Luke 10:24
For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Jesus spoke privately to His disciples after rejoicing and thanking the Father to tell them how favored they were to see and hear Him in person. Their blessing was to recognize in Him the promised divine Creator and Lord of glory, equal with the Father though appearing as a man, and to receive plain light-giving truth revealing the Father and the Son, turning people from sin to holiness, with unmistakable proof in His works and teaching and in the power displayed as He sent them out. Prophets, kings, and righteous men of earlier times had longed to see, hear, and understand those mysteries of salvation but died without that sight and knowledge. That same light is now entrusted in fuller measure to God's people, especially the sacred message of Christ's righteousness and His soon coming in the third angel's message, to be revealed and made known to the world. Such privilege makes its receivers accountable to give their whole being in loving service to bring others into fellowship, to advance the light unselfishly to destitute fields instead of centering it on themselves, and to remain watchful against the adversary.
Setting and Blessing
Jesus turned to His disciples privately, apart from the crowd, to declare their blessed privilege after rejoicing and thanking the Father. The privilege He named was that many prophets and kings had longed for what they were seeing and hearing but were not given it.
He spoke these words while looking upon His frowning enemies, after Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees had in turn tried to entangle Him with artful questions. Around Him stood a great crowd that included Pharisees, priests, and rulers who hoped to catch words they could use to condemn and kill Him. They were so filled with wrath that they would have killed Him then if they had dared.
Their eyes were blessed because they saw and their ears because they heard Christ Himself and His plain, light-giving truth. They were blessed to witness and hear the things He revealed about the Father, knowledge of the Father and the Son and the gospel that turns people from sin to holiness, which many prophets and kings had long desired but had not experienced. They saw Christ's work and teaching, witnessed the gospel being preached and its power displayed as He sent them out, and received unmistakable evidence that He was sent by God. They saw and heard the promised Messiah, recognizing by faith that Jesus, though appearing as a man, was the divine Creator and Lord of glory, equal with the Father, commissioned to tell the world that heaven's Majesty had taken humanity and come to the world. Christ rejoiced in this revelation and in the conversion of souls, yet many who saw that light and knowledge resisted it.
Greater Light Entrusted
Prophets and kings of earlier times longed to see and hear the things made known to the followers of Jesus, but they died without that sight and knowledge, and the gospel of Christ gives later believers greater light and a greater trust. Those who faithfully use that greater light will be counted profitable servants alongside the faithful of old and will receive glory and honor and immortality. The prophets and kings and righteous men longed to see and hear and understand the mysteries of salvation that are now seen and heard by God's remnant people, though they prophesied of these things and the privilege was not given to them. That remnant church now carries those mysteries in messages from God to the world.
The prophets themselves will know all when Christ comes the second time, when, surrounded by a multitude which no man can number, He explains the deliverance wrought out by the great sacrifice He made. The truths those prophets, kings, and righteous people longed to know are now made known to God's church. They include the message of Christ's soon coming and the third angel's message, which the church is to reveal and make known to the world.
What is now revealed for the church to unfold is especially the sacred message of Christ's righteousness and the third angel's message, which presents God's law and is the last message of mercy to the world. It is the holy character and claims of the law of God proclaimed to prepare the way of the Lord, mysteries into which angels have desired to look. The church of God is now to unfold them and let the light go forth as a lamp that burneth from one end of the earth to the other by workers, by books and papers, and by the spoken word.
Privilege Brings Responsibility
The longing of prophets and kings of earlier times for what was made known to Jesus' followers ended in death without that sight or knowledge, while the gospel gives later believers greater light and a greater trust. Those who faithfully use that greater light will be counted profitable servants alongside the faithful of old and will receive glory and honor and immortality. What was revealed through Christ was a special privilege for those blessed to see and hear what many had long desired but never experienced, and that privilege makes its recipients responsible to remain watchful against the adversary.
The privilege spoken of privately to the disciples lays responsibility to advance God's light and glory in other parts of the world rather than selfishly centering the work and using God's money in large plans and buildings and institutions in America. It forbids leaving destitute fields known to need the same work for years without money or facilities to advance the truth in a much humbler way. Seeing what the disciples saw lays a serious work requiring the whole being — heart and mind and soul and strength — in His service. That work is not confined to believers but reaches unbelievers who are living up to all the light they have, placing the truth before precious souls and loving with all the heart those for whom God gave His only begotten Son, because Christ died to redeem human beings from sin and has set before His people an open door to bring others into fellowship with the saints.
The verse belongs to the recipe to be read to meet the necessities of the present time when convicted souls ask what they must do to inherit eternal life. It is to be given in plain preaching that does not put the crib too high with long discourses. It calls for seeing careless shortcomings and repenting of them and acknowledging them, for keeping the Lord Jesus in the thought and longing of soul with intensity of desire, and for exercising faith with works with perseverance.