25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 Come to Me …”

Intimate prayer with the Father was characteristic of the Son. Here we catch a glimpse into the kind of thing He prayed (see John 17 for the longest recorded prayer of Jesus). We see the Son praising the Father for His way of revealing the truth Jesus has been talking about. It does not come through scientific inquiry or philosophical reasoning and debate. This truth can be comprehended by anyone, even the least intelligent, symbolized as infants.

On the one hand, everyone is given what we call general revelation about God, that which can be learned about Him through the observation and study of nature (see Rom 1:18-20). Special revelation, on the other hand, is that knowledge about God which can only be known through the Word of God. Even more specifically, the true knowledge of God the Father can only be found in Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God.

His prayer reveals to us profound truth, namely the unique connection between the Father and the Son. This is seen in three ways. First, the Father has given all things to the Son. The Apostle Paul comments on this, “All things have been created through Him and for Him.” (Col 1:16, this is expanded in the context of verses 5-20). What belongs to the Father belongs to the Son. Creation is the Father’s gift to His Son.

Second, only the Son really knows the Father. The Greek word for “know” refers to an intimate knowledge that goes beyond simple knowledge of someone. It refers to the relationship a man and woman have of each other, being united as one flesh. More than this, it is the kind of understanding and insight that comes from living with a Person for eternity, rooted in an eternal love relationship. As John succinctly puts it, “I and the Father are One” (John 10:30). Third, this knowledge is two-way: The Son has the same knowledge of the Father as the Father has of the Son: Reflexive, Responsive, Reciprocating.

Amazingly, the Lord invites us into this relationship. Upon finishing His prayer, He says, “Come to Me …” (see also John 17:21).

Lord, thank You for inviting me to become part of the inner circle of fellowship, into the love relationship between You and Your Father.