THE BLESSEDNESS OF 'GETTING IT' – Luke 10:21-24

Preached December 11, 2011
from
Luke 10:21-24

Theme: It’s a blessing to be among those who perceive and understand Christ and His kingdom.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

This morning, I ask you to turn to the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke; and to a truly remarkable portion of our Lord’s teaching.

Everything that our wonderful Lord Jesus said, of course, deserves to be called ‘remarkable’. But these words are particularly so. They were spoken during the only time in the Bible that we are told explicitly that Jesus “rejoiced” in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Just a short while before these words were spoken, Jesus had sent a large number of His followers—around seventy in number—out with His twelve disciples to the various cities and places into which He Himself was preparing to go and preach. It was a mission to declare to the lost sheep of the house of Israel that the kingdom of God has come near to them. It was also a mission that was accompanied by miracles of healing and the casting out of demons. And after their mission was completed, the seventy returned to report to Him.

They were very excited about all that had happened. Luke tells us, “Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name’” (Luke 10:17). Their rejoicing was not simply because demons were subject to them, but because the demons were subject to them ‘in Jesus name’. They felt the thrill of going forth to declare the message of Jesus to a fallen world, and of seeing that message validated as authorized by Jesus Himself.

And Jesus was excited too. Jesus said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (v. 18). When lightning “falls”, it crashes to the earth in an obvious way and does not rise again. And Jesus rejoiced over the enemy of our souls falling like lightning at the preaching of His followers while under His authority. Satan suffers defeat every time the Gospel of Jesus Kingdom is proclaimed, and another lost soul hears of the Savior and believes on Him.

What a thrill it must have been to have preach with such authority and power! Jesus told them, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (v. 19). That was certainly something great to rejoice over; but it was not to be their greatest cause of rejoicing. To rejoice in that alone was to fail to see the big picture. Jesus said, “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (v. 20). That was why His authority was given to them, and why the preaching of His kingdom was commanded; so that people—both those who preached and those who heard—would believe on Jesus and have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life in heaven.

It’s in that very context—at the completion of such a powerful mission of preaching—that we come to our Lord’s remarkable expression of joy in this morning’s passage. In Luke 10:21-24, Luke writes;

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it” (Luke 10:21-24).

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Now; we, too—dear brothers and sisters—are on a mission of proclamation under the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are His ambassadors in the midst of a fallen world. But doesn’t it seem as if it becomes more difficult, each year, to draw people’s attention away from the trivial matters and the material concerns of life? Doesn’t it feel as if it’s getting harder and harder to point people’s attention to the wonderful fact that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14)? Doesn’t it sometimes feel like fighting against the tide?

Well; these words from our Lord make a rather surprising declaration to us. They let us know that the ability to grasp the realities of Christ’s kingdom is a privilege that not everyone is given. One of the highest intellectual compliments we can pay to someone is to say that they “get it”; and conversely, we put someone down when we say that they “don’t get it”. And here—whether or not people feel complimented or insulted by it—our Lord lets us know that, when it comes to His identity and to the spiritual realities of His kingdom, the ability to “get it” is a gift of God’s grace.

In other words, when it comes to the greatest thing mankind can think about—that is, the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ and the glories of His kingdom—Jesus Himself tells us that that it’s not a matter of whether or not someone “gets it” or “doesn’t get it”. It’s that no one even can “get it” unless they are first graciously given the ability to “get it; and that it’s the good pleasure of God the Father that some are granted to “get it” and some are not.

Now; as you probably know, that’s a pretty hard theological pill for some folks to swallow. But it’s a theological truth that we should reverently bow down to. For one thing, it is something that the Lord Jesus Himself taught. In fact, the Bible tells us of how—on a completely different occasion when Jesus taught the multitudes—the disciples were struck by how He used parables that seemed to confuse those He was teaching. Matthew tells us that they came to Him and asked, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” And we’re told that He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Matthew 13:10-11). So; this is something that our Lord Jesus said more than once; and it is therefore a truth that we must reverently accept.

And another reason we should bow to this idea is because—as this morning’s passage shows us—it wasn’t just something that Jesus taught, but was also something that He even rejoiced in. He, in fact, rejoiced with great authority; because, as we’re told, He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit. I believe one reason He rejoiced is because, in hiding the truth from some but revealing it to others, God displayed how gracious He is to those that the world considers unworthy and undeserving. It’s not the wise and the scholarly who end up figuring out the great saving truths of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Rather, it’s revealed to the simple and the humble and the childlike. That makes “getting it” a matter of His grace rather than of our ability. And, of course, the Lord Jesus rejoiced in the thing He declared because His Father’s grace in allowing some to “get it” resulted in them becoming saved by Him and having their names written in heaven.

I believe this helps explains why it is that some “get it” and others “don’t get it” when it comes to the wonderful spiritual realties of Christ and His eternal kingdom. We need, of course, to keep on faithfully proclaiming Jesus to those around us. But we also need to pray for them that God Himself will graciously open their eyes to see the truth of the gospel and to believe.

It’s truly a great blessing to be given the ability to “get it”.

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Let’s look further at the words of our Lord and see that . . .

1. IT’S A BLESSING THAT

CANNOT BE OBTAINED BY HUMAN EFFORT (v. 21).

After His disciples had returned to Him—and in an attitude of rejoicing in the Holy Spirit—we’re told that His rejoicing burst forth into a prayer of thanks and praise. He said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight” (v. 21).

First, notice what He calls His Father—”Lord of heaven and earth”. That, of course, speaks of the Father’s absolute sovereignty. He is the Creator of all the heavens, and of the whole earth, and of all that they contain; and therefore, He truly is the Lord of all. They all serve His sovereign purpose.

And because God the Father is absolutely sovereign over all His creation, and does as He sees fit to do with it, Jesus the Son utters a prayer of thanks, “that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.” Think of that! It’s not just that the saving realities of the gospel of Jesus’ kingdom are very hard for even the wise and the prudent to figure out. Jesus says that these things are actually “hidden” from them by the Father; and they cannot know them; and that it is revealed instead to those who are “babes” in terms of this world’s knowledge and wisdom! And the only reason for it all that Jesus acknowledges is “for so it seemed good in Your sight”.

Many theologians have labored hard to explain this; but I believe the greatest commentary on it that we can find anywhere is in what the apostle Paul wrote—under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. He said,

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD” (1 Corinthians 1:18-31).

In Jesus’ day, the “wise and prudent” ones were the Scribes and Pharisees. But they didn’t believe His message. They rejected it. It didn’t make sense to them. And yet, the very ones who did believe His message, and repented of their sins, and trusted in Him, were the ones that were despised as “babes” by the “wise and prudent”—that is, the tax collectors and sinners.

Dear brother or sister in Christ: if you have heard the message of the gospel and have believe on Jesus, then you are the reason Jesus rejoiced and gave thanks to the Father! You “get it”! And you do not “get it” because you figured it out on your own; because it is a blessing that no human being can obtain in their own power. Rather it’s because God graciously revealed it to you.

What a great debt of thanks we owe to the Father—the Lord of heaven and earth!

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Now; not only is this a blessing that cannot be obtained by human power; but more . . .

2. IT’S A BLESSING THAT COMES THROUGH CHRIST ALONE (v. 22).

After uttering this prayer of thanks to the Father, in the joy of the Holy Spirit, it’s as if Jesus makes an affirmation to Himself—but in the ear-shot of all. He says, “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (v. 22).

He had just affirmed that the Father is sovereign because He is “Lord of heaven and earth”. But now, He affirms that the sovereign Father has entrusted all to His beloved Son. As He tells us in His ‘great commission’, “All authority” has now been given to Him “in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). The Father has “given all things into His hand” (John 3:35); and “has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment, also, because He is the Son of Man” (John 5:26-27). In His great ‘High-priestly’ prayer to the Father, Jesus said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him” (John 17:1-2).

And just as Jesus has all authority given to Him from the Father, it is through Him alone that a relationship with the Father can be obtained. That relationship is not obtainable through any other source. As He said, “no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son . . .” We wouldn’t know how reach the Father except through the Son; because, as it says in John 1:18, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” Nor would we know anything about the Son except through the grace of the Father; because as Jesus declared in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him . . .”

Some people try to work their way to a knowledge of God philosophically or through man-made religions—all apart from a faith in His Son Jesus Christ. But as He Himself let’s us know that we can’t possibly “get it” apart from Jesus. It’s only by the gracious gift of the Father—working exclusively through His Son Jesus—that we can receive the blessing of ‘getting it’ unto eternal life. Jesus the only one authorized to give us salvation. As He said, all things have been delivered to Him by the Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, “and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him”.

Dear brother and sister in Christ; if you have “gotten it”, and have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you not only owe a n unending debt of thanks to the Father. You also owe an unending debt of love to the Son! He is the one who has willed—with His Father—that your eyes be opened! On the night before He went to the cross, during His last supper with them, He told His eleven disciples (minus Judas);

“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you” (John 15:15-16).

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What a blessed gift of Jesus’ love to us it is that we may be allowed to “get it”! First, Jesus affirmed in prayer to the Father that it’s a blessing that is not achievable by human effort—but is only something that is graciously given by the Father to whomever He sees fit. Second, He affirmed as if to Himself that it’s a blessing that is not obtainable through anyone else—but that He alone is the one who is authorized to give it. And there’s one more reason to rejoice in the privilege of “getting it”. Jesus went on to show that . . .

3. IT’S A BLESSING THAT MANY HAVE LONGED FOR (vv. 23-24).

Luke tells us,

Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it” (vv. 23-24).

It may be, dear brother or sister in Christ, that in the weakness of our human understanding, we take things for granted far too easily. But if you are here today as someone who has heard the message of the gospel and has believed, and has “gotten it”, and who now hears the things that Jesus said and taught—if you truly “grasp” these things as they are revealed from the word of Scripture—then Jesus here lets you know that you are among the most privileged people in all of human history!

Have you ever thought what it would have been like to have been around Moses? What a great and powerful prophet of God he was! What a great thing it would have been to have heard God speak from the mountain! What a great thing it would have been to watch as he parted the sea! But even Moses longed to see the things you and I now see. Moses told the people, “The LORD your God will rise up for you a Prophet like me from among your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear . . .” (Deuteronomy 18:15). Moses saw this promised Prophet in the far distance—as if through a glass darkly. But it is this very same promised Prophet—our Lord Jesus Himself—whose words we hear and believe with clear understanding today! What a great privilege is ours!

Or have you ever thought what it would have been like to have been in the presence of King David? What a great and glorious king he was! How greatly God blessed him—a man after His own heart! What must it have been like to have been told by God that he would have someone sit upon his throne forever! But even David longed to see the things that you and I see today. God promised David that the Messiah would be born from him; and David looked ahead to the reign of that promised King with great longing. He called that promised Offspring his Lord; and said, “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Psalm 110:1). And it’s this very same promised King—King Jesus—whose words we hear and believe today!

The apostle Peter wrote of the greatness of our privilege—seeing a clear picture of the Lord Jesus in the gospel, hearing His teaching, and believing on Him for salvation. And here’s what he said about it:

Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into (1 Peter 1:10-12).

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The reason some of the people around cannot seem to grasp the significance of the things that have to do with our wonderful Savior is because it has not been given to them to “get it”. They cannot “get it” unless they are graciously given the ability to “get it” by God Himself. Pray for them; that God will graciously open their eyes.

And if you have had your eyes opened, and you worship the Savior today—if you “get it”—then praise God for it! It is because the Father has seen fit to hide these things from the eyes of the “wise and prudent” of this world, and reveal them to “babes”. And also praise Jesus for it! It is because all authority has been given to Him—even the authority over who “gets it” and who “doesn’t”; and He has graciously allowed you to be one of the privileged ones who “gets it”. And rejoice in it with the kind of rejoicing that Jesus Himself exhibited over it! Many of the greatest saints of the Old Testament era longed to see the things that God has allowed you to see, and to hear the things that God has allowed you to hear!

What a great blessing it is to know the Lord Jesus, to believe upon Him for salvation, and to be among those who truly “get it”!