“I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes." ~Matthew 11:25
From the wise and prudent, God has hidden the truth of the works of Jesus. In this Gospel reading, Jesus rebukes "the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done." They were being rebuked because the Almighty walked among them, performed miracles, offered them salvation and pardon for their sins, and still, they did not believe. It may seem like it's not their fault they didn't believe; afterall, Jesus says God hid it from them. The 11th-century Archbishop of Ohrid, named Theophylact, explained God has withheld His mysteries from the wise of the world not out of malice but out of their unworthiness and also out of love. They are unworthy to receive the mysteries of Christ because they have chosen to trust their worldly wisdom instead of God. The mysteries are withheld out of love because God does not force anyone to accept Him. But God is always ready to reveal the mysteries to the unworthy if they would only soften their heart to accept Jesus as their Savior. Instead, God has chosen babes because they are pure in heart, thereby able and willing to receive and produce good fruit. We need to regularly examine our mindset toward the gospel so that we always remember we are students of the Master and not master of the students. Always improve the present moment.
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