At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.
— MATTHEW 11:25 —
Thomas Hochstetter: European Bible Training Center | Germany
In God’s economy, there exists a number of paradoxical realities: that God is Three-in-One; that Jesus is fully man and fully God; that God is fully sovereign, and man is fully responsible. To our limited understanding and experience, these things seem to contradict each other. But in reality, they do not. They coexist in equal parts and bring us all the more to worship God for His “otherness.” There is another paradox that puzzles the mind of mankind. The wise and pompous of this world do not reckon with God, because they think of themselves as self-sufficient and independent, relying on their sin-tainted understanding. That paradox is you, Christian. The world tends to value the rich, the mighty, the influencers, the famous, the intellectual, the beautiful, and the successful. In short: the free thinkers and the independent. But that is not how God thinks and works. Jesus lets us know that those who will hear Him and be saved are not the ones this world would have picked. After rebuking people group after people group for their unbelief, He switches His tone to praise: “I praise You, Father … that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.” Jesus does not contrast the “wise” and the “stupid.” He contrasts the godless and the God-fearing. The God-fearing are like “infants,” in that they are dependent on a higher mind. The wise and pompous of this world do not reckon with God, because they think of themselves as self-sufficient and independent, relying on their sin-tainted understanding. Next time someone suggests that your dependence on God is weakness, know that Jesus praises His Father for you. Dependence is not weakness. It is a mark of a child of God. Go be a paradox!
