Session 20 · 1 Corinthians 2:6-10
Hidden Wisdom and the Messiah
Paul says God’s wisdom was hidden from the rulers, but revealed through the Spirit.
Book reading: Chapter 28
Read the assignment first: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10, then Chapter 28. Paul contrasts God’s wisdom with the wisdom of the age and its rulers. He says God’s wisdom was hidden, prepared before the ages, and bound up with glory. The rulers did not understand it; if they had, Paul says, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. The passage names a startling reversal: the execution of Jesus, meant by human rulers as a display of power, stands within God’s saving purpose. Paul does not describe that purpose as a victory the rulers understood.
Heiser argues that messianic expectation was cryptic: the Old Testament’s threads point toward a suffering and victorious Messiah without laying out the whole story plainly, and hostile powers did not grasp God’s plan. He connects this claim to Paul’s words about the rulers not understanding. Treat it as an interpretation to examine. In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul directly says that the rulers failed to understand God’s wisdom and that God revealed these things through the Spirit. The passage does not by itself list every Old Testament thread or explain the motives of each ruler.
The cross is not a surprise that forced God to improvise. Paul describes wisdom prepared before the ages, then revealed through the Spirit. The Spirit searches the depths of God and makes God’s wisdom known. That should make us humble. We do not uncover God’s plan through cleverness alone, and we should not claim certainty about every detail simply because we can connect passages. Careful reading listens to each text in context, then asks how the connections hold together.
The Old Testament offers several strands Christians read in light of Jesus. Isaiah 53:1-12 describes a servant who suffers and bears the sins of many. Psalm 22:1-18 gives the prayer of a suffering person surrounded by enemies. Daniel 7:13-14 describes one like a son of man receiving lasting dominion. These passages are not interchangeable, and they do not all say the same thing. Read each in its setting, then ask how the New Testament presents Jesus in relation to them. The resurrection and the apostles’ witness help Christians see how suffering, vindication, and reign belong together.
Paul says God reveals wisdom through the Spirit to those who love him. That does not mean every question becomes easy or every Christian reaches the same conclusion at once. It means the cross teaches us to expect God’s wisdom to overturn pride and worldly measures of power. What part of Jesus’ death looks like defeat when measured by ordinary success? What does it show about God’s way of saving? Write three Old Testament threads you think point toward Jesus and explain why, using a specific detail from each passage. Stay open to correction, and let the cross shape how you understand power, glory, and hope.
Key idea
Paul says the rulers failed to understand God’s hidden wisdom and that the Spirit reveals it. Heiser reads this alongside Old Testament messianic threads and argues that the plan was cryptic to hostile powers; test those connections in their biblical settings.
Questions to consider
- What does Paul say the rulers failed to understand, and what does he say the Spirit reveals?
- Which three Old Testament passages do you think point toward Jesus, and what detail in each supports your reading?
Journal prompt
List three Old Testament threads you think point toward Jesus. For each, name a specific detail from its passage and write how it connects with Jesus’ suffering, vindication, or reign.
Practice
1. Spend 20 minutes reading Isaiah 53:1-12, Psalm 22:1-18, and Daniel 7:13-14. List one detail from each passage that you think connects to Jesus, then check each connection against its context.