Matthew 11

In his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, Tozer writes, " In Christ and by Christ, God effects complete self-disclosure, although He shows Himself not to reason but to faith and love. Faith is an organ of knowledge, and love an organ of experience. God came to us in the incarnation; in atonement He reconciled us to Himself, and by faith and love we enter and lay hold of Him." 

We can only know Him as,  Jesus tells us here in Matthew, He reveals Himself:  ".. and no one knows the Son, except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father , except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." ( v27)

If our aim, as a disciple of Christ, is to follow Him and to become like Him, then we need to grow in our knowledge of Him.  But, as Tozer writes, we cannot do this by reason, but only by faith and love.

So then, as I think about this passage,  I pray:  Jesus, reveal the Father to us through Your Word today.

John the Baptist had been taken into custody by Herod.  He sends his disciples to Jesus to ask the most important question at this point in his life, " Are You the Expected One... ?"   John, who had proclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." ( John 1:29) And the one who was a witness to Christ's anointing by the Holy Spirit after He was baptized... needed to know more...

Jesus gave John the only answer that would satisfy him, " Go and report to John what you hear and see; the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over Me." ( v4-6)   Jesus is referring to Isaiah 35 here.   It is a prophecy about the future of Zion, when God's glory returns.  Isaiah goes on to say, " And  a highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. "  It is not for the unclean or the fool.  There will be no lions or wild beasts. "But the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return, and come with joyful shouting to Zion.."    Even John must go through the narrow gate and walk on the narrow path.. by faith in Jesus Christ the Lord.

Jesus calls John greater than any born of women.. yet less than those " in the kingdom of heaven".  John had an important ministry as a prophet, proclaiming the coming of the Messiah.  But there was more for him to learn about Jesus. He had to have faith in the One who had come. He had to know Him more.

Jesus also addressed the cities to which He had ministered and performed miracles.  Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, were in danger of severe judgement due to their lack of repentance and faith.  Tyre and Sidon, and Sodom - all cities destroyed because of great sinfulness - would have repented and been saved, had they witnessed what these other cities were witnessing.

The last section in this chapter begins with an interesting prayer, " I praise Thee O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes.  Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight." 

Jesus is revealing Himself and His Father to us here.  He is showing us that He is the way, the truth, and the life.  We can't gain His salvation by our own intellect or understanding, but by the simple faith of a child.  He chooses to reveal the Father to those who come to Him.   He chooses to show us that He is our rest... if we are "weary and heavy-laden" we can bring it all to Him. If we take His yoke.. we can "learn from" Him.  He reveals to us that He is " gentle and humble in heart" and that His "yoke is easy "and His "load is light. " 

The wise and intelligent unbelievers saw John as a demon-possessed crazy man and Jesus as a drunkard and glutton.  But, the simple, humble, and hurting ones saw the Father, revealed by the Son. They heard the witness of John and the good news of the coming of the Kingdom.  They found rest in the One who had come to rescue the world.

Jesus revealed to John that He was indeed, the "Expected One."
He revealed to the cities that they should repent and believe or face judgement.
He reveals to us that we can come in child-like faith and simplicity to our humble and gentle Savior and find rest.

Father in heaven, holy and blessed is Your Name in all the earth. Thank You for revealing Yourself to us in Your creation and in your Word, and especially in Your Son.  Help us to know You more in faith and in love we pray, in Jesus' name. amen.