“REVELATION TO THE HUMBLE”

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

Matthew 11:25-26

The Bible shows that God is particularly close to the lowly and marginalized. While some of the more prominent people in Scripture like Solomon and Job were wealthy, most of the individuals who received revelations from God were commoners. In fact, Jesus brings this very thought to light.

In our previous blog, we learned that God has revealed Himself to mankind, and Scripture gives us the written record of this divine self-disclosure. Let’s continue digging.

In verses 25-26, we can see Jesus, via a prayer, declaring God’s favor on those who are considered weak over the arrogant. In light of the pride of the three cities that Jesus condemned, He explains why the Father would hide the truth about the Kingdom of Heaven from them.

This passage is Jesus’ prayer to the Father, whom He addresses as “Lord of heaven and earth.” The term “Lord” (Greek ‘kyrios’), is a divine title given to God. It is a title of honor expressive of respect and reverence. Being the Creator of all things, God is the possessor and disposer of all things; He is the owner and the one who has control over all of creation. He personally reveals Himself to people.

But because of the self-righteousness of Israel’s religious leaders, God has concealed these things from them. The experts in the OT Law were notorious for their pride and reliance on personal piety. They were considered wise and careful to interpret the OT and prided themselves on their knowledge of traditional interpretations and sayings of the wise before them.

God instead revealed these secrets to “little children.” The Greek term used literally means “infants” and metaphorically means “untaught, unskilled.” They were the ones who did not receive any formal training in biblical interpretation or relied on rabbis for instruction. True enough, most of Jesus’ listeners were commoners, including farmers and even those despised by society. Their humility is shown in their interest in Jesus’ teaching. Revealing His plans to such people has always been God’s will.

Through the ages, countless people have studied the Bible, recognized its truthfulness, and agreed that Jesus was an extraordinary figure, but still could not accept the fact that He was God. Academic and biblical scholars, linguists, and researchers of the past 2,000 years have been exposed to the truth about Christ but a lot of them choose to reject Jesus’ claim as the Messiah. Why is that so?

Today’s verse reveals a critical truth: God reveals Himself to the humble. He uncovers the secrets of eternal life to those whose hearts are willing to receive His wisdom. This is an encouragement for regular folks like you and me. We don’t need a high social status or an impressive academic resumé to appreciate the marvelous love of our God. What we need is a humble heart yearning to know its Maker.

Do you have a heart like this?

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Hugo Fergusson on Unsplash