Mt11 25-30 - The Place of Wisdom in Revelation & His Call in Our Lives

Matt. 11:25-30 – The Place of Wisdom in Revelation & His Call in Our Lives
After denouncing the cities listed above for their blindness and lack of repentence, Jesus praises God for revealing himself not to the “wise” but to those with simple hearts. It’s God’s pleasure to do this “opposite” thing. The question for me then becomes what then is the role of “wisdom,” what is Jesus really saying here?

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Clearly the revelation of God is not connected to philosophical prowess, or deep complative effort but it is something that God himself chooses to give to us through his Son, Jesus. As one prone to “deep thoughts” and the perpetual stirring of thoughts in my self-dialogue I have to wonder if it is all but folly as the writer of Ecclesiastes wrote: “Eccl. 1:16 I thought to myself, “Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. 18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.” (Eccl. 1:16-18). I have heard some denegrate philosophical pursuits or even academic efforts (more than one Calvary pastor referred to Th.D. as “thoroughly dumb” and Ph.Ds as “phenomenally dumb” from the pulpit in my hearing).

But like Pride or Achievement or any human effort the mistake is not in the effort but in making that thing (wisdom, achievement, etc.) the only important end product. My way of thinking, the Lord has made us all very different with different capabilities and different “callings,” to not work with the tool the Lord has given to one would seem to be the greater sin even if that gift happens to be the tendency to “think deep thoughts.” I believe that there is a place for this, but it begins with his revelation and an understanding of our place, precious but also somewhat small, in his creation. It would be wrong to think that we don’t count, but equally so to believe that we are the only ones who do count to our Father. So God continually chooses to teach the teachers from the inarticulate wonder that comes from the mouths of our students and children. True wisdom is the light that burns within their young eyes and when they see what exists beyond understanding and the best expression that they can muster is a giggle and laugh. And we are truly wise who join them with our own smile and wonder.

In verse 27 Jesus then claims an exclusive relationship with the Father and the preeminent role in revealing the Father to us. Philosophically it’s a difficult proposition to imagine that all understanding of creation and existence and revelation rests upon the shoulders of one man who lived and died in an unimportant Palestinian province 2,000 years ago. Such a belief is bound to create opposition in more than a few villages. But there are the words and arguing with the meaning doesn’t reduce the impact of them. There is a part of revelation that is outside of our hands, which some would call “unjust,” but we are, in fact, his creation and our “rights” tend to be creation of our own imperfect and rarely lived-out understanding of justice. In a more Naturalistic framework, the Creator of the universe is no more answerable to us were He to choose to mow our whole species down like some much unnecessary grass. But the wonder of it all is that He chooses otherwise and chooses to bring us into relationship with Him, even though we are often little better at relationship than a bunch of easily distracted puppies eagerly licking at his hand one minute then soiling and tearing apart his garden the next. In all of this, he still loves us and (in verses 28ff) calls us to him, wanting to replace our chaos and toil with his rest, even as we take his “yoke” upon our shoulders. JBB 6/19/2004