The Mystery of the Fool

“(A psalm by David for the music leader.) Only a fool would say, ‘There is no God!’ People like that are worthless; they are heartless and cruel and never do right” (Psalms 14:1 CEV).

The fool is a great, mysterious, incomprehensible spectacle indeed. He will believe any lie, no matter how preposterous. Why? He rejects any authority over him unless he perceives that it may serve his own chosen ends. The fool is mad; he is a sociopath, a psychopath, one who cares for nothing and nobody but himself.

There is no reasoning with a fool. It is his nature to be incapable of reason. He can be highly educated in the world, knowledgeable, skilled, well-trained, professional, impressive, sociable, entertaining, well connected, productive, apparently generous and successful, famous, popular, wealthy, highly religious, and more, and still be a perfect fool.

The fool with his lips may say, “I believe in God,” but, in life, denies his profession of faith:

“You believe that there is one God, you do well; even the demons believe and tremble. But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”
(James 2:19-20 MKJV)

We have met a man who disregards all truth, reason and justice, in all rationality, so much so that we marvel. We perceive him to be the epitome of foolishness. He will destroy himself to have his way, simply to have it. That is a fool indeed. Yet he professes faith in Jesus Christ, claims to be born again, attends church services, Bible studies and various “Christian” meetings. His paths and acts make no sense at all, and he could not care less.

This man is but a classic and exaggerated example of vast multitudes. We wonder that so many people will believe any lie, theory, or philosophy, and subject themselves to any system of religion or worship but react in cold disbelief at the Truth of God in Jesus Christ.

Truly, all men are fools. Just think of some of the lies they believe:

Evolution is one of the stupidest of lies in existence. How many intelligent, educated and refined persons have believed it! They choose to believe that things just happened, no matter how, instead of there being an intelligence behind all of creation. They would sooner believe in a magic wand of accident than in purpose and direction, though they see no proof for the former and plenty for the latter. But they insist that it is the one believing in an Intelligent Creator that is the fool. Such is the fool. Behold, the fool!

People have sacrificed their children throughout history to some theoretical, imagined god to appease it so that they may prosper and live.

Today, millions will rear children just to blow themselves up in the name of their god, taking as many with them as possible. They will do so enthusiastically, believing the promises of charlatans that all the lusts of their flesh will be fulfilled in the afterlife. What madness! What folly!

Many who profess faith in Christ teach silly lies like the existence of Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, magic, luck by tokens such as four-leaf clovers, rabbits’ feet, and more. They seek fortunetellers, astrologers, spiritualists, palm, teacup, crystal ball and tarot card readers for direction in life, but refuse to heed the Author of Life and His perfect, only valid guidelines.

Fools go to church, pray, preach, confess, give alms, proselytize, tithe their incomes, fast and sacrifice themselves for their doctrines and religious leaders, anything but believe and walk in the Truth. They take the labels of cans, eating those, and throw away the contents. Fools refuse to be honest with themselves and with others. They prefer to mingle with liars, believing lies, satisfied that others will believe the lies they believe so that they can salve their consciences and escape accountability to their Maker, the One Who is Truth, and Who requires it of them.

Fools think to escape judgment and consequences of lawlessness before God, though they see the consequences of wrong words, thoughts, decisions and actions all around. Or do they? No, they have willfully blinded themselves, stopped their ears, shouting at those who speak the truth so that they will not be exposed to it, yet the Truth alone will make them free and give them the very things they seek, in greater abundance and quality than they ever imagined.

Yes, the fool is an incomprehensible mystery indeed, and he perishes in his willful ignorance.

The solution? The Solution. Where sin abounds, grace abounds more, says the apostle Paul, fool turned saint, destroyer turned lifesaver, mad man turned wise man. Jesus Christ is the exact opposite, the antithesis of a fool. He is the remedy to all of the ills the foolish man has created and is. Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life, the One thoroughly ignored, avoided and despised by the fool, is the antidote to madness and destructive lies.

But he calls on the fool to die, which is the only way to life. That is why the fool rejects Him. Yet, Jesus Christ will have His way with fools, sooner or later, guaranteed. He is the Perfectly Effective, Successful Savior of all mankind, of every fool that ever lived. I know, because I too was among the greatest of fools and, in spite of me, He turned me from death to life by causing me to die, that I might live.

Victor Hafichuk