In Him Are Hid All The Treasures
Of Wisdom And Knowledge
By John Piper June 8, 1999
Colossians 2:3
One reason to admire and trust Jesus above all other persons
is that he knows more than anyone else. He knows all people
thoroughly, their hearts and their thoughts. "He
knew all men" (John 2:24). "You, Lord,
. . . know the hearts of all men" (Acts 1:24). "And
Jesus knowing their thoughts said, 'Why are you thinking
evil in your hearts?'" (Matthew 9:4). There is
no one who perplexes Jesus. No thought or action is unintelligible
to him. He knows its origin and end. The most convoluted
psychotic and the most abstruse genius are open and laid
bare to his understanding. He understands every motion
of their minds.
Jesus not only knows all people thoroughly as they were
and are today, he also knows what people will think and do
tomorrow. He knows all things that will come to pass. "Jesus,
[knew] all the things that were coming upon Him" (John
18:4). On the basis of this knowledge, he foretold numerous
things that his friends and enemies would do. "[Jesus
said] 'There are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus
knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe,
and who it was that would betray Him" (John 6:64). "From
now on," he said, "I am telling you before it comes
to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that
I am" (John 13:19). The reason he foretold these
things, he explains, is so that we might know that "he
is" - is what? That he is the divine Son of God. "I
am" is the name for God in Exodus 3:14 and the designation
of deity in Isaiah 43:10. Jesus knows all that will come
to pass, and, to help our faith, he says, "Behold,
I have told you in advance" (Matthew 24:25).
Jesus simply knows all things. Thus his disciples said,
truly, "Now we know that You know all things, and
have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe
that You came from God" (John 16:30). The extent
of Jesus' knowledge was a compelling warrant for faith in
his divine origin. At the end of his time on earth Jesus
pressed Peter, "'Simon, son of John, do you love
Me?' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time,
'Do you love Me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know all
things; You know that I love You' (John 21:17). Peter
did not conclude from Jesus' knowledge of his heart that
he knew all things; rather he concluded from the omniscience
of Jesus that he knew his heart. "You know all things," is
a general and unqualified statement that John's gospel presses
on our minds.
The greatest thing that can be said of Jesus' knowledge
is that he knows God perfectly. We know God partially and
imperfectly. Jesus knows him like no other being knows him.
He knows him the way an omniscient Person knows himself. "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" (Matthew 11:27). No one but Jesus knows
the Father immediately, completely and perfectly. Our knowledge
of the Father depends wholly on Jesus' gracious revelation;
it is derivative and partial and imperfect.
Nothing greater can be said about the knowledge of Jesus
than that he knows God perfectly. All reality outside God
is parochial compared to the infinite Reality that God is.
What God has made is like a toy compared to the complexity
and depth of what God is. All the sciences that scratch the
surface of the created universe are the mere ABCs compared
to Christ's exhaustive knowledge of the created universe.
And this knowledge of the created universe is as a dewdrop
on a blade of grass compared to the ocean of knowledge that
Jesus has of the Being of God himself. God is infinite. The
universe is finite. Knowledge of the infinite is infinite.
Therefore to know God, as Jesus knows God, is to have infinite
knowledge.
Therefore let us bow down and worship Jesus Christ. If we
are impressed with the scholarship of man and the achievements
of scientific knowledge, then let us not play the fool by
trumpeting a tiny chirp and ignoring the thunder clap of
omniscience. Jesus alone is worthy of our highest admiration.
Jesus alone is worthy of our trust. He can show us the Father
(Matthew 11:27). He can give us irresistible wisdom (Luke
21:15). He can see how to make all things work together for
our good (Romans 8:28). None of his judgments about anything
is ever mistaken (John 8:16). He teaches the way of God with
infallible truthfulness (Matthew 22:16). Trust him. Admire
him. Follow him.
In awe of Jesus,
Pastor John Piper
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