In the Fulness of Time/Part 75

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Christ’s Person Revealed: He Receives Individuals. Matthew 11:25-30

Christ’s Praise For the Sovereignty of the Father. Matthew 11:25-26

Mt. 11:25-26 “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.”

Having rejected the nation which had already rejected Him, Jesus now turns to reassure any sincere individual who will come to Him, that rest in Him is always available. In doing so, Jesus looks up to the heavenly Father with “acknowledgment” (exhomologeo) of His Father’s wisdom in hiding “these things“—which include the truth of Jesus’ Messiahship and the preaching that the kingdom of heaven is at hand—from the “wise and prudent” and at the same time revealing these truths unto “babes.” In this instance, the rulers and leaders of the nation who refused to repent are the “wise and prudent” (in their own eyes), and the “babes” are those who received the message with childlike faith. In verse 26 Christ adds the fact that “it seemed good” in God’s sight. God’s sovereignty and purpose should be taken for granted. However, the question may be fairly asked as on what basis did the Father hide the truth from some and reveal it to others? A comparison of Isaiah 6:9-10 with Matthew 13:10-17; Acts 28:26-28 will help to clarify the issue.

The original statement of Isaiah 6:9-10 at first reading sounds like the LORD is arbitrary and even high-handed in His sovereignty: “And he said, Go, and tell this people hear ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and be healed.” But when the New Testament quotations in Matthew 13:10-17; Acts 28:26-28 are consulted, the blame for their lack of understanding falls directly on the people, not on the sovereignty of God: “For this people’s heart is become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed” (Matthew 13:15); and in Acts 28:27 “For the heart of this people is become obtuse, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed.” Thus, in Matthew 13 the “babes” who were given understanding of the parables were the disciples, and in Acts 28 it was the Gentiles who would respond, as opposed to Israel, who did not. This is why “it seemed good in thy sight.”

Christ’s Claim of Authority from the Father. Matthew 11:27a

Mt. 11:27 “All things are delivered unto me by my Father.”

The aorist form “were delivered” (paredothe) takes us back to eternity before time began, in the counsels of the Godhead, when the Son was “appointed heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:2) and was the One around whom the ages were formed. When Matthew 11:27a is coupled with Matthew 28:18, “All authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth” it becomes one of the strongest proofs of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the God/Man. It will be on this authority that He will judge those who rejected Him, “in the fulness of time.”

Read Part 76