The Reading of the Week: Matthew 11:25-30.
Yesterday, we established that the "these things" Jesus refers to in Matthew 11:25 center on the Father's act of hiding and revealing an understanding of the "mighty works" of Jesus and his overall proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven. Today, we're going to examine the descriptions that accompany those to whom Christ's work is hidden, and those to whom it is revealed.
After reviewing other instances in Matthew where there is discussion of the wise and intelligent versus the childlike, the passage that offers us the greatest assistance as to what Jesus means when he refers to these two groups is Matthew 18:1-4, where Jesus says, "Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." and, "Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
While this passage is often understood with a, "just accept what you're told in spite of the evidence" kind of tone, there is something about the phrase, "whoever humbles himself," that doesn't seem to jive with this understanding. Rather, Jesus seems to be functioning with the same contrast that he's using in Matthew 11:25 when he speaks of the intelligent versus the simple.
So, what does it mean for an intelligent adult to become like a simple child? Here, it's key to understand how children were viewed in the 1st Century, namely, that they were a liability because they would consume a large portion of a family's resources without contributing anything in return. Because of this, in Roman society, if the parents perceived that, due to a disability or other impairment, a child would grow up and not provide a significant return on the original investment, the child would be abandoned.
As a result, to be child-like means to realize that you are helpless, have nothing to offer, and that your only hope is that someone else will care for you. Placing this in the context of Matthew 11:25-30, those who are children are the ones who recognize that they have nothing to offer God and are completely dependent upon his willingness to be gracious and merciful, while the wise and intelligent trust that their own works and understanding are enough to make them right with God.