Thoughts for the Day

At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 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, Jesus said to them 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, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

In this little passage from Luke's Gospel we see Jesus as he welcomes back the 70 that he has sent to the villages and towns were he intends to visit. They have been instructed to go out in twos to heal the sick and to announce the coming of God's Kingdom. We are told that they returned with joy at the success of their mission, and that Jesus 'rejoiced in the Holy Spirit.' We have seen Jesus weep, and we have seen him show pity, and even get angry, but we have never seen him show excitement. The Greek text says"he thrilled with joy", so we might say "he rejoiced exceedingly". He is not rejoicing in his own power or in the ability of the disciples to heal, teach, and preach to those who would listen. He was rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit who had enabled this to happen.

This is one of the few places in the Gospels where we see the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - at work and at their different roles. It is God the Father the Lord of heaven and earth who ordained and designed the plan that His Son Jesus should be given the task, and it was the power of the Holy Spirit who enabled the disciples to carry out their mission. One God at work in three different ways - as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

Oh, and notice what Jesus says when he thanks the Father. He says "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants." It does not mean we should be 'simple'. We are to use the intelligence God gave us, but not let our cleverness get in the way of understanding what God wants. We are to use our faith when we read God's truth, as well as our intelligence.

Lord Jesus Christ,
we thank You for all those who
take Your Gospel of the Good News
to others in our own country
and around the world today.
We pray that people will hear them
and respond,
and we ask that we may copy their example
and grow in faith
so that Your word may continue to spread.
Amen.