Fortune Cookie Theology, Pt. 4

The digital prophets of our age promise that the ultimate answer is just one click away. But they are selling a shortcut. Our God offers something infinitely deeper. Wisdom.

I was in my mom’s living room last week and I found a book entitled “Shameless Shortcuts.”

It oddly contains exactly 1,027 tips and techniques for saving time on just about everything.

As I flipped through it, I remembered something my grandfather used to say: “The quickest way between two points is a straight line. But if there’s a shortcut, take it.”

That pretty much sums up where we’re at these days. Do more. Work less. We’ve created Artificial Intelligence to work for us, and to make our life easier.

On the surface, AI is remarkable. It can gather more information in a second than any of us could process in a lifetime. I can use it to draft a tricky email, plan a weekend getaway, or even use it to punch up this sermon.

AI is a fantastic tool, until it isn’t.

Yes, it threatens the livelihood of millions of workers who are being replaced by its technology. But what really worries me is how we've started treating AI less like a helpful librarian and more like an sacred Oracle.

​More and more people are turning to it for the kind of existential guidance that used to drive us to our knees in prayer. But I’m afraid it is here to stay, which means the onus is on us.

So, what will we do with it? And how can we use AI to grow the Kingdom of Heaven?

Well, as I was getting ready to write the next installment of Fortune Cookie Theology, I asked Gemini to write a fortune about itself, this is what I got. “Information can be generated instantly. Wisdom takes time.”

When I pushed it to make it more theological, it replied, “It’s one thing to outsource your data and another to outsource your soul.”

Long before we started outsourcing our intelligence to algorithms, ancient human intelligence taught us this:

Get wisdom; get insight: do not forget, nor turn away
    from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
    love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
    and whatever else you get, get insight.
                                                  - Proverbs 4:5-7

The Book of Proverbs has always reminded me of that annoying friend who always has something to say on any given subject. The difference is Proverbs mostly offers timeless guidance worth listening to. It’s practical, grounded, and deeply concerned with helping us live faithfully here and now.

But in order to get the true depth of this passage, we have to let go of the notion that wisdom means “being smart.” This wisdom isn't about earning a Ph.D. for your mind; it's more like beginning an apprenticeship for your soul.

When Solomon compiled these sayings, he wasn't writing some abstract philosophy for scholars to argue about long after he was gone. Solomon was creating something more like a handbook for us to use to master everyday life.

In this verse, he uses the Hebrew word chochmah (חָכְמָה), which is commonly translated as wisdom. In Jewish mystical texts, chochmah is described as the primordial point of divine wisdom, which shines forth from the will of God.

But as we have learned from other passages in traditional scripture, the word is about having expertise, like a master craftsman.

We see it used in Exodus to describe the artisans who built the Tabernacle. They had the technical expertise to weave, carve, design, and build something beautiful and sacred for God.

While information can tell us what something is, wisdom teaches us how life actually works.

This is an important distinction to make, especially when it comes to following the Way of Jesus who shows us how to wisely live a righteous and faithful life.

According to scripture, to be righteous in the eyes of God isn’t just about being perfectly obedient to God’s law.

It’s more about being willing to embody the spirit of the law; to ensure everyone is cared for, that your neighbor has access to basic needs, to demand justice and equality for all people. And it’s our faithfulness that keeps us achieving these goals when the world makes it impossible to do.

The beginning of wisdom is to know that you cannot separate what you believe from how you behave. Which is why we must constantly discern our faith because it bridges the gap between what we know and how we actually live.

You can have all the right facts stored in your brain, or on your phone, and still build a fractured life.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells a story about two men who build two houses. One builds on rock. The other on sand.
​
The difference between the two wasn’t their access to the data. They both had the identical information, and ability to build. The difference wasn’t knowledge. It was application. The wise builder took what he heard Jesus say, and practiced it. He built his life upon it, and was able to withstand the storms when they came.

Knowledge can populate the mind. But wisdom always positions the heart.

That’s what Jesus is all about, repositioning our hearts back to God. For faith and righteousness is relational, with God and with one another. That’s the insight wisdom offers us.


The early church understood this. They weren’t interested in collecting clever ideas. Their goal was to be like Christ, who Paul explicitly called, "the wisdom of God."

They looked at Jesus, copied his craftsmanship, and used it to build a community that loves God, loves others, and serves both.

Following this blueprint, what can we do with the wisdom of Jesus? How can we copy his craftsmanship to become more Christlike?

Do you remember the gospel story of the woman caught in adultery? When the religious leaders dragged her out into the dirt, she was nothing more than a prop to trap Jesus. They wanted a legal ruling. They wanted information. But instead, Jesus offered wisdom saying, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.”

A foolish leader would have reacted defensively or slipped into an academic argument. Not Jesus, he was wise enough to let them decide their own fate. With one sentence, He fulfilled God’s call to righteousness, faithfully standing up for justice by extending mercy to protected a vulnerable soul.

And isn’t this exactly the kind of wisdom we need today?

We’re currently living in the most informed age in human history. We have a mountain of knowledge and endless opinions, with around the clock digital noise telling us what to think, who to blame, who to fear, and who to hate.

We have mastered the art of reacting, but have completely forgotten the art of loving people.

If we want to be a community that actually follows the Way of Jesus, we have to recognize that his wisdom is the way of our spiritual survival.

To apply his wisdom means having the courage to pause before we react. And the humility to listen before we speak. It means choosing restoration over retaliation.

It means recognizing that our faithfulness to God isn’t measured by how loudly we defend our opinions online.But how deeply we love our neighbors in real life.

The world has enough angry people reposting information. It needs people who can take raw knowledge, filter it through the heart of Christ, and love others liberally.

So here’s your fortune cookie challenge: stop consuming noise and start radiating wisdom.

Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, don’t simply ask God for an easy day. Do what Solomon did and ask for a wise heart. Ask for the grace to see Christ in people who don’t look like you, think like you, or vote like you. Ask God to make your righteousness a force that heals a wound rather than inflicting one.

The digital prophets of our age promise that the ultimate answer is just one click away. But they are selling a shortcut. Our God offers something infinitely deeper. Wisdom.

This is what I think Jesus describes as “the truth, the life, and the Way.” He doesn’t say it’s going to fast, or easy, or without it’s challenges. He just says, “Follow me.”

So let’s go and “Get wisdom.”

The slow, beautiful craftsmanship that builds communities with people, like you and me, to mirror the life and love of Jesus. Because that should always be our heart’s desire. Not wealth. Not status. Not influence or clout. Just wisdom.

The very word of God made flesh, that teaches us how to love; how to forgive; how to build a life on a solid foundation that can withstand any storm throughout eternity.