Him, we are forgiven, and we get to enjoy life with God. First Corinthians 1-2 tells us that Jesus Christ is our wisdom. As we worship Him, He leads us in wisdom.

• When Jesus came to earth and lived among us, He was born into a common family, not a royal one. When Jesus grew up, He worked as a carpenter and He was not wealthy. Why do you think Jesus, who is fully God and fully human, came to earth in this way?

• While God doesn’t promise Christians worldly wealth in this life, He gives us something far greater. Through Jesus, “we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom…†(Ephesians 1:7-8). And when Jesus returns, we will live and reign with Him in renewed creation! In the meantime, God invites us to ask Him for wisdom (James 1:5). According to James 3:13-18, how can we tell when wisdom is from God?

Through wisdom a house is built; by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all rare and beautiful treasure. Proverbs 24:3-4 (WEB)

Read Verses:

John.13.1-John.13.17|1Cor.10.24|Matt.23.11