Articles
The Challenge of Paradox
One of the definitions of paradox is: “a statement that seems contradictory, unbelievable, or absurd but that may be true in fact” (Webster’s New World Dictionary).
Jesus’ teaching is characterized by paradox. “But the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12 NASB).
Jesus’ values so often run counter to the norm, the expected, the conventional. To go up you must go down. To live you must die. To win you must surrender. To gain you must lose. Jesus’ values go against the tide of popular opinion, against the grain of our pride, against the bent of our natural inclinations.
Jesus Himself is a paradox. He is both God and man, master and servant, lion and lamb, priest and sacrifice, chief cornerstone and stumbling stone, sinless yet made sin for us (Colossians 2:9; John 13:3-17; Revelation 5:5-6; Hebrews 7:26-27; 1 Peter 2:4-8; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Jesus’ coming into this world came as the Great Surprise. The Messiah was expected, but a carpenter from Nazareth? The Messiah would be a great hero—but hanging from a cross?
His three closest disciples were fishermen. The author of the Gospel of Matthew was a despised tax collector. Jesus made more disciples among society’s outcasts than from the spiritually elite.
Paul pleaded for relief from his thorn in the flesh. The Lord replied, “. . . power is perfected in weakness.” Paul concluded, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me . . . for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
Others have addressed this subject in similar ways. Every once in a while we need to re-examine the paradoxes of Christ. They will challenge us, perturb us, disturb us. But it is through paradox that we find at last what life is really all about.
