The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

[shepherdsword]

How could the children of the world be wiser that the children of light? Perhaps it is this. Jesus mentioned three times in the book of Matthew that He would be killed and resurrected on the third day:

Mt 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

Mt 17:22-23 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

Mt 20:18-19 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

How could His disciples not know? They didn't even believe Mary when she told them He was risen:

Mk 16:10-11 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.

However, even though the Pharisees didn't believe Jesus they at least understood what He was saying:

Mt 27:63-64 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.

This is one way the world's children was wiser than the sons of light. Can you think of anymore?

 

[HealthyShape]

I think the context of the verse is clear that it is about using the worldly wealth.

Did you read the context?

 

[shepherdsword]

I think the context of the verse is clear that it is about using the worldly wealth.

Did you read the context?

Do you hold every concept a prisoner of context? When Jesus said "Behold I stand at the door and knock" is it limited to the Laodicean church? Is it limited to any church? Do we not rip it out of it's given context an apply it to any that are lost? And rightfully so. While context is important and even sometimes critical it can also be a box. A box that traps it and keeps it from a global application. So, once again I ask, is it only in financial matters that the children of the world are wiser? Or did you completely ignore my example that shows it wasn't?

 

[HealthyShape]

So, once again I ask, is it only in financial matters that the children of the world are wiser? Or did you completely ignore my example that shows it wasn't?

I see no point in using a sentence from some context and building a totally different context around it. You can say your thoughts without the out-of-the-context citation.

I think this is what leads many Christians into useless speculations and Lego-like built constructions from unrelated verses. Using the verses creates the illusion of "this is biblical", even though it is not. Bible is not a creative construction set and we should respect the original meanings.

 

[shepherdsword]

I see no point in using a sentence from some context and building a totally different context around it. You can say your thoughts without the out-of-the-context citation.

I think this is what leads many Christians into useless speculations and Lego-like built constructions from unrelated verses. Using the verses creates the illusion of "this is biblical", even though it is not. Bible is not a creative construction set and we should respect the original meanings.

Ok...be sure you never quote Rv3:20 to an unbeliever.

 

[amigo de christo]

 

[Chrysostomos]

The children of light, like Jesus’ disciples, are often constrained by their morality, conscience, and adherence to God’s truth. Their hearts are oriented toward righteousness, which can make them less inclined to think in manipulative or deceitful ways. On the other hand, the children of this world—those Jesus referred to as "children of Satan" in John 8—are often unprincipled, cunning, and willing to resort to lies or schemes to achieve their goals. In the case of the Pharisees, as you pointed out, they didn’t believe Jesus would rise from the dead. Their request to secure the tomb (Mt 27:63-64) wasn’t born out of faith but out of suspicion and fear of being outmaneuvered. They thought like deceivers themselves, assuming the disciples might steal Jesus’ body and claim He had risen, because that’s exactly the kind of trickery they would have employed in a similar situation.

This shows their worldly "wisdom"—a cunning, calculating mindset that anticipates deceit because it’s how they operate. They weren’t wiser in a spiritual sense; they were just more devious, thinking steps ahead in a scheming, self-serving way.

The disciples, bound by their loyalty and grief, didn’t even consider such tactics. So, in a worldly sense, the children of this world can seem "wiser" because their lack of moral boundaries allows them to plot and plan in ways the children of light wouldn’t.