“The Hidden Treasure”
Luke 10:1-24
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. – Luke 10:21
God’s Kingdom authority is a hidden treasure. It is hidden from the wise and prudent of the world and revealed to babes. Jesus said this right after sending out seventy disciples in the power of the Spirt. He had sent out the Twelve earlier in similar fashion. He had authority to impart authority to others; and that was perhaps the greatest miracle of all.
He expanded His work through an additional seventy. This again was a miracle of multiplication: From Jesus, to the Twelve, and now to seventy more. The expanse of the Kingdom through the Holy Spirit was multiplied just as it is through the church today. And our text this morning is a prelude to that exponential growth.
But notice the requirement: Humility – He “revealed them to babes.” Also notice that God has “hidden these things” from the wise and prudent. Paul described this same dynamic to the Corinthian church, a “wise and prudent” fellowship:
“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.” [1 Cor 1:27-29]
For “the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” [1 Cor 3:19], and “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him.” [1 Cor 2:14]
Paul wrote these to a church surrounded by Greek philosophy, and some of which had crept into their fellowship. Corinth was an intellectual mecca, steeped in Greek and Stoic philosophy! It was a like many of our universities today. It was the “wisdom of man” and was foolishness with God.
As Christians we would do well to remember these Scriptures when we are tempted to look to the philosophy of this world rather than the Spirit-filled revelation of God. God’s Spirit is a hidden treasure; hidden from the world but visible from the Throne.
