Knowing the Father

[JamesATyler]

What do you think Jesus means when he says that no one knows the Father except the Son and to anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him? Also, how do you think that Jesus reveals his Father and what does it mean to know the Father?

Matthew 11:27

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

 

[Dendral]

That all things have been handed over to the Son means that all the properties of God are in His Son. So, the Son is the essence of the Father.

That nobody knows the Son save the Father is obvious when you realize that only you can recognize yourself when you utter “I”. The “I” of the Father is His Son, the Logos, His self-knowledge, begotten of the Father’s introspection.

Why did the Father introspect? Because it is not wise to act (create) without thinking beforehand. And no intelligent being would omit at some point to think about his self. God did that before anything else. Before time. Eternally.

That only the Son knows the Father etc. is also obvious: the only way to know something is through its concept, its essence. But the Son is that essence.

 

[Skyhighblue34]

What do you think Jesus means when he says that no one knows the Father except the Son and to anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him? Also, how do you think that Jesus reveals his Father and what does it mean to know the Father?

Matthew 11:27

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

It means that to have a relationship with God you must first have a relationship with Jesus. Jesus came to Earth to save sinners, so it makes sense that God handed all the responsibility to Jesus. The part about Jesus revealing God to others isn’t really done in any way, he just sort of makes God available. Knowing the Father is knowing his attributes. For instance, his greatest attribute is His mercy.

However, those more seasoned veterans of the Catholic faith, feel free to prove me wrong as I’m still learning myself. Just giving my two cents on the matter.

 

[Starrsmother]

What do you think Jesus means when he says that no one knows the Father except the Son and to anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him? Also, how do you think that Jesus reveals his Father and what does it mean to know the Father?

Matthew 11:27

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

I think the prayer Jesus gave us–the Our Father—does a pretty good job. Also, the parable of the Prodigal son, tells us a lot, as the father in it was apparently God the Father.

 

[JMJ91]

What do you think Jesus means when he says that no one knows the Father except the Son and to anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him? Also, how do you think that Jesus reveals his Father and what does it mean to know the Father?

Matthew 11:27

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

It is possible that Jesus was directing this statement to his Jewish listeners. Namely, that the relationship between God the Father and the Son of God had not been revealed explicitly through the Torah, the prophets and the oral tradition of the Jewish people up until this time.

It is possible that the Son of God was sent to this earth to reveal this relationship to the Jewish people and to all of humanity. He is the “I Am” who had appeared to the Patriarchs and to Moses, and appeared to the prophets in visions and in dreams. He was hidden from all as the Son of God, otherwise ‘they would not have crucified the Lord of glory’.

" No one has seen God the Father at any time, the only-begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father has declared Him"

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Jesus was sort of transparent, such that in seeing him we see through him to the Father. That is, in his words and deeds and love his will and love were so perfectly aligned with that of the Father that anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

John 14:6-9
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

 

[Ed_Silvia]

“what does it mean to know the Father?”

There aren’t enough words in creation to describe what it means to know the Father but I say the closer you come to him the more you know yourself, your place in creation & salvation history i.e. his special plan for you.