I graduated from seminary with honors and received a complete set of commentaries on the Bible as an award. What did that knowledge get me? According to Jesus, it put me in a category of people who were unable to see clearly the things of God.
At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will” (Matthew 11:25-26).
I have a couple of friends who are ardent lovers of God. I have told them that they received insight from the Holy Spirit free of charge, and I had to read a fifty-dollar book to get the same information. The difference is that information from a book may reach the mind, but insight from the Lord touches the heart.
Generally speaking, there were three kinds of people who listened to Jesus. There were male and female disciples, who were basically nobodies without any credentials other than a devotion to Jesus. They were the “infants” in Jesus’ teaching. As they followed Jesus through Galilee and on the road to Jerusalem, He revealed more and more about the kingdom of God to them.
The crowds also followed Jesus. They saw His miracles and heard His teaching with amazement. Even though they were amazed, that in itself didn’t translate to faith and obedience. Whereas the disciples were learning how to align their lives with Jesus, the crowd wanted Jesus to fulfill their aspirations. One group surrendered to Jesus, while the other wanted to control Him.
Many, but not all, of the religious leaders opposed Jesus. They were in bad company, because other opponents of Jesus included the devil, demons, and the Roman government. Jesus threatened to overturn the established system that they benefited from. Not only did they fight against Jesus, but they actively resisted God’s purposes.
Of the three groups that interacted with Jesus, only one was able to really understand what God was doing. They did so because they were willing to be vulnerable and open to His teaching and actions. Like little children, they listened, believed, and obeyed.
God’s revelation was the same to the three groups I have outlined above. Many among the crowd and religious establishment had preconceived ideas of what the Messiah should do. When Jesus failed to meet their expectations, they rejected and opposed Him.
The lesson for us from this account is to make sure that we are on the right side. We can’t force God’s revelation to take place in our lives, but we can be ready to receive it when He decides to reveal His plans. Openness, willingness, and vulnerability are ways we can create an open heart to know and do God’s will.
God’s Revelation and Intercession
I remember Henry Blackaby using Jesus’ words in this account to encourage intercessory prayer for people who are distant from God and His grace.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (Matthew 11:27).
Jesus tells us that the only way to know the Father and Son is by means of revelation. I presume this revelation comes through the activity of the Holy Spirit.
Blackaby reasons that if we need God’s gracious revelation in order to know Him, we should pray for it to take place in the lives of the people around us.
When I was in high school, one of my friends wanted me to become a friend of Jesus. Over and over, he asked me to go with him to church, but I consistently refused. One day in prayer, he told God, “I’m through. I’m not asking him anymore to come to church.”
God told him, “Ask him one more time.”
He asked me one more time, and I agreed to go to church just to keep him from continually inviting me. The night of the service, the preaching was subpar, and the music was worse. It made no difference to God, because He revealed Jesus to me that night.
I didn’t know how to pray, so I simply said: “God, you can have my life.”
In less than one year, that will be a 60-year-old story. God answered my friend’s prayers and eternally changed my destiny. By all means, let’s pray for the people in our lives who are distant from God. The Spirit will reveal Jesus to them and give them a chance to have the best life possible in this life and heaven afterward.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 