←
Explanation for:
Matthew
11
:
25
At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones.
10
more explanations
& daily audio-books
spoken by
– enjoy in Theosis App –
Start your
Bible-journey
with explanations
& daily audio-books
only 4$* per month
{"arr":[{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Confession encompasses not just repentance but also gratitude, a truth often reflected in the Psalms. For those who assert that the Savior is a created being rather than begotten, let them consider that the Lord of all creation refers to God as His Father. If He were merely a created being, it would be inconsistent for Him to address His Creator as Father, just as a creature should acknowledge its Creator. As it is written, “That You hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them to babes,” He expresses gratitude and rejoices in the Father, for it is the Father who disclosed to the apostles the mystery of His incarnation—a truth overlooked by the scribes and Pharisees, who fancied themselves wise and learned. Truly, wisdom is vindicated through her children."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Observe the various ways He inspires faith among the Jews. First, He encourages them by honoring John, portraying him as significant and remarkable, thus validating the means through which he led his followers to the knowledge of Christ. Second, He highlights the absence of the kingdom of heaven and states that the needy are seizing it (Matthew 11:12); this reflects the nature of both the one who encourages and the one who ignites faith. Third, He reassures them that all prophecies have come to fruition, indicating that the prophets had foretold His advent. Fourth, He confirms that all events destined to occur through Him are indeed fulfilled, which is why He shares the parable of the children. Fifth, He admonishes the skeptics, instilling fear and delivering stern warnings. Sixth, He expresses gratitude for those who have faith; in this instance, the term \\"confessing\\" signifies giving thanks. He states, “I thank thee, because thou hast concealed these things from the wise and prudent.\\" Does He take pleasure in their destruction or the fact that they failed to recognize the truth? Certainly not. The path to salvation lies in allowing those who scorn the offered teachings to choose their own way; should they choose to disregard His message, their rejection may ironically draw them closer to the Word. This also serves to heighten the carefulness of the listeners. The revelation of truth to some should bring them joy, while the hiding of it from others should evoke sorrow. This is akin to His lamentation over Jerusalem. He does not thrive on another’s misfortune, but instead rejoices that the truths hidden from the wise have been revealed to the humble. Similarly, when Paul remarks, “I thank God that although they were enslaved to sin, they obeyed from the heart and embraced the mold of doctrine” (Romans 6:17), he is not celebrating their prior bondage to sin but rather rejoicing in the grace they were shown. The Lord identifies the scribes and Pharisees as wise, not to commend them, but to encourage His disciples and illustrate how greatly the simple fishermen were endowed with blessings from which those learned men were excluded. However, when He refers to them as wise, it is not in the context of true wisdom, but rather the flawed wisdom they believed they possessed. Thus, He chooses to address not the foolish, but the innocent and straightforward, indicating that the Pharisees were disqualified not only by their unworthiness but also by divine justice. Through this, He instructs us to shun pride and ardently pursue humility. This aligns with Paul's later counsel: \\"If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age he must become foolish so that he may become wise\\" (1 Corinthians 3:18). Herein lies the manifestation of God's grace! But why does He express gratitude to the Father if He is the one acting? Just as He intercedes for us out of His immense love in other instances, He does so here, and this acknowledgment reflects His profound affection. He also indicates that the Pharisees have not merely strayed from Him but have also distanced themselves from the Father. Thus, He preemptively fulfilled what He instructed His disciples: “Do not give what is holy to dogs” (Matthew 7:6). See Matthew 11:26."},{"author-name":"Augustine of Hippo","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88950a5c988a4fc06c7ae_Augustine%20of%20Hippo.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":5,"exegesis-text":"To me, the Father is the Sovereign of heaven and earth, the Creator of the One through whom all things came into existence. These two terms encapsulate the entirety of creation, expressed as heaven and earth. Thus, the first book of sacred Scripture proclaims: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). Furthermore, it remarks: My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Ps. 120:2). The term heaven encompasses everything within that realm, while earth refers to all that exists upon it; in acknowledging these two segments of creation, nothing is excluded from creation, whether seen or unseen. The Son addresses the Father, I glorify, thereby teaching us that our acknowledgment to God should not be limited solely to our transgressions. Indeed, often when Scripture declares, 'Praise the Lord' (1 Chron. 16:8), many among the listeners respond by striking their breasts, unaware that confession should encompass more than the usual expressions of penitence and the desire for reward from God; rather, it should reflect on what He, in His grace, chooses to grant us. For had there not been an element of glorification in His acknowledgment, the Lord would not have proclaimed, I glorify Thee, Father, even though He had no sins to confess. Another passage of Scripture emphasizes this: Praise the Lord (1 Chron. 16:8). Thus, in your confession, you should proclaim, All the works of the Lord are very good (Sir. 39:21). Here, we find a confession of praise, devoid of reproach.\\n\\n\\"I confess Thee, Father, Sovereign of heaven and earth.\\" It's important to recognize that the term 'confession' is employed in a context of honoring God. The Lord had no sins to acknowledge, as highlighted by another Gospel writer who notes that He spoke these words in a spirit of joy (Luke 10:21). Therefore, there should be no doubt regarding the intent behind His words—they are indeed a praise directed toward God. Scripture broadly defines confession as anything that is openly declared because it is revealed. For instance, when it states, 'If anyone acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father' (Matt. 10:32), or similarly, 'before the angels of God' (Luke 12:8), it indicates that the individual who honors Christ is not merely confessing sins. While some might argue this term arose due to the stigma of Christ’s name during periods of persecution, can it truly be said that Christ similarly acknowledges before His Father or the angels a person who merely acknowledges themselves? In the writings of Jesus, son of Sirach, it is precisely mentioned, 'And these things declare in praise, all the works of the Lord, for they are exceedingly good' (Sirach 39:20-21). This clearly elevates the honor due to God. Such misunderstandings arise from the ignorance of the brethren who, upon hearing this word in the Scripture readings, instinctively strike their chests, failing to consider the broader context and assuming confession can only pertain to the acknowledgment of sins."},{"author-name":"Cyrill of Alexandria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88a8ea5c988a4fc073480_Cyrill%20of%20Alexandria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":5,"exegesis-text":"He states, \\"I confess unto Thee,\\" instead of traditional phrases like \\"I praise Thee\\" or \\"I glorify Thee,\\" which are frequently uttered by people. In the sacred Scriptures, the term \\"confess\\" appears in a similar context. For it is written, \\"Let them confess, O Lord, to thy great and terrible name\\" (Psalm 98:3). Additionally, \\"Let me confess to thee, O Lord, with all my heart\\" (Psalms 9:1; Psalms 110:1). Yet, those with corrupt reasoning argue, \\"Look, he is giving thanks to the Father; how can he be considered equal to the Father?\\" To this, someone knowledgeable in the principles of truth might respond, \\"What, dear ones, stops the consubstantial Son from offering praise and thanksgiving to His Father, who accomplished the salvation of the celestial realms through Him? If you think that His act of confession somehow diminishes Him below the Father, consider this: He confesses and refers to His Father as Lord of heaven and earth. The Son of God, who reigns over all, shares full sovereignty with the Father, not as inferior or separate, but as God from God, adorned with equal glory and genuinely equivalent to the Father in every aspect.\\""},{"author-name":"Epiphanius of Pavia","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":6,"exegesis-text":"He disclosed this truth to the humble. Who are these humble? Not merely young in age, but those who are innocent in heart and spirit. To them, the Lord revealed the path to receive the blessings of Paradise and the eternal rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven, for it pleased God that many would arise from the east and the west to join Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, while the rightful heirs of the kingdom would be cast into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 8:11, 12)."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"The essence of the Lord's statement can be expressed as 'I give praise' rather than 'I thank' You, Father, because those among the Jews who appeared knowledgeable and adept in the Scriptures failed to believe, while the simple and children embraced and understood the divine mysteries. God concealed these mysteries from those who presumed themselves wise, not from envy or due to their lack of understanding, but because of their unworthiness stemming from their self-perceived wisdom. Those who consider themselves wise and depend solely on their own reasoning do not seek the Lord. Consequently, if one does not call upon God, He does not extend His help or reveal Himself. Conversely, God withholds His truths from most of humanity primarily to prevent them from incurring greater punishment than those who ignore these truths after having received knowledge of them."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"The term \\"to respond\\" holds multiple interpretations. At times, it appears at the onset, as seen in the statement: When Jesus responded, He declared, ‘I acknowledge the Father, Sovereign of heaven and earth,’ even in the absence of a preceding inquiry. Other times, it directly addresses a question, as when Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ (Matthew 16:16), in response to an earlier query. Additionally, it may indicate the flow of conversation; for instance, when the Canaanite woman remarked, ‘Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.’ Jesus replied, ‘O woman, great is your faith: be it unto you even as you will’ (Matthew 15:27, 28). It can also convey encouragement, as seen when Peter asked, ‘Explain this parable to us’ (Matthew 15:15). At times, the response may seem superfluous, as in Peter’s assertion, ‘If all men shall forsake you, I will never forsake you’ (Matthew 26:33). Mark conveys this differently: Peter merely spoke to Him, without the phrase ‘having answered and said’ (Mark 14:29). It can also denote a questioning aspect: Jesus replied, ‘Have I not chosen you twelve?’ (John 6:70). In this context, He refers to acknowledgement as gratitude; the wise and learned - the scribes and Pharisees, perceived as such by the people; and infants - the apostles, due to their humility and innocence. He expresses gratitude, saying, because You have hidden the truths of faith from the wise and learned and revealed them to little ones who accept them. Through His thanksgiving to the Father, He confirms His identity as the Son sent by Him and demonstrates His profound love for the believers by offering this gratitude on their behalf. Likewise, He expressed thanks to God for the seventy disciples upon their return, as noted by Luke."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"\\"At the same time\\": refer to the commentary on Matthew 3:1. - \\"Continuing speech\\": derived from the original term (ἀποχριυεὶξ), indicating a response or a renewal of discourse based on a known prompt, to which the following remarks are related or serve as a reply (see Matthew 22:1, Matthew 28:5, John 2:18, 5, among others). - \\"Withheld these things\\"—what exactly is not specified here. From the essence of this glorification, we may deduce that it refers to the unveiling of the mysteries pertaining to the newly inaugurated kingdom of the Messiah. - \\"Of the wise and intelligent\\": referencing those who deem themselves wise and knowledgeable, lacking true understanding, but only possessing worldly, misguided wisdom; these are the false sages, false scholars, and essentially, anyone who does not genuinely embody wisdom and intelligence (1 Cor. 1:26-27). Likely, this addresses the scribes and Pharisees in particular, who commonly perceived themselves and were admired by the populace as wise and prudent (refer to Jn. 9:40. Chrysostom, ‘Theophilus’). - \\"Infants\\": those who are naive as children, who have not acquired knowledge from men and have not attended the Jewish scribal schools. This primarily pertains to the apostles of Christ, who were unlearned and humble, akin to infants. To them, the secrets of the kingdom were disclosed; they embraced and proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom, while the so-called wise and learned not only rejected this gospel but also actively obstructed others from accepting it and persecuted its messengers. The term \\"withheld\\" does not imply that God was the cause of this situation, but rather it is expressed in a manner similar to Paul's words: \\"God gave them over to a depraved mind\\" (Romans 1:28), allowing their thoughts to be blinded, not suggesting a divine causative role, but attributing the outcomes to humans who bring them about. ... Why was it kept from them? Paul states, \\"seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness of God\\" (Romans 10:3). ... What does this mean? Does He take pleasure in their downfall and their failure to recognize Him? Certainly not; rather, the path to salvation is that those who scorn the offered doctrine and deny its acceptance should not be coerced into belief (Chrysostom, cf. Theophilus). - \\"Such is Thy good pleasure\\": this reflects Thy divine will, demonstrating Thy purpose; Thou who art all-wise, orchestrating everything toward the best, sometimes in a manner that may appear misguided to the world. While it may seem odd to humanity that the mysteries of the kingdom are unveiled not to the learned and wise, but to the simple-minded, such is Thy will, and ultimately, the world will recognize the wisdom in Thy plan."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"In that moment, St. Matthew recounts that Jesus proclaimed, \\"I exalt You, O Father, Sovereign of Heaven and Earth, for concealing these profound truths of Your Divine Family for the salvation of humanity. You have concealed them from the learned and knowledgeable, those who consider themselves wise and enlightened, whose wisdom is merely earthly and deceptive, represented by the scribes and Pharisees. Yet, You have revealed these truths to the humble, to those simplehearted fishermen who, with childlike gentleness, yield themselves to Your divine call. They do not rely on their own understanding; they behold the splendor of Your works and genuinely embrace the depth of the divine message I share with them. They willingly forsake all to follow Me. Although they may seem like children, Your grace, My Father, has the strength to transform them into mature men.\\""},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The Pharisees and scribes, confident in their perceived wisdom and expertise in the Scriptures, failed to grasp the prophecies concerning the Messiah and did not comprehend the teachings of Jesus; they looked yet could not see, they listened yet could not hear, and consequently they could not fathom the significance of the events unfolding around them. Their spiritual blindness shrouded the truth from them. In contrast, the humble people, who lacked the extensive knowledge of the Scriptures possessed by the scribes and Pharisees, recognized that Jesus was indeed the long-awaited One for whom the Jewish people had yearned, understanding that there was nothing more to anticipate. This recognition arose not predominantly from intellectual reasoning but from a heartfelt conviction, pure and sincere, akin to the trust of children. Interestingly, genuinely wise individuals, well-versed in the Scriptures, would have been able to grasp the essence of Christ and His message more swiftly than the uncomplicated folk; however, in the time of Jesus, there were no such discerning figures among the Jews—only scribes and Pharisees who proclaimed their wisdom while cleverly distorting the truth to evade the stringent demands of the law, thus burdening the Jewish populace. For this reason, observing the absence of true wisdom around Him and the presence of those seeking salvation, Jesus exclaimed, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you revealed to babes what the wise had kept from themselves, for it was your good will.’"}]}
Support this project and get full access for only 4$/month
Commentarie text can’t be scrolled on PC at the moment. Please use your phone. We’re working on a fix.
