Matthew 11:27Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Because He had said, I confess unto thee, Father, because thou hast hid these things from the wise, that you should not suppose that He thus thanks the Father as though He Himself was excluded from this power, He adds, All things are committed to me by my Father. Hearing the words are committed, do not admit suspicion of any thing human, for He uses this word that you may not think there be two gods unbegotten. For at the time that He was begotten He was Lord of all.

All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. Previously, the Lord addressed the Father, stating, "You have disclosed, Father." Thus, to prevent the misunderstanding that Christ acts independently while all authority rests with the Father, He affirms, "All things are entrusted to Me." Both Mine and the Father's authority are unified in this declaration. When you hear "entrusted," do not assume it implies servitude or inferiority; rather, it signifies His position as the Son, for He was begotten by the Father, hence He is 'entrusted.' Had He not been born of the Father and shared in His divine essence, it could not rightly be said that all things were 'entrusted' to Him.

The one who beholds the Son, who embodies the likeness of the Father, perceives the Father Himself. The Son discloses the Father by revealing Himself as the archetype, simultaneously manifesting the original through His likeness. This should be interpreted in a manner appropriate to the divine nature. Since it has been declared that all things are entrusted to Me, this was added to clarify that He does not possess a different essence or is inferior to the Father, highlighting that His being is profound and beyond full comprehension, akin to that of the Father. Only the divine nature within the Trinity understands itself completely.

For if He has aught less in His power than the Father has, then all that the Father has, are not His; for by begetting Him the Father gave power to the Son, as by begetting Him He gave all things which He has in His substance to Him whom He begot of His substance.

And in their ignorance, Eusebius and his followers, who subscribe to the teachings of Arius, sinfully misinterpret the Lord's declaration: "If all things are delivered up," which they take to mean control over creation, claiming it happened when He lacked them. They contend that if He lacked them, He cannot be of the Father. Yet, if He were truly from the Father, being eternally generated from Him, He would possess those things and would not need to receive them. Their irrationality is evident, for this statement does not indicate authority over the creation, but aims to convey the concept of construction. If all things were entrusted to Him with these words, it is clear that prior to His reception of them, creation had not the Word inherent within it. Hence, how can it be stated that "All things in him consist" (Col. 1:17)? If all things were delivered to Him at the moment of creation, there would be no reason for a transfer since all came into being through Him (John 1:3); it would be redundant to hand over what He Himself had created. He inherently held dominion over creation simply by being its Creator. However, if all things were already surrendered to Him upon creation, this brings us to a paradox. If He was betrayed and accepted, while the Father withdrew, we risk falling into the false notion that the Father had abandoned the Son, as though He betrayed Him and removed Himself from the world. Conversely, if the Son contains all things, the Father must also contain them, suggesting rather that the Father communed with the Son, much like Paul did with Silouan. This scenario too reveals confusion. God requires nothing from anyone and did not need to receive the Son as an aid; rather, as the Father of the Son, He accomplishes all through Him. The Father does not delegate the care of His creation to Him but operates through Him, ensuring that not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father’s will, nor is any grass adorned without God’s input. Just as the Father acts, so does the Son even now (John 5:17). Thus, the folly of the wicked is made clear. Their interpretation does not align with the truth but instead reveals the Lord's work in the flesh.

When humanity transgressed and fell, causing chaos throughout creation, death multiplied from Adam to Moses (Rom. 5:14), the earth was cursed, hell was opened, paradise was closed, heaven was troubled, mankind was corrupted to the core and became like beasts, and the devil jostled with us. At this juncture, God, in His mercy and unwilling to let those made in His image perish, asked, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" All were silent until the Son replied, "Here am I, send me." The Father then gave him the command to go (Isa. 6:8, 9) and entrusted humanity to Him, that the Word might take flesh and restore all creation. The Word acted as a Healer to cure humanity from the grip of sin, as Life to resurrect the dead, as Light to dispel darkness, and as the Word itself to renew the earthly creatures. Thus, once all things were entrusted to the Word and He embraced humanity, all things were transformed: the earth received blessings instead of curses, paradise opened to the thief, hell was dismayed, tombs were unsealed when the dead were raised, and the gates of heaven were lifted for the one who comes from Edom (Ps. 23:9). The Savior, illustrating how all is delivered to Him, proclaimed, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). They are entrusted to Him to bring rest to the weary and to give life to the dead. John's testimony echoes this: "The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand" (John 3:35). This is given so that just as He created all things, He might also renew them. It is not that He received power from the powerless or took possession of all things for His enrichment; rather, it is for Him as Savior to restore all. It was fitting that all should come into being through Him at creation, and then later, when all had fallen, that the Word became flesh, thereby renewing everything. He achieved rest for us by suffering, provided for us by hunger, and liberated us by descending into hell. At the beginning of all things, creation was commanded to exist, to generate, and to be (Gen. 1:3, 20); likewise, it was appropriate during restoration for everything to be delivered to Him, that the Word Himself might become man, renewing all things in Him. Thus, those who are associated with Him are given life. This is why the Word united with humanity, to liberate us from the power of sin. That is also why the psalmist petitioned God for humanity, saying, "O God, give Thy judgement to the kings" (Psalm 71:1), that mortal judgment should not have dominion over mankind. In this way, the condemnation that sought to ruin us was entrusted to the Son, who has abolished it through His own death, recognizing our plight. The Savior Himself testified, "Thy wrath is established upon Me" (Psalm 87:8), for He bore the wrath that was rightfully upon us, as stated in Psalm 137: "The Lord will recompense for Me" (Psalm 137:8).

Therefore, we must comprehend the statement "All things are delivered unto the Savior" in this manner: that which He did not possess is entrusted to Him. Initially, He was not man, but He took on human form for the purpose of salvation. The Word was not flesh in the beginning but became flesh so that through it, enmity was reconciled, and the teaching of the commandments was abolished, bringing both into one new man, forming peace and reconciling all to the Father (Eph. 2:15, 16). All that the Father possesses is also the Son's, as affirmed in John: "All that the Father has is Mine" (John 16:15); this statement is particularly revealing. When He became what He was not, then all things were entrusted to Him. When He wished to affirm His unity with the Father, He does not conceal it and teaches, saying, "All that the Father hath is Mine." The precision of His language is remarkable. He did not say, "All that the Father hath given to Me," leading to the misconception that He once lacked these things. Instead, He refers to "My substance;" for that which remains with the Father also belongs to the Son. However, we should consider, what does the Father possess? If this refers to creation, then it must be noted that the Father possessed nothing before creation, leading to the mistaken belief that what He has is merely borrowed from creation. Let us not entertain such notions! Just as the Father existed before all creation, He likewise possesses all that He has before it, which we believe also pertains to the Son. For if the Son is within the Father (John 14:10), then all that the Father possesses also belongs to the Son. By this assertion, the deceit of wrong thinkers is dismantled, who claim, "If all things are delivered to the Son, then the Father relinquishes His authority over what He has entrusted to Him." They assert that the Father places the Son in His stead because "the Father judges no one but has committed all judgement to the Son" (John 5:22). But let the mouths of those who speak unrighteousness be silenced (Psalm 62:12)! For the Father did not forfeit His power by conferring all judgement to the Son; rather, entrusting all things to the Son does not mean that He ceases to be sovereign over all. When they separate the only-begotten of God in their misguided words, they do not comprehend that the light is inseparable from the sun, as it inherently dwells within it.

Thus, it is impossible for anyone to conceive that sunlight, which illuminates all, shines without the sun, for the light is united naturally with the essence of the sun. If light were to claim, "I draw from the sun to enlighten all things, strengthening them with my heat," it would be madness to disassociate the sun's name from its nature as light. Similarly, it is sound to recognize the divine essence of the Word as one with the Father in nature. The statement we examine provides a clear interpretation of the matter; the Savior proclaimed, "All that the Father hath is Mine." This signifies that He always exists with the Father, as the phrase "All that the Father hath" denotes dominion while "My substance" indicates an indivisible unity. Thus, it is essential to envision that the Father encompasses timeless existence, eternity, and uncreatedness, which reside in Him not as something external but like water in a fountain, resting both in Him and in the Son. To understand the Son, one must first grasp what is within the Father and then believe that the same is also in the Son. If the Father were a creature or a created being, then the Son would likewise be. If it were permissible to claim that the Father once was not, that He originated from non-existing things, then this could equally be attributed to the Son. However, if it is inappropriate to affirm this regarding the Father, it must also be wrong to impose it upon the Son. For whatever pertains to the Father also extends to the Son; anyone who honors the Son honors the Father who sent Him (John 5:20); whoever receives the Son receives the Father (John 13:23); and whoever sees the Son has seen the Father (John 14:9). Therefore, as the Father is not a created being, neither is the Son; and just as it is impossible to assert of the Father that there once was a time when He was not or that He is from non-being, it is also unfitting to assert such notions about the Son. Rather, as the Father embodies endless existence, immortality, eternity, and uncreated essence, so too should we regard the Son, according to what is written: "But as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given the Son also to have life in Himself" (John 5:26). The term "give" pertains to the Father who bestows; yet, as it is in the Father, so too is it in the Son, establishing the inseparability and eternality of existence. Thus, the Savior articulates with precision, "Whatever the Father has," to clarify that here He does not identify as the Father Himself. He did not say, "I am the Father," but "If only the Father wills."

The only-begotten Son of the Father is also referred to as the Father, not in a manner that leads you, deceived Arians, to misinterpret; rather, He is the Son of the Father who begets Him and the Father of the age to come. Your presumptions must be completely dismissed. The prophet declares, "Unto us a Son is born, and a child is given unto us. And the governance shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Hence, the Only-begotten is the Father of the future age, and the Son of God is indeed Mighty God and Ruler, as it is established that all that belongs to the Father is also alongside the Son, and just as the Father grants life, so the Son has the power to give life as He wills (John 5:21). "For it is declared that the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they shall live" (John 5:25). The Father and the Son share a singular will and desire because their natures are unified and indivisible. The Arians labor in vain, misunderstanding our Savior's proclamation: "All that the Father hath is Mine." Through these words, the fallacy of Sabellius is refuted, and the irrationality of today's Jews is unveiled. According to the reasoning of these declarations, the Only-begotten possesses life in Himself just as the Father possesses life in Him; and He alone knows the Father, for He abides in the Father and encompasses the Father within Himself. He is the image of the Father, which incorporates everything that belongs to the Father. He embodies the perfect seal that reflects the Father; He is the living, true Word, power, wisdom, sanctification, and our salvation. In Him we live and move and exist (Acts 17:28), and no one knows the Father except the Son, nor knows the Son save the Father.

‘No one knows the Father except the Son.’ For who understands the Thought except the Word that emanates from it? The Son is the Word, surpassing all comprehension, and all the thoughts that arise are beneath Him. If knowledge were solely derived from sight and sound, it would be required that anyone who has beheld the Lord would know Him. ‘If,’ He states, “they had known Him, they would not have taken Him to the Cross” (cf. 1 Cor. 2:8). Similarly, He said: ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not’ (Lk. 23:34). The sun, the moon, the trees, and the rocks also visibly honored Him, yet they lacked understanding of Him. Thus, the Son embodies the thought of the Father.

For if we conceive of this thing according to our weakness, when he who receives begins to have, he who gives begins to be without. Or when He says, All things are committed to him, He may mean, not the heaven and earth and the elements, and the rest of the things which He created and made, but those who through the Son have access to the Father.

No one has ever witnessed God at any time: The only begotten Son, who is in the embrace of the Father, has made Him known (John 1:18). Consequently, the divine essence remains inexpressible and beyond comprehension. For it is written, "No one knows the Father except the Son, and no one knows the Son except the Father" (Matt. 11:27). Moreover, the Holy Spirit understands the things of God just as the human spirit perceives the thoughts within itself (1 Cor. 2:11). Therefore, aside from the First and Blessed Being, no one—whether among humanity or from the celestial orders, including the Cherubim and Seraphim—has ever come to know God, unless He has chosen to reveal Himself to them.

All authority has been entrusted to Me by My Father. This encompasses everything that belongs to the Father, as He states, “All that the Father hath is Mine” (John 16:15). If all authority has been given to Him, He reigns over everything, and if He reigns over everything, He is undeniably equal to the Father. It is important to understand the term "entrusted" in a manner fitting divine majesty; this does not imply that He lacked it before, but rather that it was designated to Him subsequently. Nothing exists prior to Him, not even the Father, for both the Father and the Son are together and share dominion over all. Nevertheless, He speaks in this manner with respect to the intentions of the divine plan, thereby honoring the Father. Keep this interpretation in mind in similar contexts.

Should the mother (Ahamoth, a concept introduced by the Gnostics) or the seed comprehend and declare the truth, which is the Father, then they would assert that the Savior was deceptive when he claimed: ‘No one knows the Father except the Son.’ Therefore, if the Father were to be recognized by the mother or her seed, it would undermine the statement, ‘No one knows the Father but the Son,’ unless they refer to their seed or mother as ‘no one.’

Or that we may not think that there is any thing less in Him than in God, therefore He says this.

No one has knowledge of God the Father except for God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; equally, no one truly knows the Son apart from the Father and the Holy Spirit; and no one understands the Holy Spirit without the Father and the Son. This interconnectedness fosters shared will and shared action, which, when united, results in a harmonious expression of purpose and intention. Just as all Persons are one, so too does each Person dwell within the others. Each Person's unity comes solely from generation and procession. It is important to clarify that the Father, when begetting the Son, does not distance Him from Himself or from the Spirit, and in begetting the Holy Spirit, He does not separate Him from Himself or from the Son.

The apostles were filled with childlike joy at the fact that even the demons were subject to them in the name of the Lord. In this moment, the Lord expressed gratitude to His Father in heaven for disclosing the mysteries of His redeeming grace to these humble believers. However, to ensure they understood that He shares the same power and authority as the Father, the Lord clearly stated, "ALL THINGS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED TO ME BY MY FATHER." This was not to imply He lacked anything beforehand, but rather to affirm their shared authority. Blessed Theophylact notes, "Do not assume that everything is entrusted to Him as a servant; rather, it is as a Son.

"All authority has been entrusted to me": When you encounter the term 'entrusted,' do not assume a human connotation, for this phrase should not lead you to believe in two firstborn Deities (Chrysostom). The governance of the universe is Christ's as the intercessor and mediator in the redemption of humanity (Eph. 1:20-22). He guides all things for the benefit of His holy church until He reestablishes the entire kingdom to God the Father (1 Cor. 15:24). - "No one knows the Son": The essence of the Son of God, the profound mystery of the divine and human natures united in Him, along with the exaltation and purity of His divine attributes, is beyond complete human comprehension; only God the Father has perfect knowledge of Him.