Bible Study series: Matthew 11:25-27. Jesus reveals his Father to those who are hungry. He is still doing this revelation ministry today, from his throne in heaven.
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In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Matthew 11:25-27
25 At that time, Jesus answered and said, “I acknowledge to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the ‘wise’ and ‘understanding’ and revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, Father, because in this way it was well pleasing to you. 27 All these things have been given to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father and anyone to whom the Son of Man decides to reveal him.” (Matt. 11:25-27)
Comments:
25-27:
Who was Jesus answering or replying to? It is probably the Jewish refusal to accept his message (Osborne, comment on 11:25).
“time”: the noun here is kairos (pronounced kye-ross and is used 85 times), which speaks more of a quality time than quantity. BDAG, a thick Greek lexicon, defines the noun as follows: (1) a point of time or period of time, time, period, frequently with the implication of being especially fit for something and without emphasis on precise chronology. (a) Generally a welcome time or difficult time … fruitful times; (b) a moment or period as especially appropriate the right, proper, favorable time … at the right time; (2) a defined period for an event, definite, fixed time (e.g. period of fasting or mourning in accord with the changes in season), in due time (Gal. 6:9); (3) a period characterized by some aspect of special crisis, time; (a) generally the present time (Rom. 13:11; 12:11); (b) One of the chief terms relating to the endtime … the time of crisis, the last times.
All of this stand in a mild contrast—not a sharp contrast—from chronos. Greek has another word for time: chronos (pronounced khro-noss), which measures one day, one week or one month after another.
In this context, it means the first definition and (b).
In this context, the contrast is not literally between the intellectual and simplistic, but between the arrogant and humble, the unteachable and the teachable.
Often translations have “praise” instead of “acknowledge.” But the verb mostly has the connotation of “acknowledge” or “confess” or “admit” by speaking out. I decided to keep this nuance to it.
Turner says that this is high Christology, similar to that of the Gospel of John (e.g. John 1:14, 18; 3:35 14:6-9; 17:1-8; cf. 1 Cor. 15:20-28; Eph. 1:9-10) … “Here the trinitarian basis of Jesus’s messianic mission, previously seen at Jesus’s baptism, is reiterated and developed (cf. Matt. 3:17; 12:18; 17:5; 28:18-19). The unique relationship of the Father and the Son in redeeming God’s people is clearly described in 11:25-27” (comment on 11:27).
The intimate relationship which Jesus prays here indicates the doctrine of the Trinity, and this revelation will be more fully developed in the Gospel of John. Of course, the epistles have verses that also reveal the Father and Son being in close unity, so this doctrine grew early. In any case, the Father has intimate knowledge of his Son, and their relationship was like none other. The long prayer in John 17 expands on this short prayer here.
Next, Jesus went on his mission trip, visiting all their towns. In the previous pericope (pronounced puh-RIH-koh-pea) or section he took stock of their inadequate response and absence of true repentance despite the miracles done there. So it seems the Father needs to clarify who his Son is, so that, unlike the denounced towns, people can repent. He is also referring back to the revelations about Jesus and John. Do the people know who those two men were?
Jesus realizes his Father’s plan. The towns did not repent, and the people did not know who Jesus and John were. Judgment was coming, so that the temple complex and its religion would pass away, and God was going global.
The “wise” and “understanding” have quotation marks around them because of the irony. Irony means people believe that they know something, but they actually do not. Yet they strut around as if they in fact have special knowledge. Comical example: In the sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, Col. Klink, the commandant of Stalag Thirteen, bragged that there has never been a successful escape from his Stalag, even though all sorts of tunnels were underneath the camp. The inmates escaped all the time to sabotage things around the camp. Col. Klink was a victim of irony. He thought he knew, but he did not.
Biblical example: Job and his friends thought they knew more than they did, but God showed up and corrected their shortsightedness. They thought that they knew deeper things than they actually did.
Now the “wise” and “understanding” think they knew God based on the old way of Judaism and traditions, but Jesus alone knows the Father, and he chooses the people to whom the Son will reveal him. The people of Israel who adhered to the old ways were victims of irony and their own conceits. They had the Torah and thought themselves better than the Gentiles, but “the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will perish” (Is. 29:14). (Osborne, comment on 11:25, p. 439).
Let’s discuss the Father’s and the Son’s relationships and roles a little more.
“Son of God”: Jesus was the Son of the Father eternally, before creation. The Son has no beginning. He and the Father always were, together. The relationship is portrayed in this Father-Son way so we can understand who God is more clearly. Now he relates to us as his sons and daughters. On our repentance and salvation and union with Christ, we are brought into his eternal family. Osborne: “Matthew’s use of ‘know’ ([epiginōskō (pronounced eh-pea-gih-NOH-skoh, and the “g” is hard as in “get”] the present tense is gnomic, knowledge shared in eternal past, present, and eternal future) here is critical (Luke 10:22 has ‘know’ ginōskō). While the two could be synonymous, it is likely that there is perfective force in the prefix [epi] –with the meaning ‘know exactly, completely, through and through’ (BAGD, 291), with the added idea of recognizing and acknowledging” (comment on 11:27).
The bottom line is that the Greek aorist here is timeless and supports the notion that the Father and Son knew each other intimately for eternity, past, present and future—forever. Jesus did not become the Son at his birth or baptism.
6. Titles of Jesus: The Son of God
When Did Jesus “Become” the Son of God?
Quick teaching about the Trinity. The Father in his role as the Father guides the whole of creation and the plan of the ages. The Son carries out the plan, notably by being born as a man, humbling himself, taking on the form of a servant (Phil. 3:7-8). He humbled himself so deeply and thoroughly that he died a death on the cross, the instrument of the death penalty.
“Son of Man”: see vv. 18-19 for more comments.
4. Titles of Jesus: The Son of Man
GrowApp for Matt. 11:25-27
1. Tell your story of how Jesus revealed the Father to you. Who, where, when, what and how.
RELATED
9. Authoritative Testimony in Matthew’s Gospel
1. Church Fathers and Matthew’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES
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