Commentary on Luke 10:21-24

As Christmas and all it means approaches, the Gospel reminds us of the tremendous privilege that has come to us through our knowing Jesus Christ.

Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.

These words were spoken by Jesus just after seventy-two of his disciples had returned from their mission of proclaiming the Kingdom and doing the same work as he was doing. They echo words he had spoken to them earlier:

Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that ‘they may look but not see and hear but not understand.’ (Luke 8:10)

Words which are to be taken, not in the sense that only the disciples are offered insight and understanding, but rather that the disciples are, by definition, those who open themselves to hear and to see and to understand the message.

So for us today is a day of special thanksgiving for being so blessed. But with privilege, comes responsibility. It is for us to see more clearly who Jesus really is, and to have a deeper understanding of his vision and of his ways. It is for us to listen ever more acutely to the Word of God so that it really penetrates our consciousness and is absorbed into our very being.