Privileged to Know Jesus – Luke 10:21-24

When the movie Selma came out, a movie about Martin Luther King, Jr., and the march he led over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, I went to the movie with my friend, Anthony Henderson, pastor of Beulah Baptist Church, and a few of his parishioners,  Fred Davis, and a couple whose names I’ve forgotten.  We all talked afterwards about the film.  I didn’t really understand with whom I was attending this movie.  It was Fred Davis and friends who went to the Memphis Fairgrounds Amusement Park one Sunday, a day not allowed for blacks, got bullied and arrested, and in court was exonerated and got the judge to open the park to African Americans every day of the week.  In 1967 he ran for City Council and won despite racial attacks against him.  He marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., when he came to Memphis, earning death threats for it.  He was an army veteran, a successful business man, spoke French, was a rights activist, and a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.  Fred Davis died on May 12, 2020.  I didn’t realize what a privilege I had experienced.

In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 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 he said 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, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”  (Luke 10:21-24 ESV)

Two extraordinary truths about Jesus are made clear here:

1) Jesus was entirely dependent upon the Holy Spirit, being filled with joy from the Holy Spirit in this case, doing miracles by the Holy Spirit and receiving knowledge from the Spirit at other times.

2) Jesus was God.  Only God the Son can receive all things from God the Father and alone claim to know Him and be given the prerogative of revealing Him to whomever he wills.

In light of this, what a privilege it is that Jesus chose these men, his disciples, to reveal the Father to, and explain the coming kingdom to, and make them participants in it!  As Jesus said, many great leaders and spiritual giants longed to see this and here it was being revealed to “children” spiritually speaking. 

It has been revealed to us, as well, we followers of Jesus and his apostles.  We are indeed privileged.

Listen to the theme song from Selma…Glory!