The Rev. Joseph Farnes
All Saints, Boise
Proper 15B
When we read the texts of the Bible, we pay attention to the kind of text we’re reading. We want to read the context of the passage. We use those skills we learned in high school English class to help us understand more deeply what is happening. We use what we know about history to help fill in the context; why would the author use these words and images, and what might have been going on at that point in time?
This helps us to go back in time and step into someone else’s shoes. We want to know what the Biblical author was seeing in the world around them. We don’t want to yank their words out of context and shoehorn them into our context; that is not careful, attentive, prayerful reading of the Bible.
We want the strangeness of the Bible to stand out for us. If we let the Bible be a little strange and unfamiliar, then it might surprise us. It’s like going on a pilgrimage into the text. We open ourselves to what we might see. We might let ourselves be changed. We listen. We pay attention. And sure, while you can go on pilgrimage without a guidebook or a travel guide, the trip is much enriched by some careful preparation.
So when we encounter a text that runs counter to expectations, we let it surprise us. We learn more about it. Like our reading from Proverbs this morning! This reading from Proverbs reminds us that ancient wisdom literature is a very different genre from inspirational quotes.
The book of Proverbs has a lot of gems in it: prudently use money, don’t be consumed by greed, don’t speak out of anger, pursue righteousness, keep God close to heart. But there’s also this figure of Wisdom personified as a woman. Wisdom prepares a feast, and calls everyone to come and dine. Wisdom is not a stingy lady; she is generous. Wisdom is not a secretive or cold loner; Wisdom loves hosting parties for those who are hungry.
Now, we could just read it as a metaphor, as a poetic illustration that you can skip over to get to the real meat of the book of Proverbs. Wisdom as a generous lady, got it, move on, I need an inspirational quote. But that’s not stepping into the text. That’s not going onto pilgrimage into the text. Why would it be important to personify Wisdom?
Because Wisdom is not an idea, not a thing. Wisdom is active. Wisdom is alive. Wisdom is not a list of do’s and don’ts, a list of rules to follow; Wisdom is good living in the midst of messy life. An idea has no idea of how to live; but a person, a wise woman? She knows how to live in the midst of messy life.
And Wisdom is generous; there’s no excuse to be foolish or ignorant when Wisdom is so generous in giving. She gives, she shares, she invites. If you stay foolish or ignorant, you have to try. If wisdom were just an idea sitting there, you’d have to go searching for it; but in our Proverbs reading, Wisdom sends out servants to go invite people in!
So Wisdom is active and alive. Wisdom is alive, like you and me. Wisdom is a woman who knows how to make things happen and how to do what is right. She knows how to live well; we can trust her counsel and advice.
Other cultures have also personified Wisdom as a woman. Sophia is not just the name of the sassiest of the Golden Girls; Sophia is the Greek word for wisdom, and Greek literature also personified Wisdom as a woman. Greek philosophy talked about Wisdom, about Sophia as a living person. So Greek Christian theology saw Wisdom in the Book of Proverbs and connected it with the Sophia they knew, too.
In the ancient Byzantine Empire, the Eastern part of the Roman Empire when it split apart, the Orthodox cathedral of what was then Constantinople was called … Hagia Sophia. Holy Wisdom. The Cathedral of God’s Holy Wisdom. Why would they name their central cathedral after Wisdom? Did they just really like the Book of Proverbs?
In the early Church, there was a recognition that Wisdom, Sophia, was not just alive but divine. The earliest theologians in the Church did not agree specifically; some theologians would say that Wisdom, Sophia, was equivalent to the Holy Spirit, while others saw Wisdom as equivalent to the Logos, the Word, who became incarnate in Jesus Christ in John’s Gospel. So Wisdom was one person of the Holy Trinity.
Wisdom, then, is going out into the world to call people in. Wisdom is living and active, going out, seeking others, calling them in. Sophia is going out into the world – wherever true Wisdom is, there we see the traces of God’s work.
This means that, instead of being suspicious of other religions, we Christians should be looking for Wisdom. Our measure of truth as Christians is always the love of God and love of neighbor – Jesus gave us that as the summary of the law. If something in another tradition leads toward that love of God and neighbor, then we see Wisdom at work in the world, guiding people into truth and good living. Wisdom doesn’t abandon people until we convert them to Christianity; Wisdom is out, trying to guide people, and we are called to draw together in fellowship.
Let me give you an example of how this plays out: some of you may have been blessed to have worshipped at Good Shepherd over on the Fort Hall Reservation. The Episcopal Church community there is one of the few Christian places that says one can embody both the spirituality of their Shoshone and Bannock traditions and also be Christian. The spiritual traditions aren’t just “cultural” practices layered on top of Christianity like a layer of frosting on top of cake; the traditions are woven together. The Wisdom of both traditions is a gift of God. They are not opposed to one another. The Wisdom is Wisdom.
This careful, attentive reading of the Book of Proverbs has pulled us in. We Episcopalians love the Bible. We love it so much that we want to take our time with it, to sit with it, to listen to it. When we sit with it, and when we pay attention to Wisdom, we find the timeless presence of Wisdom speaking across the centuries to us, to our present moment, to guide us into all truth and all goodness. Hence we say, “The Word of the Lord” and “Thanks be to God!” to recognize God’s voice speaking to us.
Or, as the Eastern Orthodox say after the Biblical readings: “Wisdom! Let us be attentive!” Amen.