Hidden from the Wise, Revealed to Little Children
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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” (Matthew 11:25).
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ!
When our oldest grandson, Abbott, was quite a bit smaller—about
two years old—Aimee and I would take him along on our walks through Dunham Park
in Sioux Falls. 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, to no avail. So, we took off, with Abbott carrying the special toy he
felt was so crucial to bring. 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 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 2½-mile
mark, though, he pulled up short. His chubby cheeks were bright red, and 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 at 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, found out that perhaps
he wasn’t as big or strong as he thought he was, admitted he needed help, and
then turned to the one he knew 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 is
weary and heavy-laden, weighed down by the burden of our own sin and the
consequences of living in a fallen world. We are all “little children,” utterly
dependent on God to save us.
But we don’t always recognize it, do we? 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, and 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, who 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 in 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 those 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 are there to be clothed in Christ's
righteousness. They are there to be taken places—namely, into the Kingdom of
heaven. They are quite happy, like a child, simply to say to the Savior,
"You've done all the work, and I'm happy to receive the benefits."
And where does Jesus give those benefits today? He gives them
where He has promised to be found. He speaks His forgiving Word into your ears
through the preaching of the Gospel. He washes sinners in the waters of Holy
Baptism. He places into your mouths His own true Body and Blood in the
Sacrament of the Altar for the forgiveness of sins. The Christian life is not
first about what we do for Jesus, but about what Jesus continues to do for us
through these gracious gifts.
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, death,
and resurrection. He lived the perfect life for you. He died on the cross for
your sins. He rose from the dead in order to raise you up and give you
everlasting life. He 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 or grandparent 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.
This is not merely a memory of what He once said long ago.
Even today, the living Christ speaks through His preached Word. Even today, He
invites you to His Table, where He gives you not symbols of His love but His
very Body and Blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. When
Jesus says, "Come to Me," He is inviting you to the very places where
He has promised to meet you with His saving gifts.
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 to 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 to do 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, 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 spoiled child who runs away, feeds on
candy and junk food and refuses to eat the fine meal that has been set before
him. 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 gives
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.”
So, when the burdens of this week become too heavy to carry,
remember little Abbott in the park. He could not carry himself home, and
neither can we carry ourselves into the Kingdom of God. But our Lord does
something even greater than any earthly grandfather could do. He has already
carried the crushing burden of your sin to the cross. Risen from the dead, He
still carries you today. He carries you by speaking His forgiving Word into
your ears. He carries you by feeding you with His own Body and Blood, strengthening
your weary soul with the very forgiveness He won on Calvary. He carries you
until the day He brings you safely into His Father's house.
So come to Him. Come where His Gospel is preached. Come where
His Table is prepared. Come weary. Come burdened. Come as His little child. For
there your Savior still says, "I will give you rest." And what He
promises, He surely gives. In Him your sins are forgiven, your soul is
refreshed, and your eternal home is certain. That rest and salvation are yours
in Christ. He bears your burden of sin. For His sake, you are forgiven for all
of your sins.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen
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