The Assyrians were a powerful people. They were definitely the bad boys on the block. More on them in a moment. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 11, Jesus speaks of how the mysteries of the kingdom have been hidden from the wise and the learned, but revealed to the childlike.
Assyria had the most powerful army in the world. They were ruthless as they took whatever they wanted. They ran roughshod over the nation of Israel. The problem was they thought they had done it all on their own. They never considered there was someone more powerful than them. In today’s first reading from Isaiah 10, God exposes their flawed thinking. It was God who allowed them to conquer Israel. Assyria had become too big for their breeches.
It’s an easy enough trap to fall into, isn’t it? We have a bit of success and it goes right to our heads. We forget from where, or more rightly whom, our success comes. Once we decide that we alone are responsible for our success (our blessings), we become too big for our breeches. It’s always helpful to remember that it is God that gave us the breeches in the first place!
Father, forgive us for our hubris. May we humble ourselves before your mighty hand and give all glory to you alone. Amen.
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