Luke 10:21-24 Blessed Are the Eyes that See What You See
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: August 26, 2018 Luke 10:21-24
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
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. 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.” Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 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.”
(Revelation of God / Understanding the Text) Here, Jesus is referring to His relationship with the Father and telling us that we only understand a small part of who Jesus really is. Father and Son know and are known by each other. Paul promises a similar relationship in the future. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12). The next verse reads “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Thus, the first verse is written in the context of Paul’s discussion on love and the gifts and fruits of the Spirit. It seems to me that part of knowing someone involves faith and trust in them to have your back, hope of continued knowing in the future, and a love connection that draws people close beyond barriers.
It says that Jesus was rejoicing in the Holy Spirit. That means that He was happy. It seems to me that this is one of Jesus’ prayers that He said while He was surrounded by the disciples. He seems to be naturally talking to His Father and then turning around and including His disciples in the discussion. The entire Godhead is mentioned in these verses, yet Jesus only specifically talks about the relationship between the Father and Son. There are three in One, yet when a relationship is mentioned it is only two in One-The Father and Son. Jesus promises the Spirit’s presence in John. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:15-21). In this promise is also the promise that we will be one with Jesus and through Him with the Father. This is a promise of reconnection to God that was lost at creation.
Maybe, this was why Jesus was rejoicing. He was seeing the beginning of the reconnection of humanity with God. He was seeing the beginning of the success of His mission. God had been able to reconnect to the 72 followers & 12 disciples through Jesus in a way that had not been possible in the past. The 72 & 12 had had direct power over Satan and his demons to free fellow humans from demon possession. Jesus was seeing the plan unfold and knew that it would succeed. He said that the disciples were blessed to see what was happening because this was the great reconnection of the human race to God. There would come other stages of the plan, but this one step was crucial, and it was the one place where all the variables including God crushing Himself had to align just right. Jesus was seeing that it would work. The dominoes were now in place to fall correctly and bring about success. The 72 & 12 were connected to Jesus through love and faith and hope. They would do their part and keep following even after Jesus’ ascension because they simply loved and trusted Him.
I’m not sure any of what I wrote today is really the story behind these verses. I’m not sure why Jesus was rejoicing. Maybe, He routinely rejoiced when He communed with His Father enjoying the time of oneness with Himself. Maybe, this is just an example of many times that Jesus prayed and spoke to His disciples.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that I need to trust and love and hope in God. Someday, I will know Him more clearly, but for now I just need to remind myself to trust and love and hope in Him. My wisdom is useless here. It is only in trusting as a child that I will come to know God. That is hard because I have learned self-protective barriers since childhood that also serve as barriers to loving God. Take away my barriers to You and teach me to love You and have faith in You and keep my hopes only in You.