Matthew 11:25, commentary and pictures

At the time He rebuked Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum for rejecting great light, Jesus thanked the Father as Lord of heaven and earth that the truths of His kingdom are hidden from the self-wise and revealed to humble, receptive learners, which was good in the Father's sight. The wise and prudent are those wise in their own eyes, proud in worldly wisdom and self-sufficient, while babes are the meek and lowly, contrite and dependent followers who learn daily from Christ and understand what worldly wisdom dismisses. Understanding is spiritually discerned by the Holy Spirit through a teachable, childlike heart that desires righteousness and practices the truth, not gained by intellectual power, position or learning alone, and the plan of salvation is plain enough for a child yet hidden from the proud and unwilling to learn. Christ's mission is to make the Father known as just and true yet merciful and tender, and His thanksgiving opens into an offer of eternal life and rest to all, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, with no one shut out from His care. Those who cling to their own way must be converted daily, fall upon the Rock broken and end warfare with self in order to receive what God gives to babes, for those who receive light are accountable for it and those who reject it face condemnation.

Setting and Wording

The thanksgiving was uttered at the time of the rebuke of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum for their failure to repent, and it belongs to the warning concerning the day of judgment. Those granted great light and many privileges are held accountable for that light, those who walk in the light are given more light, and those who reject it come under condemnation like Chorazin and Bethsaida.

It was spoken at His rejection, when He came to His own and His own did not receive Him amid abounding sin. He wept over those who turned from Him despite having the plainest evidence of the divinity of His mission. His soul was filled with sadness at their hardness of heart in closing their eyes to the light and at the result that would follow. Yet He rose above painful thoughts to give thanks, recognizing the grace of God and holding firm confidence in the Father, a confidence that man's rejection did not impair.

It belongs to the lesson of Matthew 11:16-27 that confronts those who have received great light, precious opportunities and wonderful privileges yet whose spiritual growth and advancement has not corresponded to the blessings of light and knowledge given them. When applied to those who have resisted light and refused to take right positions, it has pointed, heart-piercing power that strikes the heart with conviction. That conviction breaks pride and leads to falling upon the Rock broken, with straightforward confession, forgiveness and joy.

In its setting His mission is to make the Father known, for knowledge of God had grown unclear because Satan had misrepresented the divine character, and Christ was appointed to reveal the Father and represent His true character. Knowledge of God comes only through Christ, and heavenly knowledge is given to His disciples.

To address God as Father, Lord of heaven and earth is to present Him as ruler over the world who can forbid Satan's plans because He is too wise to err. It presents Him as both sovereign Lord and Father, revealed through His Son in a new light as just and true, yet merciful, kind, tender, loving and compassionate toward humanity. That divine character revealed by Christ is full of truth, mercy and lovingkindness, showing deep benevolence toward humanity as a tender, loving and pitying Father.

The hiding from the wise and prudent and the revealing to babes was good in the Father's sight and accords with His good purpose. By it the things of His kingdom are revealed to humble, receptive people while hidden from those who rely on their own wisdom and understanding.

Hiding and Revealing

God hides the truths of His kingdom and salvation from those who trust their own wisdom, understanding, worldly wisdom and learning and refuse to understand, and reveals them to humble and receptive babes. The Father as Lord of heaven and earth withholds them from those who close their eyes and ears, while He gives understanding to disciples who come to Christ as lost sinners and become wise unto salvation. In this hiding and revealing, wisdom has departed from the prudent while truth is opened to babes.

Worldly learning, position, creeds and theories, and claimed wisdom do not by themselves disclose truth or give special access to it. Study of prophecy did not lead the religious leaders to recognize the Messiah, His coming or His mission, yet poor people eagerly accepted His message. Those willing to be taught by God, who hear and obey Him and learn in Christ's school, can understand and explain Scripture through humility and obedience, which give a greatness greater than earthly honor. Even people with little formal education can do this, for Christ the wisest Teacher has made Scripture plain enough for people of every education and station to read and understand for themselves.

Understanding is spiritually discerned and revealed by the Holy Spirit to those who are humble and teachable like little children, since human wisdom and reasoning cannot discover or comprehend God and the realities of the spiritual world. It depends not chiefly on intellectual power but on a teachable heart, single purpose, trusting childlike desire to know and do God's will, and earnest desire for righteousness as people become partakers of the divine nature. It is received from God rather than a ground for pride or boasting. Full understanding of Scripture depends not only on explaining it but on practicing it in daily life, and people may fail to understand because they shut their eyes and ears to truths they do not want to practice. So a child may grasp Christ's practical lessons when learned and influential teachers do not, and truth that learned people dismiss gives comfort and instruction to those taught by Christ.

The plan of salvation is plain and simple enough for a child, and for children and the unlearned, to understand and grasp, yet its beauty and power are hidden from the proud, self-confident, self-conceited, unspiritual and unwilling to learn and are spiritually discerned. God reveals truth to those who are honest, teachable, humble and childlike with simplicity, and when they see God's power in it they acknowledge it, for those who sincerely desire truth recognize God's work when it is revealed. Christ did not disclose every truth at once but taught what His disciples needed for their progress and withheld what they could not yet understand, and His teaching, though simple, carried assurance and power.

The Wise and Babes

The wise and prudent are those who are wise and prudent in their own eyes, who consider and look upon themselves as wise. They are proud in worldly wisdom, worldly-wise, self-sufficient, self-assured and self-conceited, ambitious to be first, lifting the soul to vanity and counting themselves specially righteous and favored of heaven. They cease to walk humbly with God and work in self and not in God, and they do not know the things that make for their peace. Their self-sufficiency with coldness and hardness of heart keeps the gospel from succeeding despite its boundless resources, and the educated miss what God reveals when pride and self-sufficiency make them unwilling to be taught by Christ.

Babes are the meek and lowly, humble, contrite, simple-hearted, self-denying followers of Christ who are daily learners in the school of the great Teacher. They walk softly before God, become fools in their own estimation in order to be wise, realize their weakness and feel their dependence on Christ, and do not rely on their own superiority but are willing to receive and learn from Him. Though inexperienced in knowledge they clearly understand and value truths that worldly wisdom dismisses as worthless, and a child may understand Christ's practical lessons when learned and influential teachers do not. God bestows wisdom, comfort and grace on them, tenderly regards, recognizes and exalts them with true exaltation, and lays all human pride in the dust.

Others take knowledge of them that they have been with Jesus and learned of Him so they can communicate to others the measure given them, and though only babes they exert a far stronger influence for good than the self-sufficient who refuse offered light and knowledge. God has made provision for great stores of wisdom to be given but waits for proper channels through which it can safely flow. Conceited people who rely on their own wisdom and feel no need to learn from God cannot receive the truth, while Jesus entrusted it to humble people emptied of self, so human pride must be laid low and true wisdom begins with humility.

God uses what the world considers foolish and weak to confound the wise and mighty, revealing hidden truths through children whose lips proclaim mysteries beyond the understanding of men.

Christ's Gift and Invitation

Looking up to heaven with thanksgiving for the security of the covenant of redemption, Jesus looks with a heart of love beyond the priests and Pharisees to the people. His thanks opens into an offer of salvation to all the children of men, rich and poor, high and low, learned and unlearned. To all He presents the inestimable gift of eternal life and invites all to unite with God in the covenant of grace. That covenant is a balm for all sorrow of sin and all disquietude of thought.

The gift of heavenly knowledge to His disciples does not mean others are shut out from His care and love. For all who are burdened may come to Him. He rejoiced that people without the privileges the Jews had received were convicted and converted to the truth. When those who are honest, teachable, humble and childlike see God's power in the truth, they acknowledge it.

God reveals truth to the humble and teachable rather than to those who rely on learning, position, creeds and theories. Humility and obedience make people willing to be taught by God, to hear and obey Him and to learn in Christ's school. Those who so learn can understand and explain Scripture even with little formal education. Such humility and obedience give a greatness greater than earthly honor.

Warning and Application

The verse is Bible truth bound to the need for conversion, for those who cling to inherited and cultivated tendencies and plead for their own way must receive God's converting power before they can bless others. Those who are wise and prudent in their own eyes must be converted daily, fall upon the Rock and be broken, and end continual warfare and struggling with self, or they cannot receive what God reveals to babes. This call to reconversion reaches those pursuing a course under Satan's intriguing, including some in the Colorado Conference. When the words of Matthew 11:16-27 are applied to those who have resisted light and refused to take right positions, they have pointed, heart-piercing power that strikes the heart with conviction, breaks pride, and leads to falling on the Rock broken, with straightforward confession, forgiveness, and joy.

God reveals the truths of His kingdom to the lowly while they are hidden from those who are wise and self-sufficient. The lowly who receive God's word include many colored people. The verse therefore encourages persevering work to bring them the light of the gospel, especially after long neglect.

God reveals His truth to the childlike and humble while it is hidden from those who are worldly wise and self-assured. In every generation God gives His church a special truth and work. Its advocates may begin as few, face opposition and contempt, and need self-sacrifice, yet they fight battles and win victories.