True Learning
At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Matt. 11:25-27, RSV.
At that time."
Times were changing. The powerful of this world had imprisoned John the Baptist, and those wise in the philosophies and the theologies of the day all too often rejected both the Lord Jesus and His teachings. In response, He highlighted the fact that it was the weak, the simple people, who often understood Him most clearly. All through the gospel story we discover that it is the poor, the sinners, the tax collectors, prostitutes, and ordinary folk who most readily responded to Him. On the other hand, the learned specialists, as they analyzed His work, claimed that what He was doing did not fit with their complicated theories.
While it is true that the intellectuals in general had no use for Jesus, while the humble welcomed Him, we need to be careful in what conclusions we draw from those facts. As William Barclay put it, "He is very far from condemning intellectual power; what He is condemning is intellectual pride...'The heart, not the head, is the throne of the gospel.' It is not cleverness which shuts out; it is pride. It is not stupidity which admits; it is humility. Jesus is not connecting ignorance and faith. A man may be as wise as Solomon, but if he has not the simplicity, the trust, the innocence of the childlike heart, he has shut himself out."
If you desire to truly know the Father you need to watch Jesus and listen to Him carefully, because "no one knows the Father except the Son." The book of Hebrews puts it a bit differently when it notes that "in many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son....He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature" (Heb. 1:1-3, RSV).
"Turn your eyes upon Jesus" is His own message, as well as that of the entire New Testament. Other knowledges are useful in life and some of them may help us see the glories of Jesus even more fully. But the essential knowledge becomes the context in which all other learning has meaning.
At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Matt. 11:25-27, RSV.
At that time."
Times were changing. The powerful of this world had imprisoned John the Baptist, and those wise in the philosophies and the theologies of the day all too often rejected both the Lord Jesus and His teachings. In response, He highlighted the fact that it was the weak, the simple people, who often understood Him most clearly. All through the gospel story we discover that it is the poor, the sinners, the tax collectors, prostitutes, and ordinary folk who most readily responded to Him. On the other hand, the learned specialists, as they analyzed His work, claimed that what He was doing did not fit with their complicated theories.
While it is true that the intellectuals in general had no use for Jesus, while the humble welcomed Him, we need to be careful in what conclusions we draw from those facts. As William Barclay put it, "He is very far from condemning intellectual power; what He is condemning is intellectual pride...'The heart, not the head, is the throne of the gospel.' It is not cleverness which shuts out; it is pride. It is not stupidity which admits; it is humility. Jesus is not connecting ignorance and faith. A man may be as wise as Solomon, but if he has not the simplicity, the trust, the innocence of the childlike heart, he has shut himself out."
If you desire to truly know the Father you need to watch Jesus and listen to Him carefully, because "no one knows the Father except the Son." The book of Hebrews puts it a bit differently when it notes that "in many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son....He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature" (Heb. 1:1-3, RSV).
"Turn your eyes upon Jesus" is His own message, as well as that of the entire New Testament. Other knowledges are useful in life and some of them may help us see the glories of Jesus even more fully. But the essential knowledge becomes the context in which all other learning has meaning.
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