Why has God hidden these things from the wise (Matthew 11:25)?

The Lord turns from it all, to approve, spite of the sorrow that filled His heart, the Father's perfect ways. It was right to hide from the world's wise and prudent what to babes He could reveal. This is not hiding anything from men as men, but from men that cleave to their own wisdom, ― are wise enough to judge God, but not to judge themselves. In that condition it is impossible that He and they should come together. It is a first necessity that God should have His place ― should be God; and therefore man be the puny creature that he is, a babe indeed before Him. If there be true wisdom, he will find it no hardship to take his place as this before the Lord of heaven and earth: and here is the condition of all true blessing.

When "the Word became flesh" and dwelt among men, He revealed the great secret as to how God was to be known when He said, "I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and has revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight" (Matt. 11:25-26). These words from the lips of the Lord Himself, declare that the knowledge of God cannot be gained by laborious and brain-wearying investigation, no matter how sincere the labour may be, but only by revelation; they strike at the root of the pride of the human intellect and prick the bubble of those who "vainly puffed up in their fleshly minds" reject the revelation and think to find out God by their own searching; they shut out the reasonings and imaginations of the self-confident mind, which always, alas, since man is fallen, and "alienated in his mind by wicked works" exalts itself against the true knowledge of God (Col. 2:18; 1:21; 2 Cor. 10:5). And they show that there are two sides to the fact of revelation. There is activity on God's part and receptivity on ours. God is revealed, and the babes receive the revelation; the light shines and there are eyes that admit it; the truth is declared, but it is also believed; God must speak and men must hear, for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." And we are as dependent upon God for the babe-nature and the opened eyes and the believing heart, and the listening ears, as we are for the revelation that these perceive, appreciate and appropriate.

When "the Word became flesh" and dwelt among men, He revealed the great secret as to how God was to be known when He said, "I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight" (Matt. 11:25-26). These words from the lips of the Lord Himself declare that the knowledge of God cannot be gained by laborious and brain-wearying investigation, no matter how sincere the labour may be, but only by revelation; they strike at the root of the pride of the human intellect and prick the bubble of those who, "vainly puffed up in their fleshly minds," reject the revelation and think to find out God by their own searching; they shut out the reasonings and imaginations of the self-confident mind, which always, alas, since man is fallen, and "alienated in his mind by wicked works," exalts itself against the true knowledge of God (Col. 2:18: Col. 1:21; 2 Cor. 10:5). They show that there are two sides to the fact of revelation. There is activity on God's part and receptivity on ours. God is revealed and the babes receive the revelation. The light shines and there are eyes that admit it. The truth is declared, but it is also believed. God must speak and men must hear, for "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." And we are as dependent upon God for the babe-nature and the opened eyes and the believing heart, and the listening ears, as we are for the revelation that these perceive, appreciate and appropriate.

From the wise and the prudent, the self-sufficient religionists, the Pharisees and speculating Sadducees these things were hid, but revealed unto babes. They had refused Him, the wisdom of God; being wise in their own conceits and blindness was the dreadful result. Babes instead received the revelation of Himself. We often wonder why the wise and prudent of our day do not see certain truths, the blessed Gospel of the Glory of God, the truth concerning the church, the coming of our Lord, while others, poor and weak though they are, are in full possession of these revelations and ever receive more out of his fullness. The reason is soon found. Only He who owns his nothingness, who takes his place in weakness at His feet, and is like a babe, can receive these things. Never does the Lord entrust His secrets and his councils to the wise and prudent. Would we know more of Him, of His Word, His purposes and His thoughts? There is only one way -- be a babe, own yourself as such and as a babe walk and live before the Lord of heaven and earth.

The first of these hidden things was spoken of at a very solemn moment in the pathway of the Lord Jesus; Israel, His earthly people have just rejected Him, closing the door of the kingdom upon Him; and how does the Lord answer to these reproaches? "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee O Father, Lord of heaven and earth because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and has revealed them unto babes, even so Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight." With all their boasted religious knowledge and pretension, the leaders of Israel knew not the things that were of real, immense and eternal value. These things were to be found in the Son of God Whom the wise and prudent of Israel had just refused. In the Father's good pleasure, what belonged to Him in His Son was not to be acquired by human wisdom, or by the prudence of the world; He had decreed that the despised of the world, those who were accounted ignorant and unlettered — the babes in the estimation of the learned and the great, should receive His wonderful revelations.

But what are these wonderful things that the Father has hidden from the wise and the prudent? The Lord Jesus tells us, "All things are delivered unto Me of My Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." What did these proud leaders of Israel know of all that the Father had delivered into the hands of the Son? What did they know of Him Whom the Son had come to reveal? It was knowledge that could not be acquired in the schools of men; nor could it be found in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. In the Son alone was there the knowledge of the Father, and this they had turned their backs upon in rejecting Him. But the babes: such as Simon Peter and James and John, simple fishermen; they had been attracted to the Son of God, and from His lips they had heard the wonderful things of the Father. These were wonderful secrets indeed! The Son had come from the heights of heaven, out from the realms of eternity, to make the Father known to the untaught in the schools of men, and to tell them of all that the Father had given into His hands.

The Lord, though deeply and thoroughly sensible of Israel's rejection of Him, bows completely to the will and wisdom of God in it. (See Isa. 49.) "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." In this His blest supremacy was fully shewn. "Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight." The knowledge of God makes all necessarily good to us, for it comes from Him. It may be very contrary to our nature. To Jesus men's rejection of His message was of course painful. It threw Him on the sovereignty of God His Father whom He knew, in the fact that His Father had hid these things from the sages of the world, and revealed them to the despised and weak. He acknowledged the Father in the thing done, and in its suitableness to the whole order of God's dealings in such a world. That of course was all that the Son of God, or we taught of the Spirit, could desire, but it was in circumstances which required perfect submission of heart and will.

"Wise and prudent," i.e., self-sufficient ones. "Wise" according to its use in the N.T. would be those who are educated, trained, such as we find among the Greeks; "prudent" would be shrewd. In both cases it implies self-sufficiency. "Babes" — not the reasoners but receivers. "Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." It is a principle that is laid down here. All human pride is banned by God, and no flesh can glory in His presence. Man gets the blessing, God the glory, in doing things this way.

Verse 21 is deeply precious, as the Lord Jesus Himself rejoiced in spirit at the contemplation of the Father's love and wisdom in revealing the truth to "babes." "The wise and prudent" by the world's standards were left ignorant while babes (those who took a lowly place of subjection) had revealed to them what was of eternal, vital value. Those who think of themselves as being wise usually consider that only what they can reason out is worthy of their acceptance. They are stumbled by the very simplicity of what God makes available for His creatures, while the unquestioning faith of babes accepts and understands without difficulty. By such unpretentious wisdom the Father sees fit to humble the pride of mankind.

This explains why the babes know so much more than the wise and prudent. They have accepted the truth that God has spoken, and therefore, they do not "stumble at the word." Much of it they do not understand, but they expect that in an infinitely perfect word. They do however understand more than the wise, for the simple reason that they believe God. A subject mind and heart is after all of the greatest value. The meek He will guide in judgment."

"At that time" of His having to foretell the judgment of these guilty cities, the Lord Jesus found precious comfort in the wisdom and grace of His Father, thanking Him who is Lord of heaven and earth that He had hidden from the wise and prudent the knowledge of those things that manifest the glory of His Son, and had revealed them to babes. For the matter of greatest importance was what seemed good in the Father's sight. The wise and prudent prided themselves on their knowledge, and dismissed the thought of the lowly Son of Man being any more then man in spite of His mighty works and His words of unequaled grace.