"This Is the Way You Approved"

"You have carefully hidden these things from wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to young children." -LUKE 10:21.

TRY to imagine what it must have been like to see Jesus when he was "overjoyed in the holy spirit."  Perhaps he had a big smile on his face and his eyes were full of excitement. But why? He had just sent 70 of his disciples to preach the good news of God's Kingdom. Because there were many powerful enemies of the good news, he was eager to find out how his disciples would handle their assignment. These enemies included the scribes and Pharisees, who were very educated and smart.  They wanted people to view Jesus as simply a carpenter and to view his disciples as "uneducated and ordinary  men." (Acts 4:13; Mark 6:3) Even so, when the disciples returned from their assignment, they were filled with joy. They had preached despite opposition, even from demons! Why were they able to stay joyful and courageous? -Read Luke 10:1, 17-21. 

Jesus said to Jehovah:  "I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to young children.  Yes, O Father, because this is the way you approved." (Matthew 11:25, 26) Why did Jesus call his disciples young children? Because unlike the scribes and Pharisees, who were well-educated and who thought that they were wise, Jesus' disciples were willing to be taught like children. They learned to be humble, not proud.  (Matthew 18:1-4)  Because they were humble, Jehovah used his holy spirit to help them understand deep Bible truths. But the proud Jewish religious leaders remained blinded by Satan and by their own pride. 

No wonder Jesus was so joyful!  He was happy to see how Jehovah made known deep Bible truths to humble people regardless of their education.  This way of teaching is approved by God, and God has not changed. How does he show that he still approves of this way of teaching?  In this articles, we will learn  how Jehovah makes know deep Bible truths to humble people today.

Next time: "This Is the Way You Approved" - EXPLAINING DEEP TRUTHS TO ALL

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015