MERE CHILDREN AND THE LEARNED AND THE CLEVER

Jesus thanks the Father for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. I read this and thought “what things”. Perhaps I was sensitive because I have a PhD hanging on the wall and cannot pretend not to be clever. Jesus saw something in children and how they lived that he always saw as a deep treasure for the enrichment of adults. He said that entry into the kingdom of God is only gained by those who become like little children.

Part of the “things” hidden by the Father and revealed to mere children has to be Jesus himself as the way to know the Father. Imagine Jesus talking to a child and having them accept that He is the one who can tell them who God is. The child trusts Jesus and accepts what he says as the truth. Parents know how children accept what they say about something as the truth. They will hear their child say to someone else if challenged: “Well I know that, because Mum or Dad said so!” Mum or Dad is their source of authority and surety.

In a similar way, Jesus proclaims his uniqueness as the son of the Father and the one who reveals to others who the Father is. The learned and the clever can be less accepting than the child. They don’t want to look unsophisticated and so see the words of Jesus having less importance than some scientist or philosopher talking about the meaning of life.

If we trust what Jesus says and live by it we find the load we carry in helping others know how to live surprisingly lighter. No longer are we overburdened. Jesus shares the carrying with us and in fact takes the part as we often did as kids helping Mum or Dad carry something. They had the lion’s share, but we were important as we carried our corner. The things hidden are for us to rely on what Jesus says is the truth.

Fr Adrian Farrelly