Luke 10:24Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Now from this saying many imagine that the prophets were without the knowledge of Christ. But if they desired to see what the Apostles saw, they knew that He would come to men, and dispense those things which He did. For no one desires what he has no conception of; they therefore knew the Son of God. Hence He does not merely say, They desired to see me, but those things which ye see, nor to hear me, but those things which ye hear. For they saw Him, but not yet Incarnate, nor thus conversing with men, nor speaking with such authority to them.

Having said above, No one knoweth who the Father is but the Son, and to whomsoever the Son will reveal him; He pronounces a blessing upon His disciples, to whom the Father was revealed through Him. Hence it is said, And he turned him unto his disciples, and said, Blessed are the eyes, &c.

He turns to them indeed, since He rejected the Jews, who were deaf, with their understandings blinded, and not wishing to see, and gives Himself wholly to those who love Him; and He pronounces those eyes blessed which see the things no others had seen before. We must however know this, that seeing does not signify the action of the eyes, but the pleasure which the mind receives from benefits conferred. For instance, if any one should say, He hath seen good times, that is, he has rejoiced in good times, according to the Psalm, Thou shall see the good of Jerusalem. (Ps.

But why does he say that many prophets desired, and not all? Because it is said of Abraham, That he saw the day of Christ and was glad, (John 8:56.) which sight not many, but few attained to; but there were other prophets and just men not so great as to reach to Abraham’s vision, and the experience of the Apostles, who, He says, saw not, but desired to see.

For those looking afar off saw Him in a glass and darkly, but the Apostles having our Lord present with them, whatever things they wished to learn had no need to he taught by angels or any other kind of vision.

The joy of Christ is greatly enhanced by witnessing the unwavering and genuine belief of His disciples, whose faith empowers them to perform miracles. With gratitude, He gives thanks to God the Father for their trust (Lk. 21. Mt. 25-26). In this moment, the Lord first extols God the Father for concealing the mysteries of His kingdom and the profound significance of His works and teachings from those who had faith in Him. These truths remained hidden from those who see themselves as wise and discerning (cf. Jn. 9:39. Cor. 1:26-29), like the Pharisees and scribes, yet were revealed to the humble minds of simple individuals, His disciples. He acknowledges that this is a manifestation of the divine wisdom and goodness of God: for such is the delight that is placed before You, Father.

When individuals approach the Scriptures without bias and with genuine faith and a true longing to comprehend its message, they will inevitably gain insight; insight will be bestowed upon them. As they become more deeply moved by the majesty of this divine word, their understanding will grow, and the clarity and brilliance of God's truth will become increasingly apparent. How fortunate are their eyes, for they see, and their ears, for they hear (Matthew 13:16). Numerous prophets from the Old Testament longed to witness (Matt. 13:17) the events they foretold, and many righteous individuals yearned to witness the fulfillment of their hopes regarding the Messiah and to hear His voice; yet they did not have that privilege. But blessed are your eyes that see, and your ears that hear (Matt. 13:16).

The Lord’s glorification of God the Father, His teachings about the relationship between the Father and the Son, and His delight in His disciples are presented by Matthew as statements made at different times. These passages can also be found in Matthew 11:25-27 and Matthew 13:16-17. It is possible that the Lord repeated these declarations, or that one of the Gospel writers chose not to present them in a chronological order. In the latter case, we may consider the context Luke provides for these sayings.

Recognizing that the message of salvation is readily accessible to those who possess a sincere heart and are willing to embrace the unveiled truth, the Lord experienced joy in His spirit. He similarly expressed gratitude to His heavenly Father, stating, “I confess, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes; to her, Father, for such is the pleasure that is set before Thee” (Matt. 11:25-26). Turning to His disciples, He reiterated what had been previously proclaimed (Matt.