Luke 10 (7)

Pray Psalm 119.17, 18.
Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.

Sing Psalm 119.17, 18.
(Open My Eyes: Open My Eyes, That I May See)
Open my eyes, Lord, let me see
wonderful truths to transform me.
I am a stranger here in the earth;
hide not from me Your glorious worth.
Deal with your servant graciously
that I may live obediently.
Open my eyes, Lord, let me see glory divine!

Read Luke 10.1-42; meditate on verses 23, 24.

Preparation
1. Who was blessed, according to Jesus?

2. How were they blessed?

Meditation
Jesus gave His followers two overarching and commanding priorities: Pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God and seek that Kingdom and the righteousness that comes with it (Matt. 6.10, 33). Whatever else we do in this life, whatever tasks and duties of marriage, home, family, work, church, or community; whatever relationships, roles, and responsibilities we must fulfill each day, they are all to be defined and directed by these Kingdom priorities.

Jesus taught and demonstrated the reality of the new regime He had come to bring. He was, He said, bringing the Kingdom “near”, giving the world a foretaste and preview of what would begin to unfold on earth as it is in heaven once the Spirit of God was poured out on the world (Acts 2). In Jesus, people saw a Man such as they’d never seen – good, kind, holy, earnest, and true. They witnessed works of love, healing, and provision they never knew were possible. They saw people rally together around Jesus to tell others the Good News of His coming. They heard teaching and promises no one had ever before proffered. It’s no wonder they came from every part of that land to catch a glimpse of Jesus and to be in the presence of His work. The excitement surrounding and accompanying Jesus was like nothing people had ever known before. They were truly blessed to see what they were seeing.

Yet this was just the “coming near” of the Kingdom (vv. 9, 11). We who believe in Jesus have been transferred from the old regime of sin and death into the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, where righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit are the order of the day every day (Col. 1.13; Rom 14.17, 18). Do we see the Kingdom like the disciples did? Are we even looking for such an amazing and transforming presence? Praying earnestly for it? Seeking it in everything we do?

If we ever truly glimpse the Kingdom, ever see the evidence of its grace and truth, we will be so blessed that nothing and no one would keep us from devoting ourselves as living sacrifices for the pleasure of our Lord and progress of His reign (Rom. 12.1, 2).

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Blessed to See.”

“One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple” (Ps. 27.4).

“Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; they will see the land that is very far off” (Is. 33.17).

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth;
and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God,
Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19.25-27).

“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon…waiting for the Consolation of Israel…and it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ…And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus…he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: ‘Lord, now you are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel’” (Lk. 2.25-32).

Come, Thou long expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver, born a Child and yet a King.
Born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious Kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit, raise us to Thy glorious throne.”
(Charles Wesley, 1744)

 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory…” (Jn. 1.14).

For reflection
1. What does it mean for you to “see” the Kingdom of God?

2. How do you expect others to see the Kingdom in you?

3.  How can you encourage your fellow believers to see the Kingdom of God?

The more simply dependent we are on the teaching, help, and blessing of the Son of God, the more we shall know both of the Father and of the Son; the more blessed we shall be in seeing the glory, and hearing the words of the Divine Savior; and the more useful we shall be made in promoting his cause. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Luke 10.23, 24

Pray Psalm 119.19-24.
Ask the Lord to increase your vision of the coming Kingdom – both as it comes now, in your daily life, and as it will be when Jesus comes again. Call on Him to help you trust His Word and to live a vibrant witness for Jesus today.

Sing Psalm 119.19-24.
(Open My Eyes: Open My Eyes, That I May See)
My soul with longing breaks for You;
all of Your judgments I would do.
For You rebuke the proud and the cursed,
who from Your Law have strayed, and worse.
Take from me all contempt, O Lord,
for I have kept Your holy Word.
Lift all reproach from me, O Lord – my soul renew!

Princes oppose me day by day,
for I continue in Your way.
I will Your statutes hold in my mind.
What great delight in them I find!
Lord, let Your testimonies be
light on my path to counsel me.
Lord, what delight You bring to me out of Your Word.

T. M. and Susie Moore 

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.