I give praise to you, Father…for although you have hidden these things to the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to little ones. As Jesus’ fame continued to spread far and wide, the size of the crowds that gathered about him also increased. But since not everyone was thrilled by what Jesus was doing (and saying), these crowds were always composed of two groups of people: on one hand, there were those who were genuinely thirsty for both Jesus message and healing touch; and on the other hand were those who were watching to see if Jesus would do or say something with which they could accuse him in order to bring him down. 
Those who were genuinely thirsty for Jesus’ words and attention included the poor, the sick, the marginalized, and those who were generally considered as sinners and as such unworthy of God or God’s life-giving message (tax collectors, prostitutes). Because of their status, those who fell in this group were not given any consideration by the society. They were thought to be of ‘less’ importance to the society. Because of their apparent ‘little’ contribution to the society, they were considered ‘little’ or ‘lesser’ ones. Jesus’ message was warmly received by this group because of its optimistic tone. Jesus’ message gave them hope and encouragement even as it assured them of being raised up from where they were lying.
The other half that listened to Jesus with the aim of entrapping him was majorly composed of religious leaders and the elders of the people (such as the Pharisees and the scribes). Because they considered themselves the ‘learned and wise’ ones, they carried themselves off as the ‘blessed’ of the society, those upon whom God relied for the upholding of the mores of the society. In addition to their perception that Jesus had no regard for the traditions and customs of the community, this group also opposed Jesus because of Jesus’ message that often championed the cause of the ‘little ones’ even as it challenged the status quo (the ‘wise and the learned’ derived their privileged standing from the status quo). They were afraid that Jesus was knocking down the pedestal upon which they were perching. Their concerted efforts to discredit and eventually get rid of Jesus were mainly motivated by the need for self-preservation. 
Jesus was always aware of this two-fold composition of his audience, and whenever he could, he tried his best to reach out to both groups. Today’s Gospel Reading presents us with one of such occasions. In the introductory section, we see Jesus blessing the Father for revealing the self to the little ones while withholding the same to those who considered themselves learned and wise. Jesus blesses the Father for what he sees as the fulfillment of the Father’s will. 
Whereas Jesus’ praise might be misinterpreted to mean that God is biased towards the little ones, this is not the point that Jesus wanted to make. Jesus was delighted that God’s promise of finally revealing the self to the entire world was being fulfilled in his sight. Those who had been hitherto considered as both incapable and undeserving of God’s revelation had become the recipients of the good news of the kingdom. The little ones had made themselves recipients of God’s revelation because of their openness to Jesus’ message. Their disposition meant that they took Jesus at his word. Because they had looked forward to the day when the Lord their God would come to raise them from their lowly places (cf. Mary’s Song of Praise [Luke 1:46-55]), they neither doubted nor challenged Jesus’ proclamation that the reign of God was being unveiled in their midst. To the little ones, their salvation had finally arrived. The time had come for them to lay their burdens at the feet of Jesus and enjoy their moment of rest. 
But Jesus had a message as well for those who were opposed to him and to what he was about (the wise and the learned). He was seeing their heavy burdens which were weighing down upon them: the burden of their purported knowledgeability and wisdom; the burden of their sense of self-worth and indispensability; and their burden of seeing God as indebted to them because of their faithful ‘observance’ of God’s law and their traditions. To these self-proclaimed righteous, Jesus continued to extend an invitation even as he urged them to approach him so that they too can lay down their burdens at his feet. He wanted them to join him in ushering in the kingdom of God whose servants and guardians they had been appointed. Like the little ones, they too needed to rejoice at the fact that God’s promises were being fulfilled.