“THE FATHER’S REVELATION”

27 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. 

Matthew 11:27

People have different opinions of God. What I find interesting is that we read the same source (the Bible) but come up with different conclusions about God. So, who has the final say in this matter?

In our previous blog, we were reminded that faith has been and always will be, how God shows His grace to people. Let’s go back to our key text in Matthew 11.

Verse 27 shows Jesus’ intimacy with the Father as well as His task of revealing the Father. Jesus then declares that all things have been given to Him. The Greek term used is “paradidomi,” which means “to give over into one’s power or use.” This word describes Jesus' ownership over all of Creation.

With that in mind, Jesus is the only One who has the authority to declare what exactly God is like. Despite the religious leaders’ academic expertise in the Scriptures, they do not have Jesus’ experiential knowledge of the Father.

For this reason, Jesus says that no one knows the Father the way the Son does. Jesus isn’t speaking of mere intellectual knowledge of the Father but an intimate, personal relationship with Him. This revelation was rather scandalous for the Jews as they believed that God was this distant God who must not be named. This claim of intimacy was one of the reasons why the Jews hated Jesus vehemently.

Jesus, who was with the Father way before the world began, shared the same glory with Him. Moreover, He shares the same essence as the Father. That is to say, He is God. As such, whatever He declares about the Father is based not on His opinion but on His personal knowledge and experience of truth. He was there, so He knows. Therefore, no one can disprove His claims.

This disclosure of the Father is extended to believers. Jesus says that no one knows the Father on a personal level except those whom He chooses. When I think of that, I can’t help but be in awe of the Almighty. The Creator and Sustainer of the universe desires to know me personally? What is there in me that’s worth His time and attention? Nothing!

This biblical truth continues to melt my heart and keeps me from being proud. God didn’t reveal Himself to me because I’m worthy but because He is good and sovereign. But this spiritual standing isn’t reserved for me; it is offered to everyone. Regardless of your past or present, God is willing to wipe your heart clean, give you a new life, and reveal Himself to you. But are you humble enough to receive this offer?

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash