Key Verse: At that time Jesus said,
"I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden
these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."
Matthew 11:25
Remember, this outburst by Jesus is
in response to the good report of the successful ministry of the 72 he had sent
out. They were excited that they were actually able to do Jesus’ Will. Jesus is
excited that they obeyed and were successful.
When Jesus says, "I Praise
You, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things
from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children," He is
rejoicing in the fact that it was the simple, not the religious leaders, who
were successfully bringing the Kingdom of God to the masses. The "wise and
learned," had erected walls between God and man. The humble and obedient
had opened the way. "The wise and learned," had made the relationship
between God and man a system of rules. The simple had made it a matter of
belief and faith.
This is what God had intended all
along. Before the fall, He had walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. It
wasn't just Adam and Eve who suffered the loss of God's presence in the fall.
God had lost the companionship of man. Now Jesus was rejoicing because the
walls were coming down and it was those with the child like faith in Him that
were doing the work.
Have you ever done something for
the Lord and just felt His pleasure because both you and He knew that you've
nailed it? That's what is going on here and that's why Jesus breaks forth in
praise.
Then, in Luke, Jesus mentions the
prophets. "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that
many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to
hear what you hear but did not hear it." (Luke 10:25) Yes, they were
seeing Jesus, which the prophets before had prophesied about. How many of those
prophets went to their graves without seeing Jesus and also felt like failures
in their call because the people had not responded? Jonah was successful, but
not with the Israelites. The prophets cried out with God's warnings and begged
the people to repent, but the people turned a deaf ear to their pleas, most of
the time.
These seventy-two experienced
success because of Jesus. Can we? Yes, if we stop defining success in our
terms, as the Pharisees did, and define success in God's terms, as Jesus did.
The good news of the kingdom was preached and the people were blessed. It did
not result in a larger following at the time, but it planted seed. God and Man
worked together to proclaim "The Kingdom of God is at hand."
Hymn: "Praise to the Lord,
the Almighty" King’s College Choir
Praise to the Lord, the
Almighty Fernando Ortega
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