Yes—Jews and Greeks respond differently because the Jews seek signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, and Christ crucified matches neither expectation.
Scripture says plainly that Jews require a sign and Greeks seek after wisdom, while Paul preached Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:22-23). To the Jew that message was a stumbling block, and to the Greek it was foolishness; only to those whom God called, whether Jew or Greek, did Christ become the power and wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). Les Feldick teaches that Paul refused to tailor the message to miracles or philosophy, and instead presented Christ crucified—the One who died for sins and rose again.
1 Corinthians 1:22-24 — Paul directly states why Jews and Greeks respond differently: one seeks signs, the other wisdom, and the cross contradicts both expectations.
The first clear statement is in 1 Corinthians 1:22-24: 'For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.' That single passage gives both the reason for the difference and the response to it. Jews were asking for miraculous signs; Greeks were searching for intellectual wisdom. In both cases the apostolic preaching was the same—Christ crucified. This makes the cross a stumblingblock to one people and foolishness to the other. Scripture also says in 1 Corinthians 1:18, 'For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.' Thus the difference in response is between those who are perishing and those who are being saved.
Les Feldick repeatedly uses 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 to show why Jews and Greeks had opposite reactions to the gospel. He points out that Jews demanded signs and Greeks were pursuing high-level intellectual philosophy. Paul did not try to meet either expectation. Instead, Les emphasizes, Paul said, 'We preach Christ crucified.' To the Jew, that message was a stumblingblock; to the Greek, it was foolishness. Yet to those who were called—whether Jew or Greek—Jesus Christ was the power of God and the wisdom of God. Les also contrasts 'Grecians' with 'Greeks,' showing that Greeks were Gentiles, and that God sovereignly brought Gentiles into the audience of Jewish believers at Antioch. His larger point is that the gospel is not tailored to culture. For both the Jewish sign-seeker and the Greek philosopher, the answer is the same: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ—that Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again. After Israel rejected the Gospel of the Kingdom, God turned with the Gospel of Grace to call out the Body of Christ.
Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 1:22 is that the Jews require a sign. Les Feldick explains that Paul did not respond to that demand by performing signs; he simply kept preaching Christ and Him crucified (clips [1], [3]). The Jews were looking for visible proofs, but the message of a crucified Savior was not what their sign-seeking expected. Thus Christ crucified became a stumbling block to them (1 Corinthians 1:23).
Les says the Greek philosophers of Paul's day sought wisdom with high-level intellectual philosophy (clip [2]). Paul's response was not to offer a new philosophy. He preached Christ crucified, and a crucified carpenter from Nazareth appeared to them as foolishness (clip [2]). Yet the same apostle writes that Christ is the wisdom of God to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike (1 Corinthians 1:24).
Les emphasizes that there is only one gospel for both. When a Gentile jailer asked what he must do, Paul's answer was to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The message underneath that answer is the gospel: Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead (clip [5]). That same gospel is 'no different for Gentiles today,' and it applies to the Jew as well (clip [5]).
Les makes a distinction between 'Grecians'—Jews living in a Greek-speaking world—and 'Greeks,' who are Gentiles (clip [6]). In Acts, when Jewish believers reached Antioch, they spoke unto the Greeks, and without realizing it, God was sovereignly opening the door for Gentiles to hear the preaching of the Lord Jesus (clip [6]). This fits the larger progression Les teaches: Israel rejected the Gospel of the Kingdom, so God turned with the Gospel of Grace and began calling out the Body of Christ (clip [7]).
The Central Message Is Christ Crucified
Les explains that the 'foolishness of preaching' is specifically the preaching of the cross, and that a person is saved by believing that the One who died 2,000 years ago is the answer to the sin problem and can impart eternal life.
Paul's Summary of the Two Responses
Les directly quotes 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 to show that Jews want signs and Greeks want wisdom, while Paul simply preaches Christ crucified—a stumblingblock to Jews and foolishness to Greeks.
High-Level Intellectual Philosophy
Les expands on why Greeks rejected the cross: they were convinced by high-level intellectual philosophy, not by a humble carpenter from Nazareth. Christ is a power outside anything human.
Paul Did Not Cater to Either Demand
Les points out that Paul refused to use signs to convince Jews or philosophy to convince Greeks; he preached Christ and Him crucified. Tongues were a sign to unbelievers.
The Preaching of the Cross Is God's Power
Les connects 1 Corinthians 1:18 and 1 Corinthians 1:24, showing that the cross is foolishness to the perishing and the power of God to the saved, and that the same two groups—Jews and Greeks—are in view.
One Gospel for Jew and Gentile
Les explains that Paul's answer to the Gentile jailer is the same message for all: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that He died for your sins, was buried, and rose again.
Greeks Means Gentiles
Les distinguishes 'Grecians' from 'Greeks,' showing that Greeks were Gentiles, and that God sovereignly drew Gentiles to listen to the preaching of Jesus in Antioch.
Israel's Rejection and the Gospel of Grace
Les teaches that Israel's Gospel of the Kingdom was rejected, so God turned with the Gospel of Grace to the Gentiles, calling out the Body of Christ—a term Jesus and the Twelve never used.
1 Corinthians 1:18: For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
This frames the entire explanation: the cross is foolishness to some and the power of God to others.
1 Corinthians 1:22-24: For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
This is the core passage explaining why Jews and Greeks respond differently to the same message of Christ.
The apostle Paul states that the Jews require a sign (1 Corinthians 1:22). Les Feldick explains that Paul did not perform signs to satisfy that demand; instead he preached Christ crucified, which became a stumblingblock to the Jews (clips [1], [3]).
The Greeks in Paul's day sought after wisdom and philosophy. A crucified Jesus—a humble carpenter from Nazareth—did not fit their intellectual expectations, so it appeared foolish to them (clips [1], [2]). Scripture says Christ is the wisdom of God to those who are called (1 Corinthians 1:24).
No. Les emphasizes that there is one gospel for both: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ—that He died for your sins, was buried, and rose again. The same belief is required of the Jew and the Gentile (clip [5]).
Watch the Teaching: Why the Cross Is Foolishness to the World — 1 Corinthians 1:18-25