Matthew 11:25 - Exposition

At that time ; season (Revised Version); ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ . St. Luke's phrase ("in that very hour," ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ) is more precise, definitely connecting the utterance with the return of the seventy. St. Matthew's refers rather to that stage or period in his ministry (cf. Matthew 12:1 ; Matthew 14:1 ). Jesus answered . Only in Matthew. If we could suppose this to be the original context of the passage, the" answer" would probably refer to some expression of astonishment or complaint at his solemn statement in verses 20-24. Professor Marshall's derivation of both "answered" and "rejoiced" (Luke) from a common Aramaic original appears very strained. And said, I thank thee ; better, as the Revised Version margin, praise ( ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι ) . There is no thought of gratitude, but of publicity in assent ( Luke 22:6 ), in confession ( Matthew 3:6 ) and in acknowledgment ( Romans 14:11 ; Philippians 2:11 ), and thus of praise ( Joshua 7:19 ; Ezra 10:11 (Lucian); 2 Chronicles 30:22 ; Romans 15:9 ). It implies a profession of personal acceptance by Christ of God's methods. "I profess to thee my entire and joyful acquiescence in what thou doest." Hence St. Luke introduces the utterance by ἠγαλλάσατο , adding τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ , thus giving us a glimpse of the unity of purpose and feeling inherent in the Trinity, even during the time that the Word "tabernacled among us." O Father . Father occurs in Matthew 6:9 ; Matthew 26:39 ; Luke 23:1-56 . 34, 46: John 11:41 ; John 12:27 ; John 17:1 ; in fact, in all the recorded prayers of our Lord except Matthew 27:46 , which is a quotation, and where the phrase, "My God, my God," emphasizes his sense of desolation. The word expresses perfect relationship and intimate communion. It points to the trust, the love, and the obedience of Christ, and to the depth of natural affection and confidence between him and the First Person of the Trinity. It suggests mercies in the past, care in the present, and provision for the future. Lord of heaven and earth . Acts 17:24 , by St. Paul, who may have derived it from these words of our Lord, or perhaps from Psalms 146:6 or Isaiah 42:5 . As "Father" was the note of personal relationship, so is this of sovereign majesty. Christ unites the thought of God's love to himself with that of his ownership of all creation, thus paving the way for the main subject of the prayer—his Father's method of dealing with men of various kinds and tempers. Because ; that (Revised Version), perhaps as more idiomatic with "thank." But ὅτι here gives, not the contents of the "thanksgiving," but the reason for it. Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes . The laws by which religious impressions are received, whether ultimately for good or for evil ( 2 Corinthians 2:15 , 2 Corinthians 2:16 ; John 9:39 ), are here attributed to God. Observe that the sentence is not a kind of hendiadys, but that Christ accepts his Father's action in both directions. The one is the subject of his entire acquiescence as much as the other. Hast hid … hast revealed. The aorists (cf. Isaiah 42:19 , note) may be understood here as either