Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Wisdom From Above
Rev. Issac P. Kurien
St. John's MTC,
NY
21 At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit
and 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; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
This Sunday we are meditating upon the theme `Wisdom from above’. The contemporary world is an informative world. Information is not knowledge and knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is more related to praxis and knowledge is more intellectual. Wisdom is a gift of God.
This passage is a speech that Jesus gave by rejoicing in the Holy Spirit. The immediate context of the passage was the return of the seventy whom were assigned by Jesus to preach the Gospel. So Jesus was giving them the insight to be happy because their names were written in heaven. It was followed by the explanation to them about the reason of his rejoicing. Jesus was rejoicing over the fact that it is the Father’s will to reveal “these things” to “little children.” The “little children” would be Jesus’ disciples.
Jesus challenges the scribes and Pharisees who claims that they are wise. Jesus says that meeting God is the true wisdom. It is not possible until God himself reveals to you and that demands a life according to the will of God. It demands a discipleship to His son Jesus Christ. He addresses them as children and wanted to say that being like a child or being humble is a necessity for the revelation of God.
Secondly Jesus wanted to say that the medium of revelation is Him. The authority has been given to him over the revelation of Father. So the Father reveals the Son to us. And the Son reveals the Father to us. It works both ways.
The Holy Spirit can be said to create and nourish faith in our hearts through the gospel, through the means of grace. Therefore all three persons of the Trinity are active and involved in making God and his salvation known to us. This is how divine revelation works.
And finally, Jesus concludes this passage by saying that the true blessedness is knowing Christ. Jesus is rejoicing when we find true wisdom, that is finding Jesus Christ the Son of God and through Him the God Almighty. May the God Almighty helps us to experience the revelation.
This Sunday we are meditating upon the theme `Wisdom from above’. The contemporary world is an informative world. Information is not knowledge and knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is more related to praxis and knowledge is more intellectual. Wisdom is a gift of God.
This passage is a speech that Jesus gave by rejoicing in the Holy Spirit. The immediate context of the passage was the return of the seventy whom were assigned by Jesus to preach the Gospel. So Jesus was giving them the insight to be happy because their names were written in heaven. It was followed by the explanation to them about the reason of his rejoicing. Jesus was rejoicing over the fact that it is the Father’s will to reveal “these things” to “little children.” The “little children” would be Jesus’ disciples.
Jesus challenges the scribes and Pharisees who claims that they are wise. Jesus says that meeting God is the true wisdom. It is not possible until God himself reveals to you and that demands a life according to the will of God. It demands a discipleship to His son Jesus Christ. He addresses them as children and wanted to say that being like a child or being humble is a necessity for the revelation of God.
Secondly Jesus wanted to say that the medium of revelation is Him. The authority has been given to him over the revelation of Father. So the Father reveals the Son to us. And the Son reveals the Father to us. It works both ways.
The Holy Spirit can be said to create and nourish faith in our hearts through the gospel, through the means of grace. Therefore all three persons of the Trinity are active and involved in making God and his salvation known to us. This is how divine revelation works.
And finally, Jesus concludes this passage by saying that the true blessedness is knowing Christ. Jesus is rejoicing when we find true wisdom, that is finding Jesus Christ the Son of God and through Him the God Almighty. May the God Almighty helps us to experience the revelation.
PRAYER
Your desires is for what
is true in the inner parts; in the secrets of my soul you will give me
knowledge of wisdom. Amen. - (Psalm 51:6)
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY:
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” Socrates
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” Socrates