1 Corinthians 1:22-25

Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

“March Madness Is Here!”

The Big Dance. 64 teams. 63 games. 3 weekends. NCAA basketball. --- The Brackets get announced. Tournament sheets get filled out. Predictions are made. --- The sweet 16. The great 8. The final 4. --- Schools from all over the country competing. Fans cheering. Bands playing. Coaches directing. Players hustling. --- National television coverage. Commentators. Analysts. In-studio experts. --- It’s called March Madness. March Madness is almost here.

But there’s another madness that takes place in the month of March that has nothing to do with basketball. That madness usually begins in February. That madness usually doesn’t end until April. That madness begins today – on Ash Wednesday – and it ends on Easter Sunday. That madness – that craziness – is the season of Lent. Specifically, that madness is God’s plan of salvation. That madness is a suffering and dying Savior who was rejected by his own people. That madness is a report that someone who was crucified on a Friday rose from the dead on a Sunday. That madness is that through it all – the suffering, death and resurrection of one individual – God declares the whole world “Not guilty.” That madness is the Gospel.

March Madness is already here. The world is full of skeptics. The world is full of deep thinkers. The world is full of people with high expectations. God’s Gospel and Jesus Christ, quite frankly, don’t live up to those expectations. God’s Gospel and Jesus Christ just aren’t deep enough for the deep thinkers. God’s Gospel and Jesus Christ are full of holes for the skeptics. Simply put, to the world the message of the cross is foolishness. It’s madness. It’s crazy talk. It’s a stumbling block to those who don’t want to see their God as a pitiful, rejected, suffering, dying human being. The Gospel is irrational to those who insist on using their brains and thinking logically.

And yet Paul says, “The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” Rather than saying that God is foolish and weak, a literal translation would say, “The foolish thing God did is wiser than man’s wisdom and the weak thing God did is stronger than man’s strength.” God’s plan of salvation isn’t a plan man would have ever devised – even the wisest of men. You see, God wants us to believe by faith; he doesn’t want us to believe because the Gospel makes mathematical sense. God’s plan of salvation isn’t a display of atomic or natural or political power. God’s power is displayed in weakness. This evening God reminds us that even though the message of the cross sounds foolish – God’s plan of salvation appears to be utter madness – in reality Christ-crucified is both the wisdom and the power of God; the wisdom and the power of God that saves us.

Every year during March Madness there always seems to be that one tournament Cinderella story. There always seems to be that one team from a small school that advances further into the tournament than anyone would have ever guessed. There always seems to be that one underdog who has smaller players, slower players and no real star that beats a high ranked team – a real David vs. Goliath story. If ever there were a Cinderella story – a David vs. Goliath match up – from all outward appearances it would have been the life and death of Jesus Christ.

March Madness began when the virgin was with child and when she gave birth to a Son. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, willingly took on human flesh. He humbled himself and became one of us so that he could save all of us. Madness. A Cinderella story? He was born in a stable. He was born to poor parents. He was placed in a manger. He was worshipped by lowly shepherds. He was raised the son of a carpenter. He gathered a group of fisherman and no name sinners around him. He traveled; he taught but he had no place to lay his head. He was rejected by his home town. He was hated by the religious leaders. He was betrayed by one of his own. He was arrested in the middle of the night. He was put on trial in a kangaroo court. He was sentenced to death for crimes he did not commit. After the sleep depravation, the humiliation, the flogging and the loss of blood, he had no strength to carry his own cross on which he would be crucified. Yes. A real Cinderella story.

A Cinderella story because this man was supposed to be the Son of God. This man claimed to be the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior of God’s people. How could he save anyone? He couldn’t even save himself. He could barely stand up. Where were the miracles? Where was the authoritative teaching? Where were his disciples? Where were the legions of angels he said he could call on? Where was his heavenly Father? . . .  Oh, and by the way, after all of this he was going to rise from the dead? Oh, and by the way, by suffering and dying, he was paying for our sins? Madness. Honestly, when you think about it, it’s madness.

But that’s the problem – thinking about it. Paul said, “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom . . . We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.” Christ crucified is nothing God promises to prove. Christ crucified is nothing God asks us to figure out or understand. Christ crucified is a matter of faith; it’s a matter of the heart not the head. The head gets in the way. The head says, “Madness! Crazy talk! Foolishness!” We are no less opposed to God than the Jews or the Greeks were. We don’t have to be a Jew who doesn’t understand the role and work of the Messiah or a Greek who needs everything to make logical sense in order to reject the message of the cross. Our sinful nature did that all on its own. Rather, we thank God for the forgiveness that we have in the crucified Christ and for the child-like faith that the Holy Spirit has given us to believe and to trust in Christ for forgiveness.

Thankfully, what Paul says later in this letter is true. “Our faith does not rest on man’s wisdom but on God’s power.” With the child-like faith that God has given us – a faith that does not question, a faith that simply believes – we can look at the Cinderella story of Jesus, we can see his humble life, his innocent death and his triumphant resurrection and we can see the wisdom of God. We can see the wisdom of God that found a way – the only way – to save sinful human beings from our sin. God said to himself, “I will become one of them so that I can save all of them. I will satisfy my love that wants all people to be saved. I will satisfy my justice that demands payment for sin. And I will do both of those things on the cross of Christ.”

But Christ is not only the wisdom of God; he is also the power of God. The NCAA tournament has its powerhouses as well as its Cinderella stories. Perennial favorites full of McDonald’s All Americans and future NBA players. --- Christ is the power of God. Power? A suffering, dying, pitiful human being hanging on a blood stained piece of wood? Power? Yes! Power! Christ is the power of God. Think of the power it took to get up off the ground in the Garden of Gethsemane knowing that his betrayer was coming, knowing the ridicule that he was about to endure, knowing the abuse that would be thrown at him, knowing the physical pain that was in store for him, knowing the hell – the literal hell – that he would endure on the cross, knowing that in hours he would be dead. Power! After his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus stood up and with renewed strength he was determined to walk the road to Calvary.

Think of the power it took to remain silent as others falsely accused him. Think of the power it took to be led around like a bleeding fool. Think of the power it took to stay on the cross when others dared him to come down. Think of the power it took to carry our sins – the world’s sins – on his shoulders as he hung on the cross. Think of the power it took to endure the punishment of hell and the abandonment of God. Think of the power it took to entrust himself with his last dying breath to his heavenly Father who had just forsaken him but who had also promised to raise him from the dead. Without the God-given, child-like faith that we are blessed to have, we would see none of that as powerful. It would be madness. It would be foolishness. Thankfully, it’s not. None of it is. None of it is foolishness. None of it is madness.

Paul said in Romans chapter 1, “[Jesus Christ] was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.” The winner of the NCAA tournament – the champion – will demonstrate its power after its final victory by standing on a ladder and cutting down the nets. Then they will embrace their trophy and lift it over their heads as they celebrate their victory. Dear Christian, Christ has already cut down the nets; the victory has already been won. He won and declared that victory on Easter Sunday when he rose from the dead. That’s power! The trophy that he won – that he won for us – the trophy that we will one day embrace is heaven itself. March Madness – that God would be wise enough, that God would be strong enough, that God would care enough to save sinners like you and me. Madness but true. Amen.