Where Intelligence Is Irrelevant - Joyfully Pressing On
In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “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 good pleasure.”
Luke 10:21
I worshiped at an inner city, self-described “diverse, multi-ethnic church” the other week. I loved every second of it- of the different accents and rhythms and styles and shades. Which bodes well, since worship times will get even more diverse.
The heavenly worship set will come from a multitude from every tribe, tongue and nation. Every. So bring on diversity.
Including the little girl with Down Syndrome who faced straight right, but sang front center in the children’s choir.
Big On Diversity
We’re big on diversity as we ought to be. But it’s even bigger to God.
I mean, he wants- he will have– a cross section to compose his Son’s Bride, the church. Male and female, Greek and Jew, slave and free- there is no difference. All are one in Christ (Galatians 3:28). Gender, religious affiliation, and employment status are no barriers to God. His call goes out.
But variety in the God’s Kingdom doesn’t end with those. Church diversity goes beyond sex, age and skin color. For now, at least. it extends even to IQ.
To the end that God has actually hidden his glory from some high IQ’d and worldly wise and revealed it to children. To babes. The Greek in Luke 10:21 is nēpios which, I read, means nursing babies.
Dependent, helpless babies. Little children.
IQ Won’t Bring You To God
This means that, at least when it comes to getting into the Kingdom of God, intelligence is overrated.
Rather than being a prerequisite to knowing God, high IQ might even be a barrier, or handicap, in coming to Christ. Luke 10:21 (and Matthew 11:25-26 and 1 Cor. 1:26-31) means that no education, worldly wisdom or IQ can bring us to God.
And this truth pleased Jesus the Son because this pleased God the Father. It means that all the glory for our salvation goes to God. Not a smidge goes to our intelligence. Nobody gets into the kingdom of heaven by reasoning and deducting and inferring his way in.
Little children know they can’t make it alone. Everybody in God’s family knows that they’re needy and helpless.
It’s like those lines from Rock of Ages,
Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress,
Helpless, look to Thee for grace…
And Jesus rejoiced in this and said, 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 good pleasure.
No Matter If You’re Not Clever
Maybe this verse grabbed me so hard last week because I’ve been part of a few conversations lately about wits. About friends who feel pressure to keep up the smart front and match wits with the wise the feeling of inferiority that comes when we compare and feel not as smart.
But the most important wisdom in the world- the only saving knowledge in the wide world- does not come with being clever.
In a sermon on Luke 10:21, C.H. Spurgeon explains how this works:
One poor soul says, “I am not clever. I cannot be saved.” Why not? Why not, when God has chosen the foolish things of this world? I often hear a person say, “But I have not head enough for these things.” You do not need a head so much as you need a heart, for the grace of God works on the heart, first, and on the head, afterwards…If you love Christ and trust in Him, you have all the head that you need for eternal life.
“O,” says one, “but I am a person of such small capacity!” Never mind. “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners” whether they are of large capacity or small capacity. Have you a teachable spirit? Are you willing to believe what the Holy Spirit reveals? To sit at Jesus’ feet and learn of Him? Are you like the babe that…takes, unquestioningly, the nourishment she gives? If that is so, you are of the kind that God has chosen! Come at once to Him.
So what causes Jesus to rejoice greatly? At least in part, it was knowing that when it comes to knowing God, intelligence is irrelevant.
It was pleasing to you, Father, to hide these things from the wise.
Intelligence Is Irrelevant
This doesn’t mean that thinking clearly and being wise is not important. It is. We are to love the Lord with all our minds. But, as John MacArthur explains,
It’s just that those on their own can’t get there. A man may be as wise as Solomon. That’s not going to get him to God. He may be as intelligent as Einstein. That’s not going to get him to God. Intelligence is neither a way nor a barrier, it’s irrelevant. Human wisdom is not a way or a barrier, it’s irrelevant.
You can’t know me, unless I reveal something of myself to you and you can’t know God unless he reveals himself to you (Luke 10:22). And thankfully, he doesn’t reveal himself to us on the basis of our IQ. By wisdom, Paul wrote, the world knew not God.
The natural man does not understand the things of God. God has to open our eyes. He has to reveal himself. And we have to become like children to see. We don’t need high ACT scores or college degrees.
God has favor on those who are broken and contrite and tremble at his word. Revealing himself to these is his good pleasure.
In the Wisdom of God
I’m back in my little church now. And if you measure by variety in accents and skin tones, we’re not terribly diverse. But in other ways, we are.
A little sister in Christ who happens to have autism, worships in the aisle, criss-cross applesauce style. An older brother who loves to tell big-grinned one-liners about Smiles that go on for miles and Normal is just a setting on your dryer listens to the sermon. A middle-aged sister who has a hard time remembering things belts it out with her hands held high.
Here we all are, weak and foolish, not many of noble birth (1 Cor. 1: 26-31), high school drop-outs and college grads. I wouldn’t doubt the IQ spread here would span from 50-150, from profoundly behind to MENSA qualified.
And we’re all one in Christ. We’re united because it pleased God to reveal His Son to us and save us. IQ is irrelevant here.
And that is all wisdom.
