Seeing What Was Denied to Others

Preparing for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: One Day before Sunday (Year A)

Scripture (semicontinuous)

Psalter: Psalm 45:10-17

Old Testament: Genesis 27:18-29

Gospel: Luke 10:21-24

Scripture (complementary)

Psalter: Psalm 145:8-14

Old Testament: Zechariah 4:1-7

Gospel: Luke 10:21-24

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Prayer

We praise your abiding guidance, O God, for you sent us Jesus, our Teacher and Messiah, to model for us the way of love for the whole universe. We offer our prayers of love on behalf of ourselves and our neighbors, on behalf of your creation and our fellow creatures. Amen.

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Reflection

At that very 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” (Luke 10:21-24).

It is a special gift to witness something personally that was denied to others.

In Luke 10:21-24, Jesus refers to the unique privilege and opportunity that his disciples have in witnessing his teachings and miracles firsthand. The disciples are fortunate because they had the chance to see and hear Jesus directly. They are able to witness his teachings, observe his miraculous deeds, and experience his presence in a way that previous prophets and kings had longed for but did not have the opportunity to experience.

Jesus is alluding to the prophets and kings of the past mentioned in the Old Testament who anticipated the coming of the Messiah and longed to witness the fulfillment of God’s promises. They desired to see and hear the things that the disciples were experiencing with Jesus, but it was not granted to them in their lifetimes. Jesus emphasizes the special character of the disciples’ position, highlighting the privilege of being with him during his ministry. He was indicating that they were part of a unique moment in history, where they had the opportunity to witness the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation in the person of Jesus Christ.

We may not have been specially blessed to witness the living and bodily Jesus first-hand, but there is a special character to our time as well. Jesus’ first followers were not able to see the spread of the gospel globally. It is our privilege to live in such a time when there are Christian believers all over the world. Jesus’ disciples could only pray for its fulfillment. We get to witness it. Blessed are our eyes to have seen what we currently see!

PRAYER: Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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