SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT FOR TODAY

 

Passage: Luke 10:21 NKJV.

Jesus Rejoices in the Spirit
“²¹ In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.”

 

Memory Verse: Luke 10: 21 NIV.

“AT THAT TIME JESUS, FULL OF JOY THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, SAID: “I PRAISE YOU, FATHER, LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, BECAUSE YOU HAVE HIDDEN THESE THINGS FROM THE WISE AND LEARNED, AND REVEALED THEM TO LITTLE CHILDREN.”“

In this edition of Spiritual Nourishment for Today we want to look at Jesus’ prayer of thanksgiving to the Father after he had counseled his disciples to rejoice more that their names were written in the Book of Heaven. This we learnt is more important than having the power and authority many people are seeking after in our days. Let us take some time to diagnose Luke 10:21 partly quoted in the memory verse above.

Luke 10:21 gives us some very important facts about Jesus and his ministry which we all need to remind ourselves of at all times. In the first place it shows that even though Jesus had no place to lay his head; had no friends apart from his disciples; was hated by the religious and political leaders of Palestine; he still had moments of joy. This shows that Jesus never allowed the circumstances surrounding him to overwhelm him. He was full of joy, because of the Holy Spirit who was always with him. It was not easy for Jesus to rejoice in the face of the circumstances He found himself in, but because He was in close contact with the Father and the Holy Spirit he had peace within himself.

Beloved, this is a very important lesson for us. Many of us allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the hardships, the pains, the diseases, the persecution and other circumstances surrounding us . I understand that we shall feel the heat because we are human. However if we walk closely with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we shall always find a cause to rejoice irrespective of the circumstances we find ourselves in. It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will always draw near to you, even as you draw near to him, and comfort you in the midst of the storms. The verse also shows that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit always work together.

In Jesus’ prayer he also made a statement of fact that the heaven and earth are God’s creation. They did not come into existence by accident or through the theory of evolution. The universe is not the result of what they call the ‘Big Bang’- it is a carefully and thoughtfully planned work of YHWH. I do not know whether you believe it or not, but I do believe it because Jesus has confirmed what we find in the early verses of the Bible. If you believe that the universe was not created by God you may as well be denying the existence of God and therefore be adding yourself to the group described in Psalm 14:1 which says:
“THE FOOL SAYS IN HIS HEART, “THERE IS NO GOD”” (NIV).

But let us look at the main reason why Jesus joyfully thanked the Father. Jesus thanked the Father because he hid certain things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children. It is important to make it clear that the Greek word νήπιος nēpios, translated as children, is better rendered, childlike. This means that Jesus was talking about people with the character of children. This is about those who humbled themselves and allowed themselves to be taught like little children or babies. It does not mean the people to whom God revealed the hidden things were babies in terms of age. The ‘children’ Jesus talks about refers to the disciples he sent out who came back to report what happened on the field to him.

Jesus was thankful to God for what he had revealed and was going to reveal to the disciples. He was thankful to God for revealing to the disciples the power in the name of Jesus and the fact that those who trust and obey Jesus will always triumph over Satan and his agents. Jesus was also thankful to God for what he was going to reveal to the disciples concerning his death and resurrection.

All these were not revealed to the philosophers and the great teachers of the time, who saw nothing good in Jesus. They were not revealed to the people who did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God and God himself.

God did not reveal the truth about Himself and His Son to those who were full of pride and arrogance. They were revealed to the ‘children,’ who humbled themselves before Jesus, listened to him, and completely trusted in him.

Let us all come to accept that the secret things of God are not for the wealthy, the wise and the learned in the world; they are for all who will humble themselves before the Master and trust him in all things. The wise in the world will always read but will never understand.

The humble will be taught the secret things of God and they will know the truth and eventually be set free from their captivity. Those who want to understand the word of God by relying on their human intelligence will never understand the things of God. This, according to Jesus, is made possible by the Father’s will.

It is the Father’s will that people will seek to know Him by FAITH and not through human wisdom. Therefore, it does not matter how much knowledge one might accumulate in this world, he or she can never understand if he or she approaches the scriptures without faith.

Anyone who wants to understand God’s Word must always humble himself and trust Jesus to reveal hidden things to him. It is therefore, not surprising, that the speeches and writings of many younger people who love the Lord, make much more sense than the older people who have relegated God to the background! Remember that the humble are the wise in the sight of God.

So seek Jesus today and you will be making a wise decision! May the LORD help us never to rely on our own understanding, but rather acknowledge Him in all our ways!

THE WORD OF THE LORD!

 

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Pastor Nana Kobina Baisie
Teacher/Pastor at Nadrim Mission International School, Busan, Korea.