Holy Boldness

Chapter 21 B ecoming L ike C hildren

The presence of the Kingdom demands a response. The proud and the self-righteous inevitably were blind to the reality that was laid out before them in plain view. On the heels of these powerful pronouncements against certain cities, Jesus began to declare some of His most stunning observations of the various responses to His message. He discerned a contrast between those who could hear His words and those who could not. 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; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. (Matt 11:25-26) In this section Jesus praises His Father/God for something that has been revealed to Him about His Father’s ways; namely, God reveals truth to the child-like and the innocent but conceals truth from the arrogant and those who think that they already know. The fact that Jesus adds the additional title “Lord of heaven and earth” to “ Father” means that He is recognizing one of the governing ways of God in the universe. He is not just rejoicing in a single action of the Father but in His governing patterns that apply to everyone. Jesus was watching it play out before His eyes and it evoked a deeply personal response from Jesus. God was mak ing a distinction between two types of people: “the wise and intelligent” and the so-called “ babes” . It is probably the most significant distinction found in the scripture and the reason for that divide is found in the familiar statement, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) God does not accommodate the arrogant with an understanding of His ways. He has nothing to say to them. He consistently humiliates the proud often without their being fully aware of it and will close the door on the haughty. No one is exempt from this simple truth. God is

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