The Brilliance of Jesus

When most people think of Jesus in our modern day they think of a nice guy, but not very brilliant. This understanding deprives us of the practical power of his teachings. I have been reading a book by Dallas Willard called 'The Divine Conspiracy,' if you want a book to challenge what you believe in and how you act in your life, this book will rattle you a bit. I mean Purpose Driven Life was like a 7 out of 10 rattle my cage book, this is like a 56 out of 10 rattle my cage book. That wasn't a good comparison because they are two totally different books. This is what Dallas says...

"If you play a game of word association today, in almost any setting, you will collect some familiar names around the world such as smart, knowledgeable, intelligent, and so forth. Einstein, Bill Gates, and the obligatory rocket scientists, will stand out. But one person who pretty certainly will not come up in this connection is Jesus. 

Here is a profoundly significant fact: In our culture, among Christians and non-Christians alike,  Jesus Christ is automatically disassociated from brilliance or intellectual capacity. Not one in a thousand will spontaneously think of him in conjunction with words such as well-informed, brilliant, or smart. 

Far too often he is regarded as hardly conscious. He is looked on as a mere icon, a wraithlike semblance of a man, fit for the role of a sacrificial lamb or alienated social critic, perhaps, but little more."

Jesus was the most intelligent scientist. He took five loaves of bread and two fish and multiplied it to feed five thousand (Matthew 14:15-21) 

He was the ultimate doctor. He healed countless amounts of people from city to city He visited. He even brought one man back to life (John 1).

He is the best planner. (Jeremiah 29:11...'For I know the plans I have for you")

It's amazing to me how often we forget how great and big our God is. He is bigger than my mind will ever be able to comprehend. I cannot fit him inside a 'little white box'  like that old camp song claims I can do. I should never doubt the God who fed thousands and thousands with a couple loaves of bread. I should never question the God who healed Lazarus and still heals today. God is active and alive in our world and I tend to miss it too often. 

It's ironic to me how I can doubt and question what God is doing in my life as if I know what is better for me. I'm talking about the guy who created me, how ignorant can I be?

What are your thoughts on Dallas Willard's words?