I Corinthians 1:19

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent (KJV)

Then: Corinthians thought they were so smart. They loved the marketplace of ideas, the everyday exchanges with traveling philosophers, news from travelers to and from Rome, table talk in the temple restaurants or open air stoas. Corinth was a city of action, and they lived there. Yet compared to the knowledge of the Lord, their wisdom was worthless and their understandings off the mark. Paul (here referring to Isaiah 29:14) brought an introduction to Christ for all to hear. Some did. Some didn't.

Now: Knowledge divides the uneducated from the elite, the rich from the poor, the city from the country. Yet who is wise? and who understands? Only those who know Christ. The cross is there for all to see, accept, or deny. Christ speaks clearly, but many close their ears. Believers pray for the lost so that many will be saved. It is the work of the church.