1 Corinthians 1:23 (WEB)

Passage

but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 1:21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.

1 Corinthians 1:22 For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,

1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,

1 Corinthians 1:24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "preach", "christ", "crucified", "stumbling", "block", "jews", "foolishness", and "greeks". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "preach" and "christ", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "For Jews ask for signs Greeks seek..." into verse 24's "but to those who are called both...", so "preach" and "christ" belong inside that flow. In 1 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "preach" and "christ" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.