Multi-coloured Wisdom

I wonder what multi-coloured wisdom looks like. I'm actually making an extra special effort to post a blog on the 29th of February because, of course, there's at least 4 times less opportunity to post on such a wonderful day as today, than any other day. I'm fortunate enough to have had some thoughts today that tie together wonderfully, and think it's good to post about something positive when you want a quick thought list on the web.

Although I am annoyed spell-check wants me to spell colour without a 'u'.

In Ephesians (a book of the bible found in the New Testament) there is this phrase which got me thinking a lot about the church and today's culture and society.

Chapter 3v10-11 says: [The] intent [is] that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It's good to have the whole sentence there for less confusion, even though there is a lot in there. I wanted to focus on one word. That's how much I value the Word of God.

πολυποίκιλος - polypoikilos

1) much variegated, marked with a great variety of colours
a) of cloth or a painting
2) much varied, manifold

I like the term 'multi-coloured wisdom.' It adds something different. I think it adds something extra to what the agent it is referring to, namely the church. And can you imagine a multi-coloured church? Wouldn't it surely be a nightmare? Well I know, and you know, I'm not saying that. The whole idea of God's church, God's people, is that it represents perfectly God's heart. It does that because God loves all sorts of people. Everyone to be precise. It sounds wishy washy and vague, but it's true.

The greatest sign of God's love is the Cross of Christ, which can't be fully understood, but it is that while we were far off from God He came near and saved us. I especially was far off, because I'm not a Jew. Jesus came as a Jew to open up the promise or covenant of God's people to be for all nations, as it always had been, but not under the Mosaic law (the law of Moses) under the grace of God and love of God shown through Jesus Christ's death. His resurrection causes all "rulers and authorities" to bow before Him. How is it shown? Through the multi-coloured church. It's one of those funny things I can't get my head around, but the wisdom of God is foolishness because He shows that people, who shouldn't work together, can.

There's more, and I think I got a bit carried away there. The multi-coloured wisdom of God can be seen in the church. And the church is far more than some spiritual anomaly of a wisdom that looks like foolishness. When I say "people who shouldn't work together can" I don't just mean working class working with upper class, managers working with bin men, artists working with salesmen, men working with women, there is a crossover that will happen through the Spirit of Christ which shows far more of God's wisdom than that.

The whole point of the Jewish mission was to go 'forth' and tell the nations of the One and Only God of the world, the creator of heaven & earth. Jonah (prime example) went to a foreign city to tell them God wasn't happy with them. There are numerous occasions in the Old Testament where God blesses 'foreigners' or 'aliens' who please God because they act in faith that this God is the true God. Jesus' death and resurrection opened up the blessing of being a covenant people to fall on all who believe that Jesus is King, not just those who have been circumcised; which is excellent news to men in general.

In fact, there was a certain amount of rebuking done by an early follower of Jesus, named Paul, who was against the circumcision of new believers because it could send the message that there is still only one nation that belongs to God. The multi-coloured wisdom of God can be seen by the multi-coloured believers in the world. A multi-coloured church, representing many nations, languages, colours, and so on has the capacity to proclaim to rulers and authorities that Jesus is Lord and they aren't (church or state). God's blessing of all nations comes when the Gospel is shown to give the potential of a rainbow-coloured church.

And so my final point. The rainbow. I know this is something of a leap, but I think there is something in the multi-coloured nature of God's communication with His image-bearing creation. In Genesis 9 (the first book of the bible) the end of the story of the flood with Noah as God's agent is described. A dialogue happens between these two characters (God & Noah) which has instructions and promises, both to be kept by each other.

“I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
“When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,
“I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
“When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

YHWH (God) has a habit of repeating Himself. I'm jumping to this conclusion, but I think God has decided to create a new rainbow on earth as it is in the heavens that when we come together as an all sorts church, as a church that consists of all kinds of colours, nationalities, backgrounds, languages, job-titles, family sizes, God is reminded of His covenant that he will not only 'remember His covenant' so that 'the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh' but, in fact, look to His son, who died on behalf of all flesh, so that the world would be blessed by His own covenant people. God looks at the church with adoration, because it is the body of His only Son, and He wants to use it with the intent that "now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I hope that made sense.