If Christianity is so true and rational, why don’t more people believe? Find out what Jesus says as he himself addresses this issue in Matthew 11:25-26.
Revealing the rescue package
Matthew 11:25–26
Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
This transcript has been automatically generated
At that time Jesus declared, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Now look, over the next 3 weeks we’re going to find ourselves in what has been described as the School of Christ. My predecessor, Dick Lucas, now 98, served as rector here for 37 years from 1961 to 1998, and he returned to the verses that we’ve just had read for us time and again. And the concept of the school of Christ, which I heard him use, is there in verse 29, take my yoke upon you and learn from me. I listened to several of his series on Matthew chapter 11 back in the 1980s and the 1990s.
And I have discussed these passages with him at length because I am next-door neighbour and often pop in. And he describes Matthew chapter 11, verse 25 through 30, as possibly the earliest example of the apostles’ teaching of the Christian gospel that there is. You’ll notice that the verses come in 3 parts. There’s the prayer in verse 25 and 26. There is the declaration in verse 27, not part of the prayer.
And then there’s the invitation, come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, in verse 28. And clearly these 3 parts have been put together by Matthew the Apostle our teacher, the author of this Gospel. We are going to spend a week on each of these different parts, and I hope, I think you will probably agree that a week is not nearly long enough. But immediately it’s plain that our subject is the knowledge of God. If you look at verse 27, no one knows the Son except the Father.
And again, no one knows the Father except the Son. And verse 25, you have revealed these things to little children. And verse 27, no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
And the these things, at that time Jesus declared, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven, that you have hidden these things must be the things concerning the identity and work of the Lord Jesus Christ that comes earlier in chapter 11, that we’ve been thinking about for a number of weeks. John the Baptist comes, are you the one to come or should we expect somebody else? Go and tell him what you hear and see. The blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the dead are raised. So, these things have to do with God’s kingdom and God’s rule.
But then the these things of verse 25 must be the all things of verse 27. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. And the all things have to do with the knowledge of God. No one knows the Father except the Son. No one knows the Son except the Father.
And so immediately we have to say we’re dealing with personal and intimate relational, practical, experiential, experimental knowledge of the living God.
Jesus talks about me, my, I, me, and he calls the Lord of heaven and earth Father.
And so what we’re going to be talking about over the next 3 weeks is not simply knowledge about the Father, but rather relational knowledge God the Father, the Lord of heaven and earth, our Father.
One of the most important books on my bookshelves is this book. It’s Knowing God. You can find it over there on the bookstall in this paperback cover, Knowing God. It’s by J.I. Packer, who was a leading writer and theologian in in the late 20th century.
If you haven’t read it, then, and you’ve got it on your bookshelf, make a point of reading it over Christmas. And if you haven’t got it on your bookshelf, then put it on the list, stick it up the chimney, and tell Father Christmas that if he doesn’t get it for you, or she, there will be serious consequences.
First, knowing God is a matter of personal dealing.
Secondly, knowing God is a matter of personal involvement in mind, will, and feeling. Knowing God is an emotional relationship as well as an intellectual and volitional one. Third, knowing God is a matter of his grace, personal affection, redeeming action, providential watchfulness. Towards those whom God knows.
Did you notice, quite unselfconsciously, Jesus addresses the Lord of heaven and earth, the eternal God, the maker of everything, the sovereign over this whole universe and all time, he addresses him as Father.
That is unprecedented.
No other religious leader does it. It’s exceptional, unique. Father, Lord of heaven and earth.
And Jesus does that all the time. He does it in the Garden of Gethsemane in this Gospel. He does it when he raises Lazarus from the dead. He does it as he approaches Jerusalem. He does it the night before his death.
Father, the hour has come. Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you Father. He also allows us to address God as Father, our Father in heaven.
And so, what we’re dealing with over these 3 weeks in what has been termed the School of Christ is personal, experiential, intimate knowledge of the Creator of the universe, Packer has this other fascinating statement right at the beginning of his book. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business for those who do not know God.
Disregard the study of God and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life, blindfold as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you.
This way we can waste our life and lose our soul.
I’ve got 2 very simple points really from verses 25 and 26, and then a couple of observations at the end. So, Point 1, knowing God is hidden, knowledge of God is hidden from the wise and understanding. And point 2, knowledge of God is revealed to little children.
25 and the first half, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding. Question, does this mean that we should close down our universities if we want to know God? Should we give over the pulpit of St Helen’s and other churches to members of the Sunday school only?
You know, if you take those who preach at St Helen’s here from this pulpit, I don’t think there are any who haven’t got tertiary education. I don’t mean to say that to sort of, I mean, you may be amazed, but some of us have actually got it. One of our speakers even got a PhD. Should we retire them?
Observation. The statistics would certainly have it that knowledge of God has been hidden from the wise and learned.
Western Europe must be one of the most educated people groups in the world.
In Western Europe, we have probably the greatest illiteracy when it comes to knowledge of God. What percentage of children at some of the finest schools in the land possess— what percentage of personal, relational, intimate knowledge of God.
Here in the city, we prize ourselves on acute intellect and sharpness of mind. The city draws up its recruiting wagon at the top universities of the land. It seeks to attract with its financial clout the finest brains. We prize and value wisdom, laud and reward achievement. The expert analyst, the groundbreaking scientist, the most agile tech wizard.
But in this sphere of personal, experimental, relational knowledge of God, why, ignorance, extraordinary ignorance. I remember reading the Bible, the young graduate, on the roof of one of our buildings in the glorious sunshine and being just staggered that poor individual had never even heard, didn’t know who Abraham was.
So, you could say, well, yeah, certainly, it’s been hidden from the wise and learned.
So, who are these wise and understanding people from whom the Father hides truth?
In the context, Jesus has just been berating Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida, and one phrase in the rebuke to Capernaum, I think, gives us the answer. If you look at verse 23, just across the page there on the left, the bottom of the page, and you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? It’s a question oozing irony.
And it’s a question expecting the answer, no.
This is the precise sentiment echoed by Babylon in the Old Testament, where Babylon said of herself, I will ascend to the heavens above the stars of God. I’ll set my throne on high and make myself like God. And Babylon was brought by God crashing to the ground.
And it is, of course, the sentiment that is buried in the heart of rebellious humanity from the very outset of the Bible. So, think back, you know, what is the oldest lie in the book? Well, there are 3 of them. Did God really say? Genesis 3.
You will not surely die, there’ll be no consequences to your rebellion. Genesis 3. God knows that when you eat of it, you will be like God, knowing good from evil.
And where do you see that next? On the plains of Babylon, the Tower of Babel. Come, let us build for ourselves a city with its tower to the tops of the heaven. Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed across the earth. And so, you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to the heavens?
That’s the attitude of Babel and Babylon and rebellious humanity. We are so enlightened, we don’t need God, we know better than God, we can survive without God, oh, be done with God.
I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You hide Yourself from the wise and learned.
Capernaum, with all her educational excellence, like Western Europe, fell for the oldest lie in the book. Capernaum thought she could make herself self-sufficient apart from God, like the City of London. Capernaum saw herself as enlightened, come of age, no longer needing God, independent, like the universities of London.
You can imagine the graduate of King’s College, Capernaum, can’t you? I have a PhD in molecular science. I’ve explored the depths of the ocean. I know all about hydrothermal vents. I understand autonomic neural pathways, quarks, leptons, and prions.
I don’t need God.
I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden yourself from the wise and learned.
So, there is a sphere of understanding in this universe that is entirely contingent upon God and His willingness to unveil Himself. And there is a level of knowledge that no human can unlock. And there is wisdom that is restricted access. And there is a book that is closed even to the most brilliant of minds. And one of the most chilling passages in the whole of the Bible is here before us in this verse, that you’ve hidden yourself from the wise and learned.
God is Lord of heaven and earth. He’s sovereign over revelation. He will decide who hears and who knows. He deliberately blinds the eyes of the arrogant.
J.C. Ryle is always worth reading when you’re Looking at the Gospels, he has this to say on this passage.
Let us watch against pride in every shape. Pride of intellect, pride of wealth, pride in our own goodness, pride in our own deserts. Nothing is so likely to keep a man out of heaven and prevent him seeing Christ as pride.
So long as we think we are something, we shall never be saved.
So, knowledge of God is hidden from the wise and understanding. Knowledge of God is revealed to little children. Now, once again, we have to ask ourselves, who are the little children? Are we to give our pulpits over to the crèche, action songs, and children’s talks only?
Well, in this Gospel, the little children are paralleled with the least of these, chapter 25, and paralleled with the little ones, who we find in chapter 18. We’ve actually come across the phrase already. If you turn back one page to chapter 10 and verse 42, at the top of the page there, Whoever, it’s the last verse in chapter 10 under the heading rewards, whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple.
Actually, we don’t have to go back to chapter 10 to know what he means by little ones. Go out on the street and ask people, okay, what do you think the characteristic of children is? And they’ll give you all sorts of answers: simplicity, naive trust, and those who really don’t know anything about children, innocence.
But verse 28, I think, helps us to understand the particular characteristics of the children that Jesus is wanting us to note.
Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn.
The contrast is between those who are self-sufficient and deem themselves to be wise, and those who are dependent, ready to receive, and long to be taught.
Well, it’s coming up to Christmas. Here’s a Christmas illustration. What is it that children love? Receiving things. Have you ever heard a small child suggesting something like this?
No, Granny, that’s far too expensive. You really shouldn’t. I’m afraid I’m going to have to give it back to the shop. I couldn’t possibly accept that, Granny. Please take it back and give the money to somebody else.
No. I’m told that the must-have for 7-year-old little girls is either a Troll or a Pokémon, a complete set of Pokémon cards, a Pokémon Showdown battle simulator, and 5 of the most fashionable trolls with plaitable hair and changes of clothing? Oh no, no, I couldn’t possibly have that.
Or an iPhone 15 Pro engraved AirPods Pro and Apple Watch to max? No, no, no, no, no, please Dad, take that back, I couldn’t possibly. No, children love to receive.
And children are so good at learning. One of the things that really irritates me about my teenage boys, I say this in is that they are so good at the thing I enjoy doing so ham-fistedly. That’s because they learned when they were 5. And there is me tangled in knots trying to fish for something and they just, it looks so beautiful when they do it. They are so good at it because they learned and they just absorbed.
That’s children. They are like blotting paper. They love to receive. They are malleable. They are ready to learn.
They are so easily taught. God loves to give.
And he’s God. And he will show.
And he delights in revealing himself to anybody who will come to him, recognising him as God.
And he’s the Father. And he’s the Lord of heaven and earth.
You know what’s written on the Exchange Building? I know you do. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, engraved in the stone. The one who says, the earth is mine and all its fullness, offers the opportunity of calling him Father to any who will simply receive and learn.
But for so long as we say, I don’t need that, I’m far too superior for that, then he will simply keep it hidden.
So, a couple of observations as we draw to a close.
Note this, this you could think about all afternoon, take it to your D&I department. The deliberate discrimination in the first part of the verse enables the possibility of wholesale inclusion in the second.
Deliberate discrimination, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you’ve hidden these things. From the— the possibility of wholesale inclusion revealed them to little children. Now that is truly inclusive.
There’s nothing else like it.
Everybody is offered relational knowledge to be on the balcony, if you like, with the only royal family that counts. Everybody’s offered it. It’s not bound by intellect or dialect, class or race, previous experience, skill, past performance, present position. It’s available to absolutely anybody and everybody, provided we will just come and learn and receive.
The deliberate discrimination enables wholesale inclusion. And it explains so much. So, I was at seminary, at theological seminary, and the university I was at was close to the north coast of Norfolk. And I used to toddle up there quite regularly to see my granddad. My granddad became a Christian when he was 30, in about the 1930s, early 1930s.
And he was a farmer, and when he became a Christian, many of the people in the local village kind of worked on the farms and stuff, And so, he set up tents on the village green and got the whole village to come and hear the Christian message. I mean, that’s what you call somebody who’s really come to the Lord Jesus and realises the joy and privilege of what they’ve got. He heard it, everybody’s got to hear. So, he put up a tent on the village green, the whole village was invited. A guy called Bill became a Christian.
He hadn’t got an education qualification to his name. He looked after the cattle. And when I used to go up in the 1980s to my granddad, he was still in my granddad’s Bible study. At the same time, I was being taught by some of the finest brains in the world at Cambridge University theology, who had not great personal trust in the Lord Jesus. And it struck me that Bill knew the Lord, better than the professor of New Testament at Cambridge University.
At first glance, it seems so counterintuitive that God should deliberately conceal himself from the wise and arrogant.
It’s beautiful.
And then what a relief. I mean, just imagine if the verse read differently, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you’ve revealed yourself to the wise and learned and hidden yourself from for those who are humble. I mean, what would heaven be like? It would be hell. Well, look, I worked God out when I was finishing my PhD in the— ah, yes, I forced my way in here because I’m so strong and good.
It would be miserable. It would be just like earth. It would be the same as the city.
How do we explain the reluctance of 21st century highly educated Western elites to embrace the Christian faith. How do you explain it, I wonder? Too sophisticated? Too advanced in science? No, Jesus got a very different, a very different explanation: arrogance.
So, here is an exercise. You may or may not choose to do this. I wonder if we might, if we want this knowledge of God, which is such a privileged possession, I wonder if we might find some quiet place where nobody else is looking at some stage between now and the next day or two and kneel, and kneel down. Metaphorically as it were, before the Lord of heaven and earth and say to him, I come to you in my simplicity. I bring nothing.
I couldn’t possibly work you out. Please show me to yourself as Father. I’m ready to learn.
It would be a great thing to do.
Not necessarily in the middle of your office in 5 minutes’ time, but perhaps, you know, in the quiet and dark or whatever, in a private place. Let’s pray together.
Thank you, our Father in heaven, for your strange ways that we could never work out, but when we see them are so beautiful that anybody who kneels before you and comes to you as a child can know you and, more importantly, be known by you. Please make us, each one of us, we pray, such people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
