13-Jul-16

Gospel MT 11:25-27
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Reflection:
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned.....
It was not a case of the Father keeping the truth from the Pharisee and scribes "because" they were "wise and learned."
By the world's standards, the Pharisees and scribes were educated, but portrayed a harsh, judgmental God who demanded obedience to "their" hundreds of burdensome rules.
Their intellectual pride and desire to maintain power over God's people caused "them" to reject Jesus and His message from the Father.
Their minds could not comprehend that the Messiah would appear in the form of a simple carpenter's son.
The old saying applies: "They were too smart for their own good."
".....you have revealed them to the childlike."
The "childlike" were the disciples and the common people whose hearts were open to learning about God from Jesus.
Jesus' simple lessons about the Father resonated in their hearts: "Loveone another as I have loved you, forgive and you will be forgiven, love and pray for your enemies, turn the other cheek."
"Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Jesus is telling Pharisees and disciples alike: "If you want to see the Father, look into your hearts. The Father and I are one and the same. When you see me, you see the Father. In accepting me, you are accepting the one who sent me."
And for those who accept Him, Jesus assures them, "I am with you always, until the end of time."

"The heart, not the head, is the home of the gospel." - - Plummer