Hidden from the Wise, Revealed to Little Children
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Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
When our grandson,
Abbott, was quite a bit smaller—about two years old—Aimee and I would take him
along on our walks through Dunham Park. On one occasion, he insisted on
bringing along one of his toys. Planning on walking at least three miles and
knowing he would probably get tired before we got back, we tried to persuade
him not to bring along the extra load. But it was to no avail. So, we took off,
with Abbott carrying his special toy that he felt was so necessary to bring
alone. We figured he would have to learn the lesson for himself.
It took a while for our
suspicions that his (in our view, unnecessary) burden would soon become too
heavy for him to carry to materialize. For someone with so much shorter legs,
he really kept pace with us. For a while it even looked like he might make it
the whole way. At about the 2 ½ mile mark though, he pulled up short. His
chubby cheeks were bright red, sweat was glistening off his forehead. He said,
“Papa, can you take this for me?” I said, “No, you wanted to bring it with us
even when we told you that you should leave it home, so you’re going to have to
carry it.”
But I could see that he
was really hot and tired. So, I told him to hold on to the toy and I picked him
up, put him on my shoulders, and we walked all the rest of the way back home. It
wasn’t easy, but I enjoyed every minute, every step. I guess you could say at
that point it was a labor of love. Abbott carried his load (the toy) and I
carried him and his load. But it didn’t happen until Abbott realized his own
limitations, to find out that perhaps he was as big or strong as he thought he
was, to admit he needed help, and then to turn to the one he know could help
him.
It’s not a perfect
analogy, but there is something like this going on in our text for today. Jesus
is calling all who are weary and heavy-laden to come and follow Him. In reality,
that is each of us. Each of us are weary and heavy-laden, weighed down the burden
of our own sin and the consequences of living in a fallen world. We are all “little
children” in being utterly dependent on God to save us.
But we don’t always
recognize it. We aren’t always willing to admit our sin or our limitations. The
world has taught us the importance of self-sufficiency, of carrying our own
weight, handling our own problems. That strategy generally works best for us in
the kingdoms of this world, but it doesn’t go far in the Kingdom of God. There,
it is those who realize their own limitations, who realize their neediness, and
the insufficiency of worldly wisdom, those with a childlike faith, are the ones
who find true strength and wisdom in Jesus Christ.
Which brings us back to
our Lord’s words: “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.” Jesus makes this faithful confession after a sermon to the
multitudes who have been carefully catechized by the Pharisees and their own
sinful natures. They’ve been trained to believe that salvation works just like
daily life. Since nothing comes from nothing, you’ve got to work hard to get to
heaven, and every mistake is going to cost you dearly. Success isn’t
guaranteed, and you may not be righteous like the Pharisees.
Remember, too, that
there’s always more to do. The job of salvation isn’t ever done, so keep
working hard. That’s why the Pharisees continually load down the people with
demands. That’s why they instruct the people on how to walk, what to eat, even
how much makes for a proper tithe of herbs. For the shakers, movers, and haves,
the system seems to work. There are successful people who seem to be keeping
the rules, and this is supposed to motivate everyone else to try. Some will try
to be self-righteous. A lot more will give up and stop trying, because there’s
only so much room at the top.
So much religion is run
this way, sadly, even the guise of Christianity. The Gospel is pictured as one
more pursuit of excellence. If you’re wise enough and dedicated enough then you
can develop a solid faith and a mature relationship with Jesus. You get out of it
what you put into it. It makes sense—but it’s wrong.
This is why Jesus
declares that salvation has been revealed to little children. The little
children are the ones of any age who treat religion like a little kid: they are
believers who are there to be given to. They are there to be fed with
forgiveness. They’re there to be clothed in righteousness. They’re there to be
taken places, namely the Kingdom of heaven. They’re quite happy, like a child,
to say to the Savior, “You’ve done all the work, and I’m happy to receive the
benefits.”
That doesn’t work in daily
life, but that’s the Gospel. You and I have eternal life because Jesus has done
all the work by His life and death and resurrection. He’s lived the perfect
life for you. He’s died on the cross for your sins. He’s risen from the dead in
order to raise you up and give you everlasting life. He’s even ascended into
heaven to prepare the way for your ascent into heaven. He doesn’t say, “Work
hard, and if you do well enough I’ll save you.” No, instead He declares this: “Come
to Me, all who labor 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.”
“Come
to Me,” says Jesus, but He doesn’t mean “If you work hard enough to make your
way to Me, I’ll reward you.” No, think instead of the parent who tenderly picks
up a tired child while at the same time inviting him, “Come here!”, and you
have a better idea of the Savior. He has rest for all those who are weary and
heavy laden with sin and weakness and know it, and those who are weary and
heavy laden with sin and weakness and don’t know it. The former understand that
salvation isn’t about the rules of daily living; if it is, they’ll never get
the work done. Thus, they’re happy to rest in the Savior. The latter don’t
think that the burden is heavy, so they see no need for the Savior. Instead,
they’ll seek out salvation by their own rules. But they’ll never make it.
“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.” Note carefully again the words of Jesus. Not “take My yoke
upon you and pull with Me,” but “take My yoke upon you and learn from
Me.” Hear His Word that He has paid the price for your sins. Hear His Word that
He gives you grace and faith and salvation and all good things. Jesus does not
come like the ox-driver, whip in hand and demanding a good performance before
He rewards you. No, He is gentle and lowly and humble in heart, so much so that
He gently rode into Jerusalem, suffered most lowly, and humbly went to the
cross in your place. Because He’s suffered God’s wrath for you, you have rest
for your souls with God forever. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light,
because the price for your salvation is already paid.
Daily living is enough
of a challenge for you and me. Rather than seeking to make salvation work the
same way, you and I ought rightly say, “In everything I do in daily life, there
is always more to do and I can never get it done, especially not perfectly.
This accuses me. It shows me my limitations and failings, and it teaches me
that if salvation works the same way, then I am surely lost. Therefore, rather
than seek to earn my way to heaven, I will simply confess my sins and give
thanks that Jesus has earned my way to heaven for me. Rather than seek to
wisely and prudently earn my salvation, I will instead be a child who rejoices
to be taken care of, to be given to.”
Now, be careful. There
is no greater joy than being a little child in the arms of the Savior, who
delights to give you all good things. But, before you know it, your sinful
nature will twist this around and say, “Did you hear that sermon? The pastor said
that you don’t have anything, so go ahead and do whatever you want. The pastor
said that being a Christian isn’t about how hard you work to build a strong
relationship with God, so forget that stuff like reading the Bible and
receiving the Sacraments.” Old Adam is highly skilled at hearing only what he
wants, so do not be deceived.
A little child delights
to be given to. A little child delights to be fed and clothed and taken places.
But if the child refuses to eat, he grows weak and sick. If the child goes and
hides so his parents can’t find him, then he can’t be fed or clothed or taken
places. The Christian who does not often hear God’s Word and receive His Supper
is not boldly demonstrating that He is saved by grace; he’s being a child who
runs away and refuses to eat. Do not be such a child. Instead, rejoice that the
Lord visits you time and time again, giving you forgiveness, clothing you in righteousness,
promising the kingdom of heaven.
Life is a struggle. You
get out of it what you put into it if you’re lucky; and sooner or later, you
can’t put enough into it to sustain. That’s how life works in this sinful
fallen world. But that isn’t how salvation works with your sinless Savior. The
Lord Jesus declares that He give it to you freely as a parent gives to a little
child. May your struggles and setbacks in life serve to give you this joy: that
while you must labor wearily and bear heavy loads in this life, it is not so
for eternal life. Your Savior bids you, “Come to Me, all who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
That rest and salvation
are yours in Christ. You are forgiven for all of your sins.
In the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture
quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001
by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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