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Matthew 11:25-30 |
Luke 10:21-22 |
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25. At
that time Jesus answering said, I acknowledge to thee,
[Note:
]
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou
hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them to little children. 26. Undoubtedly, O
Father, such was thy good pleasure.
[Note:
]
27. All
things have been delivered to me by my Father; and none knoweth
the Son but the Father; and none knoweth the Father but the Son,
and he to whom the Son has chosen to reveal him.
[Note:
]
28. Come
to me, all that labor and are burdened, and I will relieve you.
29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, that I am
meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest in your souls.
30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. |
21. In
the same hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I acknowledge
to thee,
[Note:
]
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou
hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them to little children: certainly, O Father, it is
because such was thy good pleasure. 22. All things have
been delivered to me by my Father, and none knoweth who the Son
is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son, and he to
whom the Son shall choose to reveal him.
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Matthew 11:25.
Jesus answering.
Though the Hebrew
verb,
answer,
(ענה,)
is frequently employed even in the commencement of a discourse, yet in
this passage I consider it to be emphatic; for it was from the present
occurrence that Christ took occasion to speak. This is more fully
confirmed by the words of Luke, that
in the same hour
Jesus rejoiced in spirit
Whence came that
rejoicing?
Was it not because the Church, composed of poor and despised persons,
was viewed by him as not less precious and valuable than if all the
nobility and high rank in the world had lent to it their brilliancy? Let
it be observed, also, that the discourse is addressed to the
Father,
and consequently
is marked by greater energy than if he had spoken to his disciples. It
was on their behalf, no doubt, and for their sake, that he
gave thanks to the Father,
that they might not be displeased with the low and mean aspect of his
Church.
We are constantly
looking for splendor; and nothing appears to us more incongruous, than
that the heavenly kingdom of the Son of God, whose glory is so
magnificently celebrated by the prophets, should consist of the dregs
and offscourings of the common people. And truly it is a wonderful
purpose of God, that though he has the whole world at his command, he
chooses rather to select a peculiar people to himself from among the
contemptible vulgar, than from the nobility, whose high rank would have
been a greater ornament to the name of Christ. But here Christ withdraws
his disciples from a proud and haughty imagination, that they may not
venture to despise that mean and obscure condition of his Church, in
which he delights and rejoices. To restrain more fully that
curiosity which is constantly springing up in the minds of men, he rises
above the world, and contemplates the secret decrees of God, that he may
lead others to unite with him in admiring them. And certainly, though
this appointment of God contradicts our senses, we discover not only
blind arrogance, but excessive madness, if we murmur against it, while
Christ our Head adores it with reverence.
I acknowledge to
thee, O Father
[Note: ]
By these words he declares his
acquiescence in that decree of the Father, which is so greatly at
variance with human senses. There is an implied contrast between this
praise, which he ascribes to the Father, and the malicious slanders, or
even the impudent barkings, of the world. We must now inquire in what
respect he glorifies the Father. It is because, while he was Lord
of the whole world, he preferred children and ignorant persons to the
wise It has no small weight, as connected with this subject, that he
calls the Father Lord of heaven and earth; for in this manner he
declares that it is a distinction which depends entirely on the will of
God,
[Note: ,”
— “that it is only the good pleasure and will of God that is the cause
of this diversity.”] that
the wise remain blind, while the ignorant and unlearned receive
the mysteries of the Gospel. There are many other passages of a similar
nature, in which God points out to us, that those who arrive at
salvation have been freely chosen by him, because he is the Creator and
Governor of the world, and all nations are his.
This expression implies two
things. First, that all do not obey the Gospel arises from no want of
power on the part of God, who could easily have brought all the
creatures into subjection to his government. Secondly, that some arrive
at faith, while others remain hardened and obstinate, is accomplished by
his free election; for, drawing some, and passing by others, he alone
makes a distinction among men, whose condition by nature is alike.
[Note: ]
In choosing
little children rather than the wise, he has a regard to his
glory; for the flesh is too apt to rise, and if able and learned men had
led the way, it would soon have come to be the general conviction, that
men obtain faith by their skill, or industry, or learning. In no other
way can the mercy of God be so fully known as it ought to be, than by
making such a choice, from which it is evident, that whatever men bring
from themselves is nothing; and therefore human wisdom is justly thrown
down, that it may not obscure the praise of divine grace.
But it is asked, whom does
Christ denominate wise? And whom does he denominate little
children? For experience plainly shows, that not all the ignorant
and unlearned on the one hand are enlightened to believe, and that not
all the wise or learned are left in their blindness. It
follows, that those are called wise and prudent, who, swelled
with diabolical pride, cannot endure to hear Christ speaking to them
from above. And yet it does not always happen that God reprobates those
who have a higher opinion of themselves than they ought to have; as we
learn from the instance of Paul, whose fierceness Christ subdued. If we
come down to the ignorant multitude, the majority of whom display
envenomed malice, we perceive that they are left to their destruction
equally with the nobles and great men. I do acknowledge, that all
unbelievers swell with a wicked confidence in themselves, whether their
pride be nourished by their wisdom, or by a reputation for integrity, or
by honors, or by riches. But I consider that Christ here includes all
who are eminent for abilities and learning, without charging them with
any fault; as, on the other hand, he does not represent it to be an
excellence in any one that he is a little child. True, humble
persons have Christ for their master, and the first lesson of faith is,
Let no man presume on his wisdom. But Christ does not speak here as to
voluntary childhood. He magnifies the grace of the Father on this
ground, that he does not disdain to descend even to the lowest and most
abominable, that he may raise up the poor out of filth.
But here a question arises. As
prudence is a gift of God, how comes it that it hinders us from
perceiving the brightness of God, which shines in the Gospel? We ought,
indeed, to remember what I have already said, that unbelievers corrupt
all the prudence which they possess, and that men of
distinguished abilities are often hindered in this respect, that they
cannot submit to be taught. But with respect to the present passage I
reply: Though the sagacity of the prudent does not stand in their
way, they may notwithstanding be deprived of the light of the Gospel.
Since the condition of all is the same or alike, why may not God take
this or that person according to his pleasure? The reason why he passes
by the wise and the great is declared by Paul to be, that
God hath chosen the weak and
foolish things of the world to confound the glory of the flesh,
(1 Corinthians 1:27.)
Hence also we infer, that the
statement made by Christ is not universal, when he says, that the
mysteries of the Gospel are hidden from the wise If out of five
wise men four reject the Gospel and one embraces it, and if, out
of an equal number of unlearned persons, two or three become disciples
of Christ, this statement is fulfilled. This is also confirmed by that
passage in Paul’s writings, which I lately quoted; for he does not
exclude from the kingdom of God all the wise, and noble,
and mighty, but only declares that it does not contain many
of them.
The question is now solved.
Prudence is not condemned as far as it is a gift of God, but Christ
merely declares that it has no influence in procuring faith. On the
other hand, he does not recommend ignorance, as if it rendered men
acceptable to God, but affirms that it does not hinder mercy from
enlightening ignorant and unlearned men with heavenly wisdom. It now
remains to explain what is meant by revealing and hiding.
That Christ does not speak of the outward preaching may be inferred with
certainty from this circumstance, that he presented himself as a Teacher
to all without distinction, and enjoined his Apostles to do the same.
The meaning therefore is, that no man can obtain faith by his own
acuteness, but only by the secret illumination of the Spirit.
26. Undoubtedly, O
Father This expression removes every pretense for that
licentiousness of inquiry, to which we are continually excited. There is
nothing which we yield to God with greater difficulty, than that his
will shall be regarded by us as the highest reason and justice.
[Note: ]
He frequently
repeats, that his judgments are a deep abyss, (Psalm
36:6;) but we plunge with headlong violence into that depth,
[Note:
;”
— “to sound what is in it.”]
and if there is any thing that
does not please us, we gnash our teeth, or murmur against him, and many
even break out into open blasphemies. On the contrary, our Lord lays
down to us this rule, that whatever God has determined must be regarded
by us as right.
[Note: ;”
— “that all that God has determined is good and right.”]
This is sober wisdom, to
acquiesce in the good pleasure of God as alone equal to a thousand
arguments.
[Note: ;”
— “and this is to be wise to sobriety, to acquiesce in the good pleasure
of God, and to rest calmly upon it, more than if there were ten thousand
arguments before our eyes.”]
Christ might indeed have brought
forward the causes of that distinction, if there were any; but he is
satisfied with the good pleasure of God, and inquires no farther why he
calls to salvation little children rather than others, and
composes his kingdom out of an obscure flock.
[Note:
;”
— “from a flock of persons unknown and little esteemed.”]
Hence it is evident, that men
direct their fury against Christ, when, on learning that some are freely
chosen, and others are reprobated, by the will of God, they storm
because they find it unpleasant to yield to God.
[Note:
;”
— “come immediately to storm, because it gives them uneasiness that God
should have the last word.”]
27. All things have
been delivered to me. The connection of this sentence with the
preceding one is not correctly understood by those commentators who
think that Christ intends nothing more than to strengthen the confidence
of his disciples for preaching the Gospel. My opinion is, that Christ
spoke these words for another reason, and with another object in view.
Having formerly asserted that the Church proceeds from the secret source
of God’s free election, he now shows in what manner the grace of
salvation comes to men. Many persons, as soon as they learn that none
are heirs of eternal life but those whom God chose before the
foundation of the world, (Ephesians
1:4,) begin to inquire anxiously how they may be assured of God’s secret
purpose, and thus plunge into a labyrinth, from which they will find no
escape. Christ enjoins them to come direct to himself, in order to
obtain certainty of salvation. The meaning therefore is, that life is
exhibited to us in Christ himself, and that no man will partake of it
who does not enter by the gate of faith. We now see that he connects
faith with the eternal predestination of God, — two things which men
foolishly and wickedly hold to be inconsistent with each other. Though
our salvation was always hidden with God, yet Christ is the channel
through which it flows to us, and we receive it by faith, that it may be
secure and ratified in our hearts. We are not at liberty then to turn
away from Christ, unless we choose to reject the salvation which he
offers to us.
None knoweth the Son. He
says this, that we may not be guided by the judgment of men, and thus
form an erroneous estimate of his majesty. The meaning therefore is,
that if we wish to know what is the character of Christ, we must abide
by the testimony of the Father, who alone can truly and certainly
inform us what authority he hath bestowed upon him. And, indeed, by
imagining him to be what our mind, according to its capacity, conceives
of him, we deprive him of a great part of his excellence, so that we
cannot know him aright but from the voice of the Father That
voice alone would undoubtedly be insufficient without the guidance of
the Spirit; for the power of Christ is too deep and hidden to be
attained by men, until they have been enlightened by the Father
We must understand him to mean, not that the Father knoweth for
himself, but that He knoweth for us to reveal him to us.
But the sentence appears to be
incomplete, for the two clauses do not correspond to each other. Of
the Son it is said, that none knoweth the Father except himself,
and he to whom he shall be pleased to reveal him Of the Father
nothing more is said than this, that He alone knoweth the Son.
Nothing is said about revelation. I reply, that it was unnecessary
to repeat what he had already said; for what else is contained in the
previous thanksgiving, than that the Father hath revealed the Son to
those who approve of him? When it is now added that He alone knoweth
the Son, it appears to be the assigning of a reason; for this
thought might, have occurred, What neccessity was there that the Son,
who had openly exhibited himself to the view of men, should be
revealed by the Father? We now perceive the reason why it was said,
that none knoweth the Son but the Father only It now remains that
we attend to the latter clause:
None knoweth the Father
except the Son, and he to whom the Son shall be pleased to reveal him.
This is a different kind of knowledge from the former; for the Son is
said to know the Father, not because he reveals Him by his
Spirit, but because, being the lively image of Him, he represents Him
visibly in his own person. At the same time, I do not exclude the
Spirit, but explain the revelation here mentioned as referring to
the manner of communicating information. This agrees most completely
with the context; for Christ confirms what he had formerly said, that
all things had been delivered to him by his Father, by informing us
that the fullness of the Godhead dwelleth in him, (Colossians
2:9.) The passage may be thus summed up:
[Note: ]
First, it is the
gift of the Father, that the Son is known, because by his
Spirit he opens the eyes of our mind to discern the glory of Christ,
which otherwise would have been hidden from us. Secondly, the Father,
who dwells in inaccessible light, and is in himself
incomprehensible, is revealed to us by the Son, because he is the lively
image of Him, so that it is in vain to seek for Him elsewhere.
[Note:
;”
— “so that it is lost time to seek him elsewhere.”]
28. Come to me all
that labor He now kindly invites to himself those whom he
acknowledges to be fit for becoming his disciples. Though he is ready to
reveal the Father to all, yet the greater part are careless about coming
to him, because they are not affected by a conviction of their
necessities. Hypocrites give themselves no concern about Christ, because
they are intoxicated with their own righteousness, and neither hunger
nor thirst (Matthew
5:6) for his grace. Those who are devoted to the world set no value on
heavenly life. It would be in vain, therefore, for Christ to invite
either of these classes, and therefore he turns to the wretched and
afflicted. He speaks of them as laboring, or groaning under a
burden, and does not mean generally those who are oppressed with
grief and vexations, but those who are overwhelmed by their sins, who
are filled with alarm at the wrath of God, and are ready to sink under
so weighty a burden. There are various methods, indeed, by which
God humbles his elect; but as the greater part of those who are loaded
with afflictions still remain obstinate and rebellious, Christ means by
persons laboring and burdened, those whose consciences are
distressed by their exposure to eternal death, and who are inwardly so
pressed down by their miseries that they faint; for this very fainting
prepares them for receiving his grace. He tells us that the reason why
most men despise his grace is, that they are not sensible of their
poverty; but that there is no reason why their pride or folly should
keep back afflicted souls that long for relief.
Let us therefore bid adieu to
all who, entangled by the snares of Satan, either are persuaded that
they possess a righteousness out of Christ, or imagine that they are
happy in this world. Let our miseries drive us to seek Christ; and as he
admits none to the enjoyment of his rest but those who sink under the
burden, let us learn, that there is no venom more deadly than that
slothfulness which is produced in us, either by earthly happiness, or by
a false and deceitful opinion of our own righteousness and virtue. Let
each of us labor earnestly to arouse himself, first, by vigorously
shaking off the luxuries of the world; and, secondly, by laying aside
every false confidence. Now though this preparation for coming to
Christ makes them as dead men,
[Note: ]
yet it ought to be
observed, that it is the gift of the Holy Spirit, because it is the
commencement of repentance, to which no man aspires in his own strength.
Christ did not intend to show what man can do of himself, but only to
inform us what must be the feelings of those who come to him.
They who limit the burden
and the labor to ceremonies of the Law, take a very narrow view
of Christ’s meaning. I do acknowledge, that the Law was intolerably
burdensome, and overwhelmed the souls of worshippers; but we must bear
in mind what I have said, that Christ stretches out his hand to all the
afflicted, and thus lays down a distinction between his disciples and
those who despise the Gospel. But we must attend to the universality of
the expression; for Christ included all, without exception, who labor
and are burdened, that no man may shut the gate against himself by
wicked doubts.
[Note: ]
And yet all such
persons are few in number; for, among the innumerable multitude of those
that perish, few are aware that they are perishing. The relief
which he promises consists in the free pardon of sins, which alone gives
us peace.
29. Take my yoke upon
you. Many persons, we perceive, abuse the grace of Christ by turning
it into an indulgence of the flesh; and therefore Christ, after
promising joyful rest to wretchedly distressed consciences, reminds
them, at the same time, that he is their Deliverer on condition of their
submitting to his yoke. He does not, he tells us, absolve men from their
sins in such a manner, that, restored to the favor of God, they may sin
with greater freedom, but that, raised up by his grace, they may also
take his yoke upon them, and that, being free in spirit, they may
restrain the licentiousness of their flesh. And hence we obtain a
definition of that rest of which he had spoken. It is not at all
intended to exempt the disciples of Christ from the warfare of the
flesh, that they may enjoy themselves at their ease, but to train them
under the burden of discipline, and keep them under the yoke.
Learn of me It is a
mistake, I think, to suppose that Christ here assures us of his meekness,
lest his disciples, under the influence of that fear which is
usually experienced in approaching persons of distinction, should remain
at a distance from him on account of his Divine glory. It is rather his
design to form us to the imitation of himself, because the obstinacy of
the flesh leads us to shrink from his yoke as harsh and uneasy.
Shortly afterwards, he adds, (verse 30,) my yoke is easy But how
shall any man be brought willingly and gently to bend his neck, unless,
by putting on meekness, he be conformed to Christ? That this is the
meaning of the words is plain; for Christ, after exhorting his disciples
to bear his yoke, and desirous to prevent them from being
deterred by its difficulty, immediately adds, Learn of me; thus
declaring that, when his example shall have accustomed us to meekness
and humility, we shall no longer feel his yoke to be troublesome.
To the same purpose he adds, I will relieve you So long as the
flesh kicks, we rebel; and those who refuse the yoke of Christ, and
endeavor to appease God in any other manner, distress and waste
themselves in vain. In this manner, we see the Papists wretchedly
torturing themselves, and silently enduring the dreadful tyranny under
which they groan, that they may not bow to the yoke of Christ.
