Luke 10:21–24 Humility Again
Good morning! We are returning to our study in the book of Luke this morning with chapter ten, verses 21-24 page 868 in the pew Bibles.
Our passage this morning comes right on the return of the seventy two on their successful trip preparing people to receive Jesus on His way to Jerusalem. If you remember from last week these disciples rejoiced on their return that the evil spirits were subject to them in His Name and Jesus reminded them of an even greater miracle that they should rejoice in: that their names were written in the book of life in heaven.
This wasn’t Jesus scolding them simply reminding them of more important things. In fact, our text for this morning is Jesus’ reaction to their joyful return to Him and a strong reminder of the proper attitude for disciples to adopt.
Let’s look at our text together.
21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
Let’s pray.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of this passage is right here at the outset. Jesus rejoices in the Spirit. The commentators are agreed in saying that the word “rejoiced” is too weak a word. I think that we might struggle to come up with an appropriate term for what was really happening.
Greatly exulted in His Spirit is the best those old commentators could come up with. He was filled with joy at the report of the reception of the seventy two, He rejoiced deeply in His Spirit. This is the only account of Jesus experiencing this kind of joy though I’m sure that it wasn’t foreign to Him.
His is one of those rare, veil lifting, moments when we get to see a glimpse of Jesus’ inner man and the joy He experienced in His heart.
And what was it that filled Him with this uncontainable joy?
21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
Another theological footnote here, do you see the Trinity expressed here?
The word “Trinity” doesn’t appear anywhere in Scripture but here is the concept right on the surface: God the Son rejoicing in God the Holy Spirit, thanking God the Father for His grace to these disciples. That was just a bonus nugget there, it’s not the one point of this sermon.
Anyway, Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and thanks the Father for His expression of grace upon the disciples. And when He does He makes a contrast between the disciples which He calls, “little children,” and those He refers to as the wise and understanding.
It is extremely important for us to recognize that Jesus is in no way comparing educated people to uneducated people, intelligent people to less intelligent people. This comparison has nothing at all to do with how much school a person has been to, it’s a question of pride.
But before we go pointing our fingers at who exactly is acting or thinking pridefully about themselves we ought to take a second for a little self examination.
I’ll start with me.
Early in my ministry journey, though I had many opportunities to pursue higher education, I took pride in the fact that I was an unschooled ordinary man just like Peter and John were called in the book of Acts. In fact, I held onto that idea until last February when I finally finished my Bachelor’s degree in ministry. I can no longer claim that unschooled part, still pretty ordinary but whatever…
The truth is that pride was and still is the problem, and that is the true comparison that Jesus is making.
The disciples were like little children in the fact that they didn’t see themselves as more important than they really were, they weren’t too big for their breeches like the religious leaders of the day.
The wise and the understanding were those that saw themselves that way. Those who saw themselves as wise and understanding and important rejected Jesus and His message. They craved the status and the power and the control that came with their station, and because of their pride the Father passed over them with the Good News.
Alistair Begg said, “The contrast is between those who imagine themselves to be so wise and sensible and learned that they then can pronounce judgments on the truth of the gospel.”
So what’s the message there? Don’t be like that!
Be humble enough to submit to the truth of the gospel.
A salvation from the outside, not based on personal merit and worth and status is truly a humbling thing. A salvation not obtained by great learning but by simple, unadorned faith.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, 26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Jesus said in verse 22, All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Here again we see the sovereign grace of the Father at work.
Again it’s important to get the idea that the Father is not without witness in the world.
Psalm 19:1–4 says, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
Romans 1:18-23 says that there are certainly attributes of the Father that the entire world can see in creation itself.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
But what Jesus means is that only through Him can we know the Father as Father, to know Him intimately as Jesus does. He has chosen to reveal Himself only through the Son, only through Jesus.
In John 14:1–11 Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
Jesus is the chosen instrument to reveal the Father to mankind. The only instrument. Jesus is the only way to God. That is what makes Christianity unique in the religions of the world, this claim that Jesus is the only way to know God personally.
All religions are not basically the same. All religions do not lead to God. Jesus is the only way to know God. John Calvin wrote, “Whatever God has determined must be regarded by us as right.” This is just the way it is.
22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
This is a truth we must not apologize for, this is a truth we must humbly stand on.
JJ vanOosterzee wrote, “The Savior declares therefore that a man can be guided only by the knowledge of the Son to that of the Father, but also conversely that a man can be guided only by the Father to the knowledge of the Son.”
Either way it is an act of grace, and that should humble us.
23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
I have to say that I love verses 23-24. What a humbling reminder to the disciples that day.
RC Sproul wrote, “Wouldn’t Abraham have rejoiced to see the feeding of the five thousand! Wouldn’t Moses have enjoyed listening to the Sermon on the Mount! Wouldn’t Elijah have delighted to watch Jesus turn water into wine! Wouldn’t King Solomon in all his splendor have been willing to part with his riches for the opportunity of witnessing Jesus raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead! Do you ever yearn to have been there, to see what the disciples saw? They were indeed blessed. But there will come a time when we will see him face to face, we will hear him with our ears, and that blessing will be ours and his joy will be fulfilled in us.”
What a blessing we have, little children, to get to see the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s labor through those first disciples to see the gospel spread across the world and God’s kingdom advance to the four corners of the earth!
Praise Him for the work of His Church! Let’s keep working to spread the gospel until He returns so we can share in His joy!
Amen.
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