Church Fathers Commentary Luke 10:23-24

"And turning to the disciples, he said privately, Blessed [are] the eyes which see the things that ye see: for I say unto you, that many prophets and kings desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not." — Luke 10:23-24 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: Having previously said, No one knows who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him, He now pronounces a blessing on His disciples, to whom the Father was revealed through Him. Therefore, the text says, And he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed...”

St. Cyril of Alexandria: He turns to them because He had rejected the Jews, who were deaf, their understanding blinded, and unwilling to see. He gives Himself completely to those who love Him and pronounces those eyes blessed which see what no others had seen before. However, we must understand that "seeing" here does not refer to the physical action of the eyes, but to the joy the mind receives from blessings given. For instance, when someone says they have "seen good times," it means they have rejoiced in good times, similar to the Psalm, You shall see the good of Jerusalem. Many Jews saw Christ perform divine works with their physical eyes, yet not all were prepared to receive the blessing, because they did not believe; they did not see His glory with the eyes of their mind. Blessed, then, are our eyes, for by faith we see the Word who was made man for us, pouring out the glory of His divinity upon us so that He might make us like Himself through sanctification and righteousness.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He blesses them—and indeed all who look with faith—because the ancient prophets and kings desired to see and hear God in the flesh, as the following words show: For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see...

The Venerable Bede: Matthew more clearly calls them prophets and righteous men. For those are truly great kings who have learned how to rule over temptations by mastering them, not by yielding to their assaults.

St. John Chrysostom: From this saying, many imagine that the prophets had no knowledge of Christ. But if they desired to see what the apostles saw, they must have known that He would come to humanity and accomplish the things He did. For no one desires something they cannot conceive of; therefore, they knew the Son of God. This is why Jesus does not simply say they desired to see Him, but those things which you see; nor to hear Him, but the things which you hear. For they saw Him, but not yet as the Incarnate Word, nor conversing with people in this way, nor speaking to them with such authority.

The Venerable Bede: For those looking from a distance saw Him in a glass and darkly, but the apostles, having our Lord present with them, did not need to be taught by angels or any other kind of vision to learn whatever they wished.

Origen of Alexandria: But why does Luke say that many prophets desired this, and not all? Because it is said of Abraham that he saw the day of Christ and was glad—a sight that not many, but few, attained. There were other prophets and righteous men not great enough to attain Abraham’s vision or the apostles' experience; it is these whom Jesus says did not see, but desired to see.