At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.”(Matthew 11:25)
In God’s Kingdom, many things are the opposite of what you’ve expected. To be great, be a humble servant. To be strong, recognize your weakness. To be close to God, admit the darkness and depravity in your heart. In this passage, Jesus gives other startling facts about the Kingdom. God reveals Himself and His truth to “little children” and hides from those who think they know it all. To learn spiritual truth. He explains we need to go back to the basics.
As we look at how Jesus related to people in the Gospels, we see this reversed learning curve again and again. The highly educated religious leaders argued with Jesus, hardened their hearts, and eventually plotted to have Him executed. Only a couple of them opened their hearts to Him. But the unlearned, the outcast, and the simple flocked to Him. They listened with wide-open hearts, and many trusted in Him. Virtually all His miracles were reserved for these people.
In our world, people pride themselves on what they know because knowledge is power. But in the spiritual world, degree and vast learning don’t matter. They don’t necessarily prevent insight, but they can easily get in the way. God values a humble heart, and He delights to teach those who will say to Him, “Lord, I don’t get it. Will You help me?”