Matthew 11:25

He exults in spirit when He says to the Father, "I thank Thee, O Father, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent." He, moreover, affirms also that to no man is the Father known, but to His Son; and promises that, as the Son of the Father, He will confess those who confess Him, and deny those who deny Him, before His Father.

The hidden things of heavenly words and their power are hid from the wise, and revealed to the babes; babes, that is, in malice, not in understanding; hid from the wise because of their presumption of their own wisdom, not because of their wisdom. The justice of this the Lord confirms by the sentence of the Father's will, that they who disdain to be made babes in God, should become fools in their own wisdom; and therefore He adds, Even so, Father; for so it seemed good before thee.

(Verse 25) At that time, Jesus answered and said: I confess to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. Confession, not always repentance, but also signifies thanksgiving, as we often read in the psalms. Let those who calumniate the Savior for calling his Father the Lord of heaven and earth, not as one who is born, but as one who is created, hear. For if he is also a creature, and a creature can call its creator father, it would be foolish not to call both himself and the Lord of heaven and earth, or Father, in the same way. 74 Because you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to little ones. He gives thanks and rejoices in the Father, because the sacraments of his coming have been revealed to the apostles, which the scribes and Pharisees, who consider themselves wise, have ignored, and in their own sight, prudent. Wisdom has been justified by her children.

He employs the phrase "I confess you" in accordance with human custom. Instead of saying "I acknowledge you," he brings in the phrase "I glorify you." For it is customary in the divinely inspired Scripture for the word confession to be taken in some such a sense. It is written, "Let the people give thanks," Lord, "to your great name, because it is formidable and holy." And again, "I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart."7But those who are perverted in mind say, "Look here, if he renders thanks to the Father, how then is he not less than the Father?" To this objection one who knows how to guard the doctrines of truth might say, "My good man, what prevents the consubstantial Son from accepting and praising his own Father, who through him saves what is under heaven? If you believe because of this confession that he is in a lesser position than the Father, look also at what comes next. Jesus acknowledges and calls his Father Lord of heaven and earth. For he confesses him as 'Lord of heaven and earth' and at the same time he calls upon him as 'Father.' But the Son of God who is ruler of all is in every way with him the Lord and Master of all, not as one worse or differing in substance, but as God from God. He is crowned with equal renown, having substantially with him equality in everything whatsoever."

And he revealed these things to children. To which children? Not those who are children in age but to those who are children in respect to sin and wickedness. To them Jesus revealed how to seek the blessings of paradise and the things to come …

Seest thou, how many ways He leads them on to the faith? First, by His praises of John. For by pointing to him as a great and marvellous one, He proved likewise all his sayings credible, whereby he used to draw them on to the knowledge of Him. Secondly, by saying, "The kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force;" for this is the language of one who is pressing and urging them. Thirdly, by signifying that the number of the prophets was finished; for this too manifested Himself to be the person that was announced beforehand by them. Fourthly, by pointing out that whatsoever things should be done by him, were all accomplished; at which time also He made mention of the parable of the children. Fifthly, by His upbraiding them that had not believed, and by His alarming and threatening them greatly. Sixthly, by His giving thanks for them that believed. For the expression, "I make acknowledgment to Thee," here is, "I thank Thee." "I thank Thee," He saith, "because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent." What then? doth He rejoice in destruction, and in the others not having received this knowledge? By no means; but this is a most excellent way of His to save men, His not forcing them that utterly reject, and are not willing to receive His sayings; that, since they were not bettered by His call, but fell back, and despised it, His casting them out might cause them to fall into a longing for these things. And so likewise the attentive would grow more earnest. And while His being revealed to these was fit matter of joy, His concealment from those was no more of joy but of tears. Thus at any rate He acts, where He weeps for the city. Not therefore because of this doth He rejoice, but because what wise men knew not, was known to these. […]

"You have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent, and have revealed them to the little ones," that is, to the humble. For nothing so darkens the understanding in those things which are of God as presumption. We all praise humility and censure …

This wisdom is called manifold because there are many ways of expressing it. Hence it was necessary that wisdom be shown under many figures, many sacraments, many signs, in order also that it be hidden to the proud and revealed to the humble. These veils …

This is what Wisdom Himself says in Matthew eleven: You have revealed these things to little ones, etc.: on which Bernard, in On the Steps of Humility: "It appears that the truth which is hidden from the proud is revealed to the humble. Humility, moreover, …

(Mor. xxvii. 13.) He says not' to the foolish,' but to babes, showing that He condemns pride, not understanding. (Mor. xxv. 14.) In which words we have a lesson of humility, that we should not rashly presume to discuss the counsels of heaven concerning the calling of some, and the rejection of others showing that that cannot be unrighteous which is willed by Him that is righteous.

(non occ.) Because the Lord knew that many would doubt respecting the foregoing matter, namely, that the Jews would not receive Christ whom the Gentile world has so willingly received, He here makes answer to their thoughts; And Jesus answered and said, I confess unto thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. (ord.) That is, Who makest of heaven, or leavest in earthliness, whom Thou wilt. Or literally, ...

At that time Jesus declared: I thank you, Father... Above the Lord upbraided the unbelief of the crowd; now he gives thanks for the faith of the disciples and other believers. First, he gives thanks to the Father as author; secondly, he shows that he …

This is what He is saying: I thank Thee, Father, that the Jews who seem to be wise and knowledgeable of the Scriptures did not believe, while the unlearned and the babes believed and recognized the mysteries. God hid the mysteries from those who seemed …

Jesus answering - This word does not always imply, that something had been spoken, to which an answer is now made. It often means no more than the speaking in reference to some action or circumstance preceding.

At that time Jesus answered, and said,....

From the wise and prudent - That is, from those who “thought” themselves wise - “wise” according to the world’s estimation of wisdom, 1Co 1:26-27. Hast revealed them unto babes - To the poor, the ignorant, and the obscure; the teachable, the simple, the humble. By the wise and prudent here he had reference probably to the proud and haughty scribes and Pharisees in Capernaum. They rejected his gospel, but it was the pleasure of God to reveal it to obscure and more humble people.

There are few passages in the four Gospels more important than this. There are few which contain in so short a compass so many precious truths. May God give us an eye to see, and a heart to feel their value! Let us learn in the first place, the excellence of a childlike and teachable frame of mind. Our Lord says to his Father, “Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes.” It is not for us to attempt to explain why some receive and believe the Gospel, while others do not.

THAT is a singular way with which to commence a verse—"At that time Jesus answered." If you will look at the context you will not perceive that anybody had asked Him a question, or that He was indeed in conversation with any human being. Yet it says, "Jesus answered and said, I thank You, Father." Now when a man answers, he answers a person who has been speaking to him! Who, then, had been speaking to Jesus? Why, His Father!

It is as if He had said, "Yes; but there is a brighter side to the picture; even in those who have rejected the message of eternal life, it is the pride of their own hearts only which has blinded them, and the glory of the truth does but the more appear in their inability to receive it.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes

There are few passages in the four Gospels more important than this. There are few which contain in so short a compass so many precious truths. May God give us an eye to see, and a heart to feel their value! Let us learn in the first place, the excellence of a childlike and teachable frame of mind. Our Lord says to his Father, “Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes.” It is not for us to attempt to explain why some receive and believe the Gospel, while others do not. The sovereignty of God in this matter is a deep mystery: we cannot fathom it. But one thing, at all events, stands out in Scripture as a great practical truth to be had in everlasting remembrance: those from whom the Gospel is hidden are generally “the wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight;” those to whom the Gospel is revealed are generally humble, simple-minded, and willing to learn. The words of the Virgin Mary are continually being fulfilled: “He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich he hath sent empty away.” ( Luke 1:53 ). Let us watch against pride in every shape, pride of intellect, pride of wealth, pride in our own goodness, pride in our own deserts. Nothing is so likely to keep a man out of heaven, and prevent him seeing Christ, as pride. So long as we think we are something we shall never be saved. Let us pray for and cultivate humility; let us seek to know ourselves aright, and to find out our place in the sight of a holy God. The beginning of the way to heaven is to feel that we are in the way to hell, and to be willing to be taught of the Spirit. One of the first steps in saving Christianity is to be able to say with Saul, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? (see Acts 9:6 ). There is hardly a sentence of our Lord’s so frequently repeated as this: “ He that humbleth himself will be exalted” ( Luke 18:14 ).

THAT is a singular way with which to commence a verse—"At that time Jesus answered." If you will look at the context you will not perceive that anybody had asked Him a question, or that He was indeed in conversation with any human being. Yet it says, "Jesus answered and said, I thank You, Father." Now when a man answers, he answers a person who has been speaking to him! Who, then, had been speaking to Jesus? Why, His Father! Yet there is no record of it; which should teach us that Christ had constant fellowship with His Father, and often did His Father silently speak into His ear. As we are in this world even as Christ was, let us imitate this lesson. May we likewise have silent fellowship with the Father, so that we may often answer Him. And when the world knows not to whom we speak, may we speak to God, and respond to that secret voice which no other ear has heard—while our own ear—opened by the Spirit of God has attended to it with joy! I like the Christian to sometimes find himself obliged to speak out, or if not to speak out, to feel an almost irrepressible desire to say something though no one is near, because a thought has been brought to him by the Holy Spirit—a suggestion has been cast into the midst of his soul by the Holy Spirit—and he answers it. God has spoken to him, and he longs to speak to God—either to set to his seal that God is true in matter of Revelation, or to confess some sin of which the Spirit of God has convinced him, or to acknowledge some mercy which God's Providence has given, or to express assent to some great Truth which God the Holy Spirit has then opened to his understanding. Keep your hearts, my Brothers and Sisters, in such a state that when God speaks to you, you may be ready to answer in spite of whatever troubles may ruffle you, or whatever trials may disturb you.

I thank thee - Εξομολογουμαι σοι, I fully agree with thee - I am perfectly of the same mind. Thou hast acted in all things according to the strictest holiness, justice, mercy, and truth. Wise and prudent - The scribes and Pharisees, vainly puffed up by their fleshly minds, and having their foolish hearts darkened, refusing to submit to the righteousness of God (God’s method of saving man by Christ) and going about to establish their own righteousness, (their own method of saving themselves), they rejected God’s counsel, and God sent the peace and salvation of the Gospel to others, called here babes, (his disciples), simple-hearted persons, who submitted to be instructed and saved in God’s own way. Let it be observed, that our Lord does not thank the Father that he had hidden these things from the wise and prudent, but that, seeing they were hidden from them, he had revealed them to the others. There is a remarkable saying in the Talmudists, which casts light upon this: “Rab. Jochanan said: ‘From the time in which the temple was destroyed, wisdom was taken away from the prophets, and given to fools and children.’ Bava Bathra, fol. 12. Again: ‘In the days of the Messiah, every species of wisdom, even the most profound, shall, be revealed; and this even to children.’” Synop. Sohar. fol. 10.

By poets, as I have said, I do not mean people who write poetry, or indeed people who write anything. I mean such people as, having culture and imagination, use them to understand and share the feelings of their fellows; as against those who use …