Praising God's justice and mercy

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; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

--Matthew 11:25-30 ESV

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How often do we praise God's justice? Or is it something we lament, as if it is something to be ashamed of?

I am not saying that we should only preach God's justice, especially as this passage shows us God's awesome mercy. But we should remember that God's glory is demonstrated through His acts of justice, whether it be to leave a person in unbelief, or to open the eyes of that person to see salvation in Christ.

Yet Jesus praised God for hiding the truth of salvation from the wise. Why Jesus did so, I don't know, but as it comes on the heels of His condemnation of Bethsaida and Chorazin, I can't help but think that Jesus is reminding us that God is just and we are sinners who deserve judgement.

But thank God for Jesus' next statement, because Jesus then praised God for revealing the truth to the little children, "for such was your [God's] gracious will." (ESV Matthew 11:26). What a contrast, that the little children, the ones who are the least in the world, are the ones to be given the great mercy of God, whereas those who were wise had the great things of God hidden from them. What a warning for those who would seek to be wise in their own eyes.

Jesus speaks to His authority to reveal the Father to us. In our evangelistic zeal, let us not forget that it is the power of Christ, and Christ alone, to reveal the Father to us.

Jesus concludes this with a call to repentance. I am reminded of Jeremiah 9:5, which speaks of the people in Israel wearying themselves committing iniquity. How often that describes us, who spend so little time in the things of God, and yet pursue the vanities of the world, wearing out our bodies to the breaking point for things that don't last. Especially for those of us in the West, we have all this technology at our disposal, and yet look at how tired we've become, how we exhaust ourselves, and for what? A few minutes pleasure? An hour's worth of exhilaration? Yet despite our sin, Jesus will take us, as we are, and as we repent of our sins, giving Him the burden that sin comes with, and giving us His yoke of righteousness, which is so light. The exchange is so wondrous, and yet we so often try to bear the load ourselves.

If God is working in our lives, He will teach us to come to Christ and give Him that burden of sin, and to take the true rest that Christ gives. Let us praise God for the mercy that comes to us through Christ.