Sending the Seventy, part 27: The Hidden Things

At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. " (Luke 10:21-22 NASB)

This is a beautiful picture of our Lord, who bubbles over with prayer as He is talking with His disciples. As we have seen in previous posts, the seventy disciples had gone out to the villages and towns where Jesus was headed. They had preached, healed the sick, and had an incredible experience. They returned, filled with joy and excitement over all they had seen and done. Jesus "debriefed" them, then explained that although what they had seen was very exciting, they should be even more excited about having their names recorded in heaven. 

"At that very time", Jesus was so overwhelmed with rejoicing in the Holy Spirit that He began to pray aloud. Praise for His Father poured forth. One of the things for which He praised God was that He had hidden "these things" from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. What were "these things" that had been hidden? The things that were hidden were those about which He had just been speaking, including authority over the power of the enemy in the name of Jesus, spiritual protection in service, and the certainty of eternity. 

For the most part, the religious leaders of the day failed to recognize the deity of Jesus and did not acknowledge the power and authority of Jesus. For people dependent upon the law, the idea of grace was a foreign concept. The "infants", those who were not learned scholars, fluent in the law and the prophets, had grasped the truth of Jesus when those who should have recognized Him did not, and Jesus said it was "well-pleasing" in the sight of God. 

The "infants" were just common men. They weren't fancy or wealthy. They weren't wise or educated. The amazing thing is that God did this intentionally. He chose to come to the common men and women of the day, and He still does. Nothing special or fancy was required to learn the deep truths of God. All who came could know Him. All who come, even now, can know Him just as deeply, just as intimately.

Can we know the "hidden things" of God? Yes, we can. God Himself delights in revealing truth to those who will seek it. In fact, He is well-pleased when we seek and find what He has hidden just for us. If you will seek, you will find all He has set aside just for you. Even better, in the seeking and finding, you will also encounter the pleasure of God. What could be better than that? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.