Thou Hast Revealed Them Unto Babes By Marc Gibson In one of the prayers He addressed to His Father, Jesus said, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight (Matthew 11:25-26). He then said to those who would hear Him, All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son wills to reveal Him (v. 26). In Lukes recording of these words, He adds that Jesus turned privately to His disciples and said, Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see (Luke 10:23). God has revealed truth unto man. In this present time, the Father has revealed His Son, Jesus Christ, to those who will see and hear. In Christ is revealed all truth for man to know and please God. Jesus said that God gave this revelation unto babes, and hid it from the wise and prudent. When Jesus used these terms, He referred to the worlds judgments as to who was wise and who was naive. The wise and prudent are those who, due to their worldly wisdom and self-righteousness, rank themselves highly. Babes are those who humble themselves before the altar of Gods wisdom, leaving behind human assumptions and preconceived notions. Revealed truth is hidden from the wise and prudent because they refuse to acknowledge it. Truth is revealed to babes because they are of a mind to hear and heed Gods word. Paul, in speaking of the fact that some would deem the message of the cross (the gospel) as foolishness, wrote: For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe (I Corinthians 1: 19-21). Education can be very helpful, but filling the mind with large doses of worldly wisdom (whether religious or secular), can endanger the soul. The more enamored we become with worldly philosophy and wisdom, the more difficult it is for us to perceive spiritual truths. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (2:14). This is why Paul warned the Colossians to beware of being plundered by Philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ(Colossians 2:8). One commentator noted correctly it is paradoxical but true that study can separate a person from the truth as well as bring a person to truth. It is the attitude of the learner that determines the result (Robert E. Mounce, NIBC, Matthew, p. 107). Again, Paul wrote, For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty... (1 Corinthians 1:26). Worldly wisdom is a trap that the devil sets to lure those who will not fully submit their minds to Gods revealed will. Christians should not be ashamed of lacking worldly learning and prestige. We are still fully equipped to stand up and contend for the faith and give a defense for the hope that is within us (Jude 3; 1 Peter 3:15). You may be a babe in worldly wisdom, but you can understand the revealed mind of God. ***
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 09:05:45 +0000
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