Jesus - cynic, sage, political radical, Son of God, prophet, enlighten guru, rabbi, Savior of the World, the list could go on. The question I have this morning is this - Is Jesus Smart? When one lists "the smartest people who have lived" it is a good bet that Jesus would not make the top 100 on most people's list - even those who are devoted to him as his followers. Why is this? Should a man who began a movement two thousand years ago, which continues to this day, which is growing, which encompasses two thirds of the world's people, be considered a man of no intellect? Let's think for a moment the impact of our own lives on others. What will this world be like two thousand years from now because of your life? Or even the lives of those we consider great and influential today - Clinton, Chirac, Annan, Bush, Putin, Elvis, or Shrek. What will there legacy be on the world of tomorrow? Perhaps a few will be mentioned in some annals of human affairs, but will there be a devoted following of billions? As much as I want my own life to count, to see something wonderful and good come from my own short existence on earth, I realize that it will be nothing to compare with that of Jesus. So, what do we make of this Jesus? I think I must agree that he must have been smart. In fact, I think I would agree, that he is the smartest who ever lived. And through in the fact that he claimed and demonstrated himself to be God incarnate seals the deal for me. I will learn from Jesus and only watch Shrek on DVD. Props to philosopher Dallas Willard for thinking about and reminding us about the smartness of the man from Nazareth. Out

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