"I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent" (Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21). These are the words of Jesus, uttered in public prayer, on at least two occasions. At the heart of the contexts of both occasions was the good news that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God—the world's only Savior. Luke says He "rejoiced in spirit" (Luke 10:21) as He praised God in prayer. Why would Jesus be joyful and thankful that the Father restricted the gospel from some?
The Father's hiding of the gospel should not be understood as He kept some from the opportunity to hear it. I submit that the "wise and prudent" of Jesus' day not only audibly heard the gospel, but they visually saw it. Yes, the scribes, Pharisees, and scholars in the Mosaic law audibly heard the good news of Jesus, but the majority of them did not receive what was said.
They visually saw Jesus in the flesh, they saw the miracles He performed, and the miracles of His disciples, but they did not recognize what was right in front of their eyes. Sellers S. Crain, Jr. wrote, "The contrast between the wise and intelligent and infants is not really that of intelligence, but of attitude; it is the difference between those who rely on themselves and those who rely on God" (Truth For Today Commentary: Matthew 1–13, pp. 385–386). They were deafened and blinded by their own pride. In another place, Jesus said of these types of people, "They seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand" (Matthew 13:13).
The scribes, Pharisees, and Mosaic law scholars were very intelligent. Many of them had tremendous knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures, but when it came to application and teaching, pride intervened. What many call "The Sermon on the Mount"—Matthew 5:1–7:29—was not some new teaching in contrast to the Old Testament. Rather, it was the correct teachings and applications of principles in the old law (which principles are now a part of the New Testament because of Jesus' teaching of them) because religious leaders in Jesus' day had misused and misapplied them (see Matthew 5:17–20).
If space would allow, we could consider the "wise and prudent" of Paul's day, such as those he encountered in Athens (Acts 17:16–33), or those he had to deal with in Corinth (see 1 & 2 Corinthians), or those he had to refute in the region of Colossae (see Colossians). Who are the "wise and prudent" of our day? We could spend time naming prominent faiths which misuse and misapply the gospel. We could spend time naming popular false teachers who misuse and misapply the gospel. But for the sake of space, let's each ask ourselves, "Have I allowed my 'wisdom' and 'intelligence' to get in the way of truly hearing the gospel?"
Clifton Angel preaches for the Coldwater Church of Christ in Coldwater, Miss. He is a regular contributor to your Tate Record Church Page.
