Father & Son

Matthew 11:25-27

At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Why does Jesus say that his heavenly Father has hidden the truths of the kingdom from the wise and intelligent? Perhaps the answer is: because when we are wise and intelligent we tend to think our wisdom and knowledge comes from ourselves. The wise and the intelligent tend towards pride.

Infants, on the other hand, have no pride. They are totally dependent. And it seems that is the way God wants us to be in relationship to him. Jesus wants us to realize our total dependence upon God for everything, for every breath that we breathe, for every thought that we think, for every step that we take.

"No one knows the Son except the Father." Of course, what Jesus said in regard to himself is also true of all of us. No one knows us like God does. God knows us best: who we are in our heart of hearts, our needs, and our potential. God knows us best so God can also guide us best.

These words of Jesus are quite dramatic in their suggestion that everything we really want out of life can be found in him. ALL THINGS are handed over to Jesus. He has all authority, all power, all love, all life to give us.

No less startling is Jesus' claim that no one knows the Father, God, like he does. With our pluralistic, contemporary mindset we want to object and say, "Surely, there have been other people down through history who have known God." If we are to be true to the words of Jesus then we can certainly believe that there is truth in other religions, that there have been many others who have known God. But we must also accept that Jesus knows the Father best.

Then, of course, there is that important qualification: "no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Jesus can reveal the Father to anyone, anytime, anywhere. We should not presume to know or limit to whom the Son will reveal the Father.

Is it not fascinating how Jesus uses this familial imagery to describe his relationship to God? This was something quite unique in Judaism.

Of course, I like what C. S. Lewis has to say about this in Mere Christianity,

... the New Testament picture of a Father and a Son turns out to be much more accurate than anything we try to substitute for it. That is what always happens when you go away from the words of the Bible. It is quite right to go away for a moment in order to make some special point clear. But you must always go back. Naturally God knows how to describe Himself much better than we know how to describe Him. He knows that Father and Son is more like the relation between the First and Second Persons than anything else we can think of. Much the most important thing to know is that it is a relation of love. The Father delights in His Son; the Son looks up to His Father.

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