Matthew 11:25

At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes.

Jesus, in this prayer, addressed God as "Father," and called him "Lord." This is in marked contrast to some today who speak in their prayers to God, addressing the Eternal as "You"! Christians should give honor to whom it is due (Romans 13:7); and such a palsy-walsy approach to God appears, in the eyes of this expositor, as falling short of that admonition. The Britannica's World Language Edition of Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary lists "thou" and similar terms as obsolete, "except as an address to deity." Originally, such words as "thou" had a connotation of intimacy or even contempt, but long usage has exactly reversed the position and meaning of "thou" and "you." A similar crossover in which words exchanged meanings is seen in "ghost" and "spirit," each meaning exactly what the other did in 1611! Confusion naturally exists in such a situation, at least in some degree; but it cannot be denied that popular usage still favors what has become the more formal "thou" as an address to deity. See under Matthew 14:26.

The basis of rejoicing that the Father had revealed his wisdom to "babes" is found in the apostles' lack of sophistication, pride, and intellectual arrogance. They were not worldly wise, wedded to preconceived notions, or doctrinaire. The advantage of this, from Christ's point of view, was noted by McGarvey:

The wise and prudent were so wedded to tradition and false theories that the truth would not have been so safe in their keeping, as in that of men fresh from the masses of the people.[5]

Also from McGarvey,

It is certain that the chief corrupters of the truth in every age have sprung from the former class of men; and that (2) the fact that the gospel was originally established in the earth by the labors of the poor and illiterate in the face of bitter opposition from the rich and powerful, is an overwhelming argument in its favor.[6]

However, it should be rejected that the Lord's apostles were lacking in truly intellectual gifts. They were, it is true, unspoiled by the philosophy and vain deceit of men, but they were diamonds in the rough, peculiarly fitted to receive without bias and to communicate without adulteration the pure truth of the gospel of salvation. Also, being men of the outdoors, they were especially able and accurate eyewitnesses of such things as the miracles.

[5] J. W. McGarvey, Commentary on Matthew (Delight, Arkansas: The Gospel Light Publishing Company), p. 101.

[6] Ibid., p. 102.