25At that time Jesus answered
and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast
hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
26Even so, Father: for so it
seemed good in thy sight. (Matthew 11:25-26 KJV)
The Lord Jesus Christ speaks words more precious then
gold and silver. It is more precious
then the possessions of this world. It
is more precious then the pleasures of life.
It is more precious then life itself.
The words of the Lord Jesus Christ are forever treasured in the hearts
of God’s people. It is more precious
then money, and its lasting value is eternally precious. He answers with all-wise truth to His
Heavenly Father. When He speaks, a
fragment aroma arises from His lips; purer then life itself; purer then the sun;
purer then the whitest garment on earth.
When He speaks, it is the words of God’s all-powerful grace, wisdom, righteous
truth. His words are the purest; the
loveliest; the greatest; the most magnificent.
When He speaks treacherous waves, cease; winds stop; prayers are
answered; the mouth of enemies cease; the demon-possessed freed; the humble
exalted. His prayers are more beautiful
then a sun rise; more comfortable then the comfort of the world; more life-transforming
then lifeless knowledge of the world. He
speaks from the depths of His sinless heart in the richest purity, grace
abounding words of the purest wisdom, truth abounding riches. His heart speaks the grace, truth, righteous
words that our Father longs to hear. He
never refused a prayer from the Lord Jesus.
His prayers are more beautiful then the finest music, the most eloquent
speaker. He speaks words of glorious
wisdom, spiritual abounding riches, all-encompassing, heavenly treasures. His words are unlike the teachers of His day;
dead, lifeless, graceless. His words are
richly filled with super-abundant grace, life-transforming truth,
grace-anointing words of truth, God-exalting truth that surpasses the wisest of
men.
The
Lord Jesus thanked the Lord. Oh, the
depths and the riches of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ! How unsearchable His wisdom! How glorious His truth! The Lord Jesus expresses His thanks in
unadulterated prayer, sinless devotion, unwavering commitment, confidence in the
absolute goodness of God the Father. The
Lord Jesus perfectly thanked the Father in a spirit free from worldliness, ingratitude. Are you a person struggling with worldliness,
and ingratitude? Be committed to God’s
restraining grace. Surrender to His will
for your life, and live in new obedience.
If we lack thanking God, we may be selfish. It can hinder our thanks unto God. The Lord Jesus was the most selfless Man who
ever lived. He was committed to
God-honoring, God-exalting, God-abounding selflessness. He was a Picture of sinless
selflessness.
The
Lord Jesus identified God the Father as the Lord of heaven and earth. The Lord Jesus worshiped our Blessed Father
with unfeigned adoration. It is also
proper to identify the Son and the Holy Spirit as the Lord of heaven and
earth. As Trinitarians, we joyfully
worship all three distinct persons. Cyril
of Alexandria wrote, “For he confesses him as ‘Lord of heaven and earth’ and at
the same time he calls him as ‘Father.’
But the Son of God who is ruler of all is in every way with him the Lord
and Master of all, not as one worse or differing in substance, but as God from
God. He is crowned with equal renown,
having substantially with him equality in everything whatsoever.”[i] The Lord Jesus delighted in the Father of all
grace and truth. He submitted to God the
Father. The Lord Jesus demonstrated as
the sinless God-man that prayer is an act of unwavering submission. Nothing happens under heaven, except by the
Lord of heaven. As Christians we ought to
have the same praise on our lips. We
ought to worship God in and through Christ.
We may sin when we pray. But if
we pray through Jesus Christ our Savior, we will pray pure words, pleasing to
our Heavenly Father. We have access to
the throne of grace whereby we communicate to our Father the depths of our
hearts. We ought to engage in the
language of Jesus Christ: The Father is Lord of heaven and earth. If we use exalted language of God, and about
God, we honor and please Him.
The Lord Jesus has revealed
what the reason was for the lack of belief of His enemies. God has hid the gospel from the wise and
prudent. The God of the Old and New
Testament hides the gospel from them.
You might to want say: He hides
the gospel on whomever He pleases, and He reveals the gospel on whomever He
pleases. He does not hide the gospel
from babes. The babes offer nothing in
themselves. But God hides the gospel
from the wise and prudent. It is in
accordance with His infinitely wise counsel.
God is pleased to hide the gospel from the wise and prudent. God is also pleased to reveal His glorious
gospel to babes. The Lord Jesus thanked
the Lord of heaven and earth because He does whatsoever He pleases. He has a sovereign purpose that cannot be
frustrated. Nowadays we see teachers
presenting a God who is inactive. Divine
Scripture teaches a God who hides His matchless gospel for His own
purposes. God’s purpose is not the
purpose of men. Rather God’s purpose is
holy, good, just, righteous. God’s
purpose deifies our understanding. As
Christians we ought to thank God for His actions of righteousness in absolute
truth and holiness. If God hides His
gospel from the wise and prudent, He does not commit wrongdoing. Everything God does is right. These-days people think they should become
believers because God needs them. Oh,
the arrogance and presumption of men!
God accomplishes awesome purposes without wise and prudent men. But we see God using wretched people. For example, God used the apostle Paul as a
chosen instrument for His blessed cause.
God chose him according to what seems good to Him.
What
is the reason of the Father to hide His gospel from the wise and prudent? Even
so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. The reason is simple: it was well-pleasing in
the sight of God the Father to hide His gospel.
If we are to say God hides His gospel, we can say that God intervenes to
save His people by the effectual call of God.
God opens, changes and radically transforms the heart, but He also hides
the gospel. God is to be glorified unto
the praise of His glorious mercy and God is to be glorified unto the praise of
His glorious justice. The reason for
God’s hiding of the gospel is because it pleased the Father. God acts in accordance with His good
pleasure. His good pleasure is not
wicked, corrupt, sinful, fallen. The
Lord Jesus recognized the hiding of the gospel was because it pleased the
Father. Here our Lord and Redeemer speak
the purest words of wisdom, the sweetest prayer: divine, heavenly, splendorous. Oh, the sweetest song! Men fault men for disbelieving, and rightly
so. Yet God hides His gospel from wise
and prudent men. The negative
consequence of hiding His gospel is disbelieving. The action of God in hiding
the gospel is the reason they reject the gospel. They do not belong to Christ. Disbelief is a manifested outcome of the
hiding of the gospel. Yet men are
responsible for their impenitence. The
Lord Jesus did not become discouraged.
He knew well that the Lord of heaven and earth is the God of
predestination. But men object at a God
who does whatsoever He pleases. But we
say, who are you, oh man, to reply against God?
Submit to the God who is all-wise and sovereign.
The
Lord Jesus found the purpose of God in all things. He could say there was nothing that did not
have a purpose. The Lord Jesus thanked
His Father for His action of hiding the life-transforming message of the
gospel, and the embracing of the gospel by mere babes. God chooses to hide His gospel unto the praise
of His sinless justice. God chooses
babes to gain the most glory unto the praise of His mercy. Men would reply that God is sinfully seeking
glory to exalt Himself. If men respond
this way to God’s ways, what does that say about their sinful hearts? God has purposes that do not yield to sinful
men. The Lord Jesus recognized the
all-wisdom of God in His thanksgiving, adoration, submission. The Lord Jesus understood why the Father hid
and revealed His gospel. It is because
it was pleasing in His sight. How could
the Lord Jesus say this in His prayer if it is up to man’s mighty will? The Lord Jesus could say this because He
recognized the truth of God’s all-powerful actions. He recognized that men do not have
libertarian free-will. He recognized that
God does whatsoever He pleases. He
rejected the notion that men cooperate with God in accepting the gospel. But men will be willing only by
regeneration. Jesus was committed to the
freedom of God. Here the Lord Jesus
portrayed the exalted doctrine of predestination. The Lord Jesus taught the freedom of God in
dealing with men. Why did Jesus thank
the Father? Because it was the Father’s
plan to hid and reveal His gospel. Christians
ought to thank God that He is working out His purpose. The Lord Jesus knew who was elect and
non-elect. He knew who was damned, and
who would be redeemed. God’s people do
not know the identity of God’s elect. He
preached the gospel where it seemed good to Him. Those who were damned and rejected the gospel
will receive a greater judgment. God’s
pre-converted people will respond in genuine faith because of the Word and the
Spirit. Where did Jesus thank the
Father? He thanked the Father in the
midst of God’s divine actions, and the pleasure of His Father. He also thanked the Father in how it
manifested among the sons and daughters of men.
Men may try to stop God’s purpose but it is without frustration. He acts according to His good pleasure in
all-wisdom.
The
Lord Jesus speaks the purest words. He
speaks from a heart adorned with heavenly majesty. He speaks from a blameless, sinless, selfless
heart that is unparalleled in His unwavering devotion to God, His teachings, will. He speaks from a heart adorned with glorious
beauty. He is more beautiful then the finest
handiwork of God, and He is more beautiful then the greatest of saints. He prays words to His Father of the highest
wisdom. He does not pray as a mere man
to His Father. The prayers of Jesus are
in the context of the God-man. Oh, His
prayers are sweeter then honey; richer then the wealthiest men; more committed
then the most devote men; submissively committed to the will of the Father;
passionately praying God’s Word to His Father!
Oh, what depths of the purest wisdom, truth, goodness! What heavenly delight His Father has who
hears prayers from the Sinless One! Oh,
how we ought to imitate the Lord Jesus.
Let us passionately pray like Jesus in all wisdom, truth, goodness,
righteousness.
John 11:41-45 records the event of the Lord Jesus
raising Lazarus from the dead:
41Then they took away the
stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and
said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
42And I knew that thou hearest
me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may
believe that thou hast sent me.
43And when he thus had spoken,
he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44And he that was dead came
forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with
a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
45Then many of the Jews which
came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. (KJV).
The resurrection of Lazarus from the dead was a mighty
miracle. The signs in the Gospel of John
attested to the reality of the divine Messianic identity of Jesus Christ. In this miracle, they took away the stone
from the place where he laid.
Immediately Jesus raised His eyes to heaven. How pleasing it was to God the Father! He went to His Father. He did not go to men but to God Himself. Jesus lifted up His eyes in an act of pure,
righteous, holy faith. This surely delighted
God the Father who Christ served with ceaseless passion, commitment,
dedication. The eyes of Christ were lifted
up unto heaven because His heart was sinlessly devoted to His Father. The commitment of His eyes came from His sinlessly
committed heart. In Revelation, the eyes
of Jesus Christ are described as a flame of fire. There are no purer eyes then that of Jesus
Christ. His eyes are a taste of the
heavenly face of God though veiled in His heavenly humanity. His glory was seen in the Transfiguration. He is the Incarnate Lord of glory. But His eyes were the purest, humblest,
wisest. His eyes could read the
mannerisms of men better then any man that ever lived. His eyes could see through the hypocrisy of
men. His eyes stood for a Man who was
sent from God. His mission was to
preach, lived a sinless life, died an atoning death to His Father for His
people. His eyes were lifted up to pray
unto His God. He would never lift His
eyes to pray unto another. Oh, what
matchless commitment we see in Christ Jesus our Lord! His eyes did not look around in
confusion. He knew exactly what to do,
and who to pray to. He lifted His eyes
to heaven, and beheld the face of His Father.
This was the purest act of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every act of Christ is pure, especially when
He prays unto His Beloved Father. We
ought to lift up our eyes to heaven. We
ought to be committed to praying unto our Father. We ought not to look in confusion around
about us. We have a Father in heaven that
is willing to listen to us.
The
Lord Jesus spoke after He lifted up His eyes to heaven. The Lord Jesus spoke heavenly words. We ought to look to heaven when we are faced
with a troubling situation. The Lord
Jesus did not speak words of familiarity.
He did not pray flippantly unto God.
He spoke with unfeigned, spotless, sinless words of divinity. He was the holiest of men; He was God
speaking to God. His eyes were a
heavenly glance unto the heavenliness. His sinless speech was grace-given, holy
utterances, perpetual truth; a righteous song unto God. Prayer by the Lord Jesus Christ was an act He
regularly accomplished. It was not
something that was new unto Him. He
prayed with ceaseless thanks, adoration, divine devotion. When we read the words of Christ, it is like
reading a song from heaven itself. His
words are majestic, magnificent, holy, divine.
We do not see men utter words of this heavenly and sinless sort. When Jesus prays it is not a mere man
conversing with God. The Lord Jesus
prays all-powerful grace unto His Father.
His Father eternally loves the words, devotion, unhindered zeal, holy
commitment unto His Father. Do we lift
up our eyes to heaven, and speak God’s Word unto our Heavenly Father? Do we lift up our eyes in faithful confidence
that He will hear our prayer? The Lord
Jesus lifted up His eyes with faithful devotion, and committed unfeigned utterances
unto His Father. We would do well if we
did the same.
The
Lord Jesus prays unto God. He calls His
God Father. We would act righteously if
we called God our Father in truth. Lord
of heaven and earth is the God of Jesus Christ.
We do not see Jesus Christ praying unto the dead saints of old. We do not see Him praying on the basis of the
tradition of men. We see Him addressing
our Father in heaven. We do not see
Christ praying to the Father as an exalted Man. We do not see Christ praying to the Father in
a worldly fashion based on the doctrines of demons. He was committed and zealously devoted to His
Father. The prayers of Christ are a
super-sweet fragrance unto God. The
Father welcomes His spotless prayers. He
welcomes and longs to hear His petitions.
He wants His ceaseless and heavenly commitment to righteousness,
goodness, holiness, seen in His Only Beloved Son. He speaks the truest words of heavenly
inspiration that you will ever see. He
calls His God Father, and the Jews hated it.
He
prayed Father, I thank thee that thou
hast heard me. Here we see the
purest of thanks; the truest of words. The
essence of true thanks is the absence of worldliness, selfishness,
ingratitude. His Father is not like the
dead idols. His Father is not like the
foreign gods of His days. His Father is
actively concerned with what His Only Beloved Son does. The Son perfectly fulfills the Father’s work,
will, plan. The Son knows the Father
hears Him, and thanks Him that He has heard Him. Here we see that Jesus Christ is heard by God
the Father. The Father hears the prayers
of His Beloved Son. In eternity passed,
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit had heavenly fellowship. The Son knows the Father, and the Father
knows the Son. The Son is heard by God
the Father, and the Son completely follows His Father’s will. There is no man on earth nor shall be who
served the Father with sinless, ceaseless, spotless thanks. The Christian needs to learn to thank God as
Jesus thanked His Father. If we learned
this deep in our souls, oh, what glory God would receive! Thanking and praising God are lacking in the
life of Christians. If we imitate Jesus
Christ our Divine Substitute, we will be committed to zealous devotion,
committed praise and thanks, unwavering passion for the things of God in Christ
Jesus our Lord and Redeemer. May we live
out in our lives the unfeigned dedication of the divine Son of Man!
The
Son of Man was heard by His prayers.
This reminds me of when Jesus spoke of His prayer in John 14. Christ says He will pray that the Father
would send the Holy Spirit. There is
eternal friendship, and fellowship in the Godhead. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit love each
other in perfection, sinlessness, spotlessness, flawlessness. The fellowship and friendship in the Godhead
is eternally precious, divine, heavenly, holy.
In John 14:16 Christ says He will ask the Father that He
would send the divine Comforter: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give
you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever…” (KJV). Christ asked the Father to send the Holy
Spirit. First, the purpose of God was to
use the prayer of Christ to send the Spirit of God. Second, Christ divinely knew of the answer of
His prayer. The prayers of Christ are
always pleasing, acceptable, agreeable to the Father’s will. The Father heard the Son, and the Spirit proceeds
from the Father and the Son. The Spirit
proceeding from the Father and the Son is a fundamental, essential, basic truth
of God. But here Christ prays for it
nonetheless. Here is a divine, heavenly,
sacred demonstration of the certainty, actuality, assurance of the answered
prayer of Christ. We can learn something
vital here. We ought to pray for the
certainties of God’s written Word.
The
Lord Jesus prayed And I knew that thou
hearest me always. The Lord Jesus
was always pleasing to God the Father.
There was never a time that Jesus Christ did not please His Father. Christ could rightly say that He was always
heard by His Father. As Christians we
have access to the throne of grace because of Jesus Christ. But we could not say that the Father always
hears us. If we are engaged in sin, that
will prevent God from hearing us. We are
corrupt sinners, but Jesus Christ is sinlessness itself. He was always heard by His Father. He never confessed one iota of sin. He was Incarnate Perfection. Jesus uttered heavenly communication;
spotless adoration; sinless words of the wisest; the purest words of truth.
The Lord prayed but because of the people which stand by I
said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. The Son gives a reason for His petition unto
His Father. He was a Man who has
doubtless, unfeigned, unspotted belief in the all-sovereign, all-powerful,
all-wise, all-knowing, ever-present Father.
His Father was there to hear the prayer of His Son. The God of Jesus Christ is there to hear our
prayers. This same interpretation can be
applied to God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
The Holy and Blessed Trinity is there to hear our prayers. Sometimes we think that God does not hear us
after we have prayed unto Him with all our hearts. Do you think God is closed off from us? How do we live concerning prayer? Do we pray unto God when we are faced with a
hard situation? We ought to pray unto
God more often when we are faced with the smallest of matters. Here Jesus Christ prayed unto His Father in
the biggest of situations. What was too
hard for the God-man? There was nothing
too difficult for Him. The ultimate
purpose of the prayer of Jesus Christ was the belief of His people. The purpose of His sign was to be used as a
means for their belief. God works
through His means to accomplish His purposes.
God sent the God-man who accomplished His blessed will. The Lord Jesus was perfectly confident; sinlessly
faithful; spotlessly committed to the purpose of His Father. He spoke of the truth of His sign. The manifested sign of Christ was already
spoken by Christ before He accomplished it.
The prayer of Christ was answered: the pre-converted elect came to Him
in belief after the manifestation of His sign (v. 45). See the sinless zeal; the spotless passion;
the perfect faith, belief, trust of the Son of God. Are we people who are confident, faithful, committed
to the purpose of our Father? Christ
speaks truth-exalting; purest grace; grace-given pronouncement; heavenly
communion; glorious zeal unto His Father.
And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus,
come forth. Here we see the fervent, dedicated,
committed, spotless Lamb of God intercede on behalf of His beloved friend by
calling Lazarus forth from the dead.
This is exactly what happens when God’s people are born again. God calls us by name. When He regenerated me, He said, Michael,
come forth. He regenerates the heart by
the Spirit of God and the Word of God.
It is only by the Spirit of God that the stony heart of man was changed
into a heart of flesh. We see that the
raising from the dead of Lazarus was the divine intention of Jesus Christ. It was the purpose of His Father who ordered
the events for His glory. This divine
miracle by the Lord Jesus Christ was preordained by Him before the world
began. He was glorified by His chosen
means for His beloved people for His majestic, glorious, miraculous glory. God does not share His glory with anyone. Jesus Christ was glorified in the miracle of
raising Lazarus from the dead. Do we
have faith that God works all things out for our good? Do we have faith that He is able to
accomplish His divine purposes for His glory?
If we were there with Jesus, would we be the doubters? There is question on why the Lord Jesus wept
(11:35). Did Jesus
weep because of His friend’s death? Or
did Jesus weep because of their unbelief?
The chief concern for Christ was the belief of His people. This was the deepest, most important, most
fundamental in their lives. He
encourages their belief in John 11:20-27 and 11:38-44. The Lord Jesus wept because of their
unbelief. The belief of His people is
most precious, most holy, most righteous, most just, most essential to
Him. It is a truth of God that Christ
wept because of their unbelief.
And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with
graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto
them, Loose him, and let him go. Here is the
actuality of the prayer of Jesus Christ.
His prayer was assuredly answered by His Heavenly Father. Here is the power of prayer by Jesus Christ
realized! The dead man cam forth,
wearing His grave clothes. We see that
Christ spoken immediately after the aftermath of His miracle. When Jesus spoke it was a statement of
unwavering; unspotted; full belief in His Father. Do we believe that our Lord and Savior were
able to perform this miracle? Do we
believe that His prayers are always answered?
Do we live like we believe it? We
have the power of God at our disposal: free access to His throne. We have prayer which reaches to His glorious,
magnificent, awesome, heavenly throne.
He is there to answer our prayers; hear our burdens; lift our burdens;
bestow super-abundant grace. We ought to
pray as the Lord Jesus prayed. Ceaseless
thanks; unwavering belief; perfect allegiance; zealously devoted: this is the
ways of the Sovereign and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things
which Jesus did, believed on him. The sign of
Christ caused people to believe in Him.
This was the mission of Christ when He first announced it (11:4). The Lord Jesus did not make a mistake in v.
11; Lazarus was dead (v. 14). He meant
that death would not be final. The Lord
Jesus triumphed over the grave by raising Lazarus from the dead. The purpose was the glory of God, that the
Son of God may be glorified through it (11:4).
The ultimate purpose of the mission of Jesus in this was their believe (11:14). The ultimate aim of Christ was God’s glory,
and the glory of the Son. The Son was
honored, glorified, exalted by the miracle of God. Are we people of faith? Are we committed to the Jesus of the New
Testament? Let us strive to share the
Incarnate Redeemer with a lost world.
Let us share the great signs He accomplished so that people may
believe. May people this day be
converted by the testimony of Scripture about Jesus Christ!
[i] Manlio Simonetti., Ed., Ancient Christian Commentary, New Testament 1a, Matthew 1-13, (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2001), p. 230.
