At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Matthew 11:25-27

A  very dear brother in Christ once said, “If God has hid something, ain’t nobody gonna find it!”

I do not think any reasonable person could deny this fact, but I am not sure that everyone realizes the extent of what Jesus means in this teaching.

God is sovereign in all His actions and decisions. This includes the understanding of Who He is.

In this case, God has chosen to hide the truth about Who Jesus is from those that spent their lives studying the Old Testament and other religious writings. These religious “scholars” were not seeking in faith, for they had none! They were seeking power and prestige not honor to God. No matter how much they studied, they were not going to find the truth because God had hidden it from them.

God has the right to do this.

But there are some who do believe. How is this possible?

Because God also has the right to show mercy on whom He will show mercy (Romans 9:15). Lest some might object and say this is not fair, read verse 14 in Romans, Chapter 9 and also understand that we would all be condemned were it not for God’s grace.

Those that are able to believe and follow Jesus are in a blessed condition under the mercy of God. We who believe, should not be arrogant as though we gained this by our own will. God is the author of our faith. We would not believe if God had not given us faith in the new birth. We would not love God if He had not loved us first.

Jesus plainly teaches that the Father is revealed to God’s people by the Son. This is an act of His sovereign will, choice, and power. It is not contingent upon man’s choice or acceptance. Therefore, if we understand ourselves to be redeemed in Christ, we ought to all the more devote our lives in thankful worship every time the doors of the church are opened.