See and Hear

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

SEE AND HEAR

Luke 10:21-24

21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.  22 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."  3 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." 

NIV

Although there are three distinct phrases Jesus says here, it seems as though he said them in one breathe, as if it was all one thought, one truth. First we see that Jesus was full of joy through the Holy Spirit and praising his Father, the Lord of heaven and earth. That alone would be a great life lesson for us. As we are full of the Holy Spirit we too are full of Joy and praising our Father as well. It may be that unless we are actually full of the Holy Spirit we cannot really praise God in the manner he should be praised. Human praise may fall short of the praise God deserves and desires. The other life lesson is also in the reason Jesus was so full of joy and praising his Father. This reason was because God has hidden his divine truths from the wise and learned but has revealed the truth to little children. Here we can understand that difference between human intellect and Spirit filled. It would seem no matter how much bible education one has it does not reveal the truth of God. He hides his truth from those who determine to find it through the human effort of study. Instead as anyone with or without any human knowledge about God and the scriptures, knowing Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic or any other language of the past, when they come as little children, open to being taught by the Spirit, God reveals himself and his truths to them. This is what pleases God. He is pleased to reveal himself to those who seek him as a child would seek the affection and approval of his father. Children only desire to be loved and provided for by their earthy father and so this is how we should come to God, if we truly want to know him and his truths. Jesus also made this statement about who knows him, and who knows the Father. He said that only the Father knows the Son and the Son is the only one who knows the Father except those who Jesus reveals him to. Although the NIV used chooses, the original language implies reveals. Through Jesus Christ we can know the Father. This coincides with all the rest of scripture. There is one mediator between God and man and that is Jesus Christ. No man comes unto the Father except through the Son. He is the truth, the light and the way. Once again Jesus tells them and us that it is not about how much we try to learn, how many years we spend in some bible college, or other institution of higher learning, how much we earn, our position in life, or who we are. Unless we come as children, like his disciples, without any foreknowledge or preconceived ideas, we cannot see or hear the truth. It is all about simply being open to the Spirit, as Jesus told Peter when he said that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus told him no man revealed that to him, but it was revealed to him through the Spirit. That is the simple truth of how we can know Jesus, and know the Father. How we can see and hear.