"At that time Jesus said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.'"

What are these things that Jesus is talking about? Who are the wise and learned? Who are the little children? All very good questions, and their answers will help to explain this passage from St. Matthew's Gospel. So, let us be about the task of answering them.

What are these things that Jesus is talking about?

Well, they would be His miracles and teachings. These things would be all about Himself; they would be Himself. What Jesus was saying was akin to his statement made to the Pharisees that He has come to heal the sick, just as the healthy have no need for a physician. Hear him as He speaks in the five verses previous:

Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

You see, as He was going around Judea and Samaria, He was preaching that the kingdom of heaven was near—He was standing right there. He was performing many miracles—healing, casting out demons, feeding a lot of people with a little food. He was preaching the Law of God to show people how worthless and totally depraved they were, all the while offering faith and forgiveness. All of these things pointed to Him as their salvation—"by faith you have been healed," or, "your faith has saved you," Jesus would often proclaim. Still, everywhere He went, people would not repent; everywhere He went He met resistance and rejection.

And that begins to answer our next question.

"At that time Jesus said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.'"

Who are the wise and learned?

They are precisely the people who resisted Jesus and opposed Him. They are the people who wanted nothing to do with Him and the grace and mercy He had. These are the people who accused Him of blasphemy. These are the people who saw no need for Him. These are the people who saw in Him a departure from their status quo and sought to rid themselves of Him. They are the people who thought they knew better; people who, in their minds, were better than this Jesus. They are the people who would not repent.

We know them as the scribes and Pharisees and their disciples. They are the ones who would often try to trick Jesus into saying something that would contradict His teaching. But Jesus knew what was in their hearts. They were the people who brought charges against Him because He was doing something on the Sabbath. But Jesus simply replied that man is Lord of the Sabbath, not the other way around, and taught them by means of the Scripture and the example of King David. They were the people who leveled false accusations against Him, handing Him over to the Romans as a political prisoner to be executed. They got their way, but it was all part of the Master's plan for their salvation...yes, even theirs.

And it didn't end there. These "wise and learned" people who think they have no need for Jesus the Christ still exist. These days we do not call them by the titles scribes and Pharisees. Today, they're known by the titles American, Russian, German, French, and Japanese (among many others). Now, that's not to say that all of these people reject the Christ of God and His message, but they are certainly found among these people. The point is that there are those who do not wish to be bothered by the Law of God and do not want to hear of the Gospel among us. A scan of news headlines will show it to you as prayer is forbidden here and displays of Scripture are removed from there.

But, it is more than that, too. We live in a society that praises the individual and preaches self above anything else. "As long as you're happy," we hear. "If that works for you," is a common phrase. We live in a time when we are being told to look for the answers to our problems within, that you must "find yourself." We live in a time when others would like you to believe that truth is relative, that it doesn't matter what you believe—what matters is that you believe, because we're all going to the same place anyway. "Being a good person is all that matters, so if you want to believe in this Jesus guy, that's alright, but I don't have to."

However, before you start thinking that the problem is only out there, beyond these walls, this idea exists even right here. You can see someone who thinks they know or are better than Jesus every time you look in the mirror. Even now, I can tell you are out there. Are there not times when you sit in your pew with your arms crossed and with a frown and furrowed brow, as if it is such an inconvenience for you to be here? Or how about those times when you look around at all the others with the thought that what is being said is exactly what they need to hear (but not you, because you're not so poor and miserable a sinner)? We have all felt that way one time or another.

But what does Jesus say? "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."

We know who the wise and learned are, but who are the little children?

Well, they would be the opposite of the wise and learned. If the wise and learned are the people who resisted Jesus, then the little children are those who did not. If the wise and learned are the ones who wanted nothing to do with Him and His grace and mercy, then the little children are the ones who received Him and His gifts. If the wise and learned are the people who saw no need for Jesus, then the little children are the ones who saw their sin and their need for a Savior, and saw in Jesus that Savior. They are the people who repented and received the forgiveness Jesus was going to the cross to give them.

These are the people like Lazarus in Jesus parable. These are people like Jairus, the Roman Centurion and his household, and the poor woman with the demon-possessed daughter. These are people like the paralytic and his four friends who lowered him through the roof. These are people like the woman who sought only to touch the hem of Jesus' garment. These are people like the 10 lepers, especially the one who returned to thank him.

They bring nothing to the table. They have nothing to offer Jesus. Yet they need Him desperately. They are on the cusp of hell and death, and they recognize it. Furthermore, they recognize that they are powerless to stop themselves from crossing that cusp and falling into everlasting torment. They are like beggars, helpless and dependant upon someone else for aid. They recognize their heavy burden and difficult yoke.

And that is the life of a Christian! A Christian is a little child who has nothing of his own, but it totally dependent on someone else for their nurture and care. A Christian is like a beggar in that he believes he is a sinner who is totally dependant upon the mercy of God in Christ. Unless God is merciful for Jesus' sake, a Christian has nothing. Therefore, to have faith in Christ is to receive, like a little child and beggar, the Lord Jesus with all His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. That is what it means to have faith like a child!

"At that time Jesus said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.'"

Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

These are comforting words for little children and beggars. These words bring comfort to those who have a heavy burden and difficult yoke. It is the law of Christ, St. Paul says, to "bear one another's burdens." Praise be to God that the one who gave this law has borne ours, trading them for the easy yoke and light burden, and taking them to the cross. The same cross which is foolishness to the wise and learned, St. Paul says elsewhere, but the power of God to those being saved, the little children and beggars.

And that is why you are all here, little children. We gather to hear the Law of God, so that our sin may be revealed in us, showing us to be little children and beggars with nothing, completely helpless and dependant upon God's mercy. We see that our burdens are great. But we also hear the sweet news of the Gospel, that Jesus has borne all our burdens and woes and sins, and destroyed them at the cross. In this act which the world calls foolish, we have an everlasting peace, a peace which the world cannot understand, because our heavy burden and difficult yoke has been borne for us by our Savior, Jesus Christ; because our sin has been taken from us! And because your sin has been taken from you, little children, it is my honor and privilege to declare that you are forgiven for all of your sins!