The Revelation to the Little Ones

The Revelation to the Little Ones

Mt 11: 25 – 30

14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Introduction

Today’s Gospel speaks of God’s revelation of himself to the little ones, the humble of heart and the lowly. God reveals himself to the humble because he himself is humble.

The Gospel

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷ All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
²⁸ “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light

Reflection

The Revelation of God to the Little Ones

There are many themes that run through today’s reading. The main theme, however, that seems to link all the different themes in this reading is the theme of revelation. 

First, revelation is here understood as God’s disclosure of himself. It is God who discloses who he is to us. Without God’s disclosure of himself, we could only have a faint idea of who he really is. We may acquire some insight on who he is through natural reason but unless he reveals himself to us, we could only arrive at mere guess work and pure speculation. This theme about revelation is mentioned in verse 25 and verse 27. In verse 25, we hear Jesus saying: ”…you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants.” In verse 27, Jesus says: “…no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 

Second, we learn that God wills to reveal himself to us. He is not forced to disclose himself. He does this freely and graciously. Jesus underlines this fact in verse 26, when he says: “yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” God wants us to know him. Our knowledge of him makes it possible for us to understand him better and to eventually become closer and more intimate with him. 

The third aspect of God’s self disclosure or revelation is its universality. God discloses and reveals himself to all without exception. However, in our reading, this universality seems to be absent as some of the texts do not  support this notion of universality particularly when Jesus tells us that the Father reveals himself only to little children and hides himself from the wise and the intelligent. On another verse, we also notice this selective stance particularly when Jesus mentions how the Son reveals himself only to those whom he chooses.
This apparent selectivity, present within the texts of our reading, however, should be taken within the context of the reading in relation to the pericope or verses that come before it. Matthew 11: 25 – 30 is part of a larger narrative which talks about the people’s rejection of John the Baptist and of Jesus. From verse 11 – 24, Jesus tells a parable about children in the marketplace who would not dance to the tune of the music being played. He also talks about the different towns and cities of Betsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum who have rejected God’s call for repentance. In these few verses located before our reading, we see that God was not selective in revealing himself. He announced his message to all the cities in Israel only to be met with rejection. 

Seen in this context, we then discover a clearer meaning to our reading today. Jesus gave thanks to the Father because apparently, it is only the little ones who heeded God’s call. Ironically, it was not the wise and the intelligent, people who would have understood God’s message, who responded to God’s revelation. Instead, it was the little ones, those who were simple, uneducated, and humble in their ways who understood and accepted God’s revelation of himself. God’s revelation of himself, though addressed to everyone, is easily captured and understood by the humble of heart, those that Jesus refers to as the little ones. 

The last verses of our reading, from verses 28 – 30 re-echo once more God’s universal call in the form of an invitation : “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens.” To all those who are weary and burdened, does Jesus address his invitation to learn from him because he is gentle and humble of heart. Once more, we see how this invitation to heed God’s revelation is accompanied by the theme of lowliness and humility, signaling to us that the only way to know and understand God and his revelation of himself is through a humble heart. A humble heart resonates with the heart of God since God is himself humble. When Jesus says that he is gentle and humble of heart, he is describing to us the very heart of God. Despite God’s greatness, majesty and power, God remains lowly and humble. This is perhaps why he is understood only by those who, like him, are lowly, meek and humble of heart. Divinity, just like humility, can sometimes be found in the most common and unassuming of all places. It is no wonder then, that only the humble of heart can understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God. 

Prayer

Dear Lord, now I know why I don’t seem to understand you. Your humble ways are simply different from mine. There is nothing in my life which you haven’t given. Yet, I find myself boasting and exalting myself. Teach me Jesus, meek and humble of heart, that pride is a real burden to carry. Let me find rest in you so I may taste the sweet and light yoke you promise to those who come to you. Amen.

“ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” – James 4: 10