The life of theology as wisdom

David Ford concludes the opening chapter of Christian Wisdom with the following:

“The abundance of imagery and ideas flowing from close attention to scripture and to those who have responded to it most wisely create an environment in which the desire for wisdom may grow. Heart and mind are educated together and are stretched to engage passionately in their own search for wisdom. The messy particularities of the Bible and of life refuse to be neatly contained, and the wisdom that copes creatively with them never attains closure but is always alert, searching and desiring more and more of an infinite superabundance. “

The paragraph continues, but for the moment this will do. My experience in my work has often been that life has messy particularities. In the middle of a busy week someone died and their family needed my attention. There was no option but to find time and go, but that seems to push up the pressure elsewhere. Last night I was leading a bible study on the story of Zacchaeus. I had spent time the day before with my head in commentaries on Luke and knew the story well, but hadn’t found a nailed down way of leading the study. I went to my study, praying and informing God what he already knew, that I was tearing my hair out. I pulled a bible study book on evangelism randomly (I didn’t know what was in it) off the shelf and it fell open to the story of Zacchaeus! The gentleman who introduced the evening read the passage from Matthew’s gospel chp.6 about not worrying. I know that is true, Fiona and I discussed trusting God and ‘going with the flow’ yesterday and so it shouldn’t have been a surprise when I heard it read. Zacchaeus had messy particularities. I’ll bet it wasn’t so comfortable up that tree, and he had bucketfuls of issues. But Jesus stepped in with a cry of ‘Come down immediately’. When I am climbing the walls, when I want to see Jesus, it is wonderful when in small things I hear that same call.