21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. 22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. 23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. (Luke 10:21-24 KJV)
Jesus Rejoices in the Father’s Will
Then Jesus gave thanks to the Father (Luke 10:21-22). It’s noted that “in that hour” he rejoiced—an unusual moment for the “man of sorrows.” Seeing Satan fall and hearing of the gospel’s success brought him joy. He rejoiced deeply, in spirit. His joy was inward, quiet, but real.
He thanked the Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that his plan for saving people had been revealed to ordinary people rather than the wise and proud. He revealed it to “babes,” people of humble backgrounds and limited learning, who were uplifted by the Spirit to know and share divine truth. God had hidden these things from the philosophers and religious elites—Gentile thinkers and Jewish rabbis weren’t chosen to spread the gospel. This was wise, lest they corrupt the message with human philosophy, as happened later. Paul, though educated, laid that aside and preached only Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2,4).
God did this in his sovereignty: “Yes, Father, this was your good pleasure.” He chose to entrust his message to those who would deliver it with divine energy, not human polish.
Christ also said (Luke 10:22): “All things have been entrusted to me by my Father.” All knowledge, power, and grace are in Christ’s hands. Only the Father truly knows the Son, and only the Son knows the Father and reveals him to others. The gospel is Christ’s revelation, entrusted to him and delivered by him. He rejoiced in being given this trust by his Father.
Finally, he told his disciples how blessed they were (Luke 10:23-24). After addressing the Father, he turned to them to remind them how happy they were to receive this revelation and to help lead others to it.
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.” The knowledge of the gospel is not yet salvation itself, but it brings people to it. Their privilege surpassed even that of prophets and kings of old, who longed to see and hear what they now experienced daily (Matthew 13:17). Old Testament saints had only vague glimpses of these blessings and wished they lived to see their fulfillment. This advantage should stir us to diligence. If we fail to benefit from this light, our condemnation will be even more severe.