The Reveal

Hello everyone.

Today, I will continue my exegesis of Luke 10.  I will be looking at Luke 10:21-24.  If you remember the context, Jesus has given power, and sent out the seventy-two.  They have returned rejoining. Here is my own translation of verses 21-24:

21 Then Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, proclaiming, “Praise to you, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, because you have hidden things from the wise and the educated, and you have revealed things to small children. Yes, Father, because this is pleasing in your sight. 22 Everything has been given to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is, except the Father or who the Father is, except the son, and those whom the Son desires to reveal.” 23 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and spoke to them privately, saying, “Blessed are eyes that have seen what you have seen.  24 For prophets and kings have desired to see what you have seen and to hear what you have heard and have been unable.”

The disciples have been rejoicing and the rejoicing continues. This time, it is Jesus who does the rejoicing.  Luke says that Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit.  Jesus praises the Father, acknowleging in his praise that often the most educated people miss out on God, while the simplest get it.  Jesus says that God is hidden from the ‘wise’ while revealing Himself to the simplest.  Here, Jesus uses the word νηπίοις, (napiois) which means anything an infant to puberty, but generally means a very young child.  

Within the context of this passage, Jesus has just told his disciples to rejoice that their names are written in Heaven.  They have salvation.  Jesus is rejoicing that God in His wisdom has revealed his salvation, not to the most learned, but to the least.  Jesus is standing there with a following comprised mostly of unschooled, ordinary men (Acts 4:13), many of whom are fishermen, while the most educated, the teachers of the law opposed him, and therefore opposed God. (Now, this does not mean that we shouldn't educate ourselves.  We should be constantly striving to educate ourselves and grow in our understanding of the Father and His word. But, we don't want our learning to "puff" us up, (1 Cor. 8:1), but instead, we seek to educate ourselves like a child, in humility. This is what is pleasing to God.  Remember, God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. (I Peter 5:5)).

Jesus then declares that everything he has, was given to him by his Father. Verse 22 tells is that the Father and the Son know each other on a level that only they can.  The good news of verse 22 is that the Son reveals the Father.  We can know God through Jesus, the Son.  Knowledge of the Father is tied to knowledge of the Son.  In fact, in Luke 9:35, during the Transfiguation, the Father, entered into story Himself  to declare Jesus as His Son and to tell those present to, “Listen to him.” Again, if we want to know God, we get to know Jesus. 

After praising God for His divine wisdom, Jesus turns to his disciples and tells them how fortunate they are that they have been able to see what they have seen.  The ancients, prophets and kings, longed to look into these things but were not allowed to.  These disciples had much to be thankful for.  Their names were written in Heaven and they had been allowed to walk with Jesus, the Son, and witness God at work.  We, too, can be thankful.  Thankful that our names are written in Heaven, and while we weren't around to witness Jesus' many miracles, we do have the written record of the Gospels to "reveal" the Son to us therefore, the Father is revealed, as well.

Tom