“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 draw different conclusions about God. So, who has the final say in this matter? How do we know whose interpretation is correct?

In yesterday's 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. This revelation shows the absolute intimacy between the Father and the Son.

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 lacked Jesus’ experiential knowledge of the Father. As such, they did not know the Father on a personal level.

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 must have been scandalous for the Jews, as they believed that God was a distant God who must not be named. This claim of closeness with God is one of the reasons why the Jews hated Jesus with such fury.

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

This disclosure of the Father is extended to believers. Jesus says that no one knows the Father personally 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 as His own? What is there in me that’s worth His time and attention? Nothing!

This biblical truth continues to melt my heart and keeps me grounded. 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 you. 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 Sina Sadeqi on Unsplash