In the day and age we live in, many people do not know their biological father. Some live wondering who they are and why they are not wanted. Some never know their father because of a tragedy that took their father before they were old enough to remember them. We’ve all heard of heart-gripping stories where children finally get to meet their birth father, and their joy is overwhelming. Yet, many will never know their birth father. While this is true, there is a Father they can know. A Father that knows them from conception, a Father that wants to have a relationship with them. No DNA test is needed, no lawyers or detectives to find the truth, and no mother to affirm their findings. There is only one way to know this Father of all fathers. He is revealed to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
This Father is the creator of all, full of power, all-knowing, and ever-present. Defined by His love, holiness, long-suffering, and, yes, His wrath. This Father is one we should all want to know. Our eternity rests in His hands and the blessings of this life also. His love is so infinite that He gave the life of His only begotten Son to redeem us from our sins so we could have a relationship with Him. In Matthew 11:25-27, Jesus, His Son, reveals the pathway to knowing the Father.
Earlier in chapter 11, Jesus was praising the ministry of John the Baptist. He then begins to criticize those who would not listen and follow. He pronounced a warning of judgment to those cities that had the opportunity but would not turn to God. In verse 25, as Jesus looks toward the heavens, he begins a prayer. He is thanking the Father that knowing Him was not tied to the world’s wisdom or status. Knowing the Father was not based on wealth or intelligence. The proud and haughty scribes and Pharisees had rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ. They had rejected Him as the Messiah and, therefore, could not know the Father. God the Father made himself known to the “babes,” those who, in simplicity, believed and received Jesus as the Son of God. His prayer then turns to God the Father as the supreme ruler of all creation. The word “Lord” means supreme in authority, controller, and Master ruler overall. This prayer demonstrated submission to the Father’s authority. Jesus is teaching them that our own intelligence does not lead us to the Father, but it is through the divine revelation from the Father, through the Son.
Matthew 11:25-26 “At 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. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.”
In verse 27, he continues his prayer. Here we see the equality of the Father and Son. We see the part of Christianity that makes us different from all other religions. Jesus and the Father are one, and there is no other way to the Father but through Jesus Christ! Because of their unique relationship as one, Jesus is given the exclusive right to share the Father with others. The Father gave everything to His Son, and we cannot know the Father unless we know the Son.
Matthew 11:27 “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.”
Jesus is the way, was the way, and always will be the way to the Father. We place our faith in what He did on the cross, and those Old Testament saints placed their faith in Jesus, Messiah, who was coming.
John 14:6 affirms Jesus as the way. In John 3:16-17, we see God giving His Son Jesus as the payment for our sins, but we must trust in His Son for our salvation. In I Timothy 2:5, we have another confirmation that there is only one mediator between God and men. That person is Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
I Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
There are many religions that teach about God but deny Jesus the Messiah, God’s Son, ever came. Others believe He came but that He was just a good prophet. They deny the deity of Jesus. Others teach that He is the Son of God, but He is not enough. They believe your works plus your faith equals salvation. These are false religions. They may make you feel good about yourself because you are believing something and going through some ritualistic ceremonies, but they will not lead you to the Father, who is in Heaven.
There is only one way to the Father, and that is through the Son. You have two choices, you can believe in Him and inherit eternal life, or you can choose your own way, thinking and believing you are correct. However, because you believe it does not make it true. God’s word is truth; it has and will pass the test of time. God will not force His Son on anyone, but if you reject these truths, you will spend eternity in Hell.
