Jesus did not come in response to logical conclusions reached by wise reflection. Instead, God revealed his Son to the simple: God’s wisdom embodied in the midst of the Jews, among a despised and seemingly backward people. Jesus was no intellectual or politician, but what was hidden from the world is seen in obscure towns like Chorazin and Bethsaida. For centuries, God’s plan in Christ had been a mystery, concealed from the most profound thinkers, but now its revelation approaches even children.
Jesus, the Son of God, did not enter the world as the outcome of logical conclusions reached by the wise and learned—whether in Israel or anywhere else. It is not as if they arrived at him through their reflections. Instead, God revealed his Son to the simple. Here he stands—God’s wisdom embodied—in the midst of the Jews, walking among them. To the world, this was a despised and backward people. Furthermore, Jesus was not numbered among the philosophers, statesmen, or poets of the age. Yet what remained hidden from India and Greece is made known in small and obscure towns like Chorazin and Bethsaida. For centuries, God’s revelation in Christ had been a mystery, concealed from even the most profound thinkers. But now, as this revelation dawns, it comes forward on its own, as it approaches children in the form of a living person—Immanuel walking the streets.1
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;