The Gospel and the Kingdom - Matthew - Jesus Rejoicing in The Father's Wisdom

 

TEXT: Matthew 11:25-26 – “At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. ²⁶ Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.”

Continuing our study in the Book of Matthew,  we have started looking at Jesus as He reassures the disciples of John the Baptist, rebukes several cities, rejoices in His Father’s wisdom, and reveals that He is the only way to the Father in Chapter 11.

Today, we will ponder about how Jesus rejoices in His Father’s wisdom and reveals that He is the only way to the Father. In Matthew’s record of these events, Jesus moves immediately from the condemnation of the towns who did not believe to a moment of prayer spent speaking to God the Father. 

Jesus is praising the Father. He is praising Him for something specific. Look again at verse 25. Jesus is praising the Father for hiding the deep truths of the faith from the wise and intelligent of the world. and Jesus is praising the Father for revealing the deep truths of the faith to infants. 

Now, this takes some explaining. 

First of all, this is not to say that if you are a follower of Jesus that you are not wise and intelligent. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. To be a follower of Jesus is to be truly wise and intelligent. 

There is a self-proclaimed worldly wisdom and intelligence which can lead to arrogance, self-dependence, and false confidence. This type of wisdom and intelligence can lead people to think that they don’t need God, it can lead them to believe that the things of Jesus are foolish, and it can lead them straight to Hell. For those who may not know what I’m saying, this basically means that there are people who think they’re smart, but they’re not really smart in God’s eyes. 

Then, Jesus speaks of infants, or little children. When Jesus speaks of infants, He speaks of those who are helpless on their own and are dependent on someone else. Jesus speaks here of little children. Those who are utterly dependent upon someone else. 

In contrast to the “wise and intelligent” of the world, who think they have it all figured out and don’t need God; Jesus says that the Father has revealed the truths of the kingdom of God to those who are like little children, who are like infants, who know that they need someone to help them. 

Are you like the wise and the intelligent, or are you like the lowly infant?

• Do you think you have things figured out?
• Do you think that you’re good?
• Or, do you know that you need Jesus and His grace?
• Do you know that you’re only good through the blessings of Jesus?

Finally, we see in verse 26, that it was God’s will to do it this way. Jesus says, “It seemed good in Your sight.” Part of the reason that Jesus is praising the Father is because this was His good pleasure. God wanted it this way, and His will is being accomplished. Jesus praises God that His good pleasure is being worked out. 

Listen, it is the good pleasure of the Father that the kingdom of God would be revealed and manifested to those who are needy and dependent like little children; like infants. The pleasure of God can be displayed in us, by our taking the mentality of a helpless person who desperately needs someone to come alongside us and pick us up, provide for us, and care for us. 

No matter if we are a toddler, a ten-year-old, a teenager, a twenty-something, a toward-the-end-of-lifer, or anywhere in between, there is something within us that stems from our sinful nature that makes us feel like we don’t need help, we’ve got it figured out, we are wise and intelligent all on our own.

Don’t live that way!

Listen, the pleasure of the Father is that you would come to Him and say, “I need you! Help me!”

When you do so, He will reveal the kingdom of God to you. That is the good pleasure of the Father.