‘I know something you don’t know…’
Perhaps we’ve all heard this before in one form or another; maybe as a kind of teasing ‘sing-song’ taunt in our childhood from another; possibly phrased differently by someone who is trying to let us know that they have a ‘leg up’ on us in some kind of competition at work or play; possibly by someone trying to shield us from some form of trauma or betrayal.
There is a positive side to this kind of comment though. It can be a prelude to some information being revealed to us , that perhaps may make our job easier or more efficient; it may be a complement that someone overheard about us that we are unaware of; it could be an invitation into a pleasant surprise, situation or gift.
Regardless of the viewpoint from which we have heard this ‘I know something you don’t’ phrase, there is something in our human nature that drives us to want to know what that ‘something’ is; it is a basic curiosity. It is the same curiosity that continually propels us forward to explore, to seek, to attempt and to build. It is an innate quality to is one of the key points upon which all human progress and discovery is made.
How is it, then, that in our modern secular world, we seek to separate half of the potential for discovery from our daily lives? Too often we concern ourselves with immersing ourselves in the physical, the material and the sensual – and completely ignore that other ‘side’ of our very nature, the spiritual.
In our gospel passage today from St. Matthew, Jesus begins with words of praise and thanksgiving to God, and ends with words of invitation and comfort to all people of good will. But in the very middle he holds out something which, I am sure if we take time to reflect deeply on it, would pique our interest and drive us to want to explore more deeply.
‘…no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
Coming to know God the Eternal; the Almighty; Truth itself; Being itself – all of this and much, much more is held out to us by Jesus who knows the Father and reveals the Father to anyone he chooses. Let that sink in for awhile.
Are we not the least bit curious? Are we not the least bit interested? Do we presume to believe that once that mystery is even slightly revealed to us we could continue to think and act and live the same? Or would we be forever changed?
Every time we gather together as a people of faith, and hear the Word of God proclaimed, we are given an opportunity to have the Father revealed to us. Every time we open ourselves to the presence of Christ in our midst we are open to that revelation as well; Jesus ends this discourse by inviting everyone to come to him that he might reveal the Father to them – everyone; the world-weary, hopeless, hurt and broken, sad and lonely, the poor and rich, the hungry and the well-fed.
He invites everyone to come to Him that He might share this knowledge with them. For those who take the name of Christian, we believe that He has already begun to reveal that mystery too us. He chooses to; He wants to; He desires to – He has told us this himself. The problem is that too often we don’t want to open ourselves to that mystery because something will be expected of us; we will have to share that mystery with those around us, that wonderful revealed presence of God.
That will mean a change in perspective; it may mean a change in lifestyle or habit or activity. But it is a change that we will not face without the grace and support and love of Our Lord and each other.
The Lord knows much that we don’t know; the question is, how much of it are we willing to learn?
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever.
Thoughts from Theophilus 