Jesus addresses his Father and his disciples--Luke 10:21-24

After sending and receiving the Seventy, Jesus immediately turned to his heavenly Father in prayer and then addressed his disciples. This appears in Luke 10:21-24, and falls into two parts. I. Jesus addresses his Heavenly Father. Luke 10:21-22. a. "At that same hour" that the Seventy returned to Jesus to give their report, Jesus "rejoiced in the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit is the source and inspiration of Jesus' joy and praise of the Heavenly Father. Precisely HOW the Father, Son and Holy Spirit work is a mystery, which no one has ever solved or ever will solve. ONLY by faith do all of us accept the reality of the interworking relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. After rejoicing in the Holy Spirit, Jesus turned to his Heavenly Father in prayer. First, he THANKS the Father because he had hidden these truths from the wise and the intelligent and revealed them to infants because of his gracious will. The "infants" here are the disciples of Jesus who openly accept Jesus, trust in Jesus, and follow Jesus. Jesus describes the Father as "Lord of heaven and earth." Our Father is not limited to space or time. Often we unfortunately restrict God in our minds and in our actions. Still, he is creator and sustainer of all created. Two important truths deserve careful thought and prayer: (1) Jesus the Son is subservient to the Father. Throughout scripture, God is always above the Son. Jesus frequently reminded his hearers that the Father is the ultimate source and power for all others. (2) Gaining knowledge is important. God has WIRED us to learn great information. But knowledge is not the end all and hear all of life. Our role is to receive God's revelation EVEN WHEN this seems contrary to our own limited understanding. 10:21. b. Jesus openly declares that the Father handed over all things to Jesus, and now Jesus hands all this over to his followers. Our role is to gratefully receive these marvelous gifts. 10:22. II. Jesus addresses his disciples. Luke 10:23-24. a. After praying to his Father, Jesus turns to address his disciples. Jesus spoke to them PRIVATELY: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!" They will become the WITNESSES to all human beings about what Jesus said and did when he was on earth. It would be very beneficial to go to you concordance and study the word "witness" and "testimony." 10:23. b. Jesus declares that in the past kings and prophets desired to see and hear what his disciples saw and heard but did not experience. This is a reality of life. The role of the disciples of Jesus is unique. Hence, the New Testament blesses us because we receive the testimony or witness of these chosen individuals who actually saw and heard what Jesus said and did. 10:24. Share YOUR thoughts and dreams and insights and concerns with others. Let me hear from YOU. John Willis