“We
have the idea that God could not reign if he did not have wise and
understanding people to help him. . . . [The wise and understanding] are
always exerting themselves; they do things in the Christian church the
way they want to themselves. Everything that God does they must improve,
so that there is no poorer, more insignificant and despised disciple on
earth than God; he must be everybody’s pupil,
everybody wants to be his teacher. . . . They are not satisfied with
what God has done and instituted, they cannot let things be as they were
ordained to be. . . . These are the real wiseacres, of whom Christ is
speaking here, who always have to have and do something special in order
that the people may say, ‘Ah, our pastor or preacher is nothing;
there’s the real man, he'll get things done!’ . . . Should God be so
greatly pleased with these fellows who are all too smart and wise for
him and are always wanting to send him back to school?”
Martin
Luther, preaching his last sermon, on Matthew 11:25-30, quoted in
Luther’s Works: Sermons I (Philadelphia, 1959), pages 383-384.
The scripture Luther is referring to is "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." These were the religious leaders of Jesus day
that said John had a demon and Jesus was a glutton and a drunkard, well
so much for what they knew. But Luther includes so many self appointed
experts in the church that always know more than anyone else, especially
the Pastor. These people submit to no one acting as if they know more
than God himself.
Read all of chapter 11 to get the whole picture
and read verse 27 "All things have been handed over to me by my Father,
and no one knows the the Son except the Father, and no one knows the
Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
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