WHAT GAVE JESUS ECSTATIC JOY?

October 18, 2025

At that time Jesus rejoicedG21 in the Holy Spirit and declared, “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. Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.”

Luke 10:21

At that moment he was filled with joyG21 by the Ruach HaKodesh and said, “Father, Lord of

heaven and earth, I thank you because you concealed these things from the sophisticated and

educated, yet revealed them to ordinary people. Yes, Father, I thank you that it pleased you to

do this.

Luke 10:21 (CJB)

At that same time Jesus was filled with the joyG21 of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father,

Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves

wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this

way.

Luke 10:21 (NLT)

G21 agalliáō; contracted agalliṓ, fut. agalliásō, aor. ēgallíasa, from ágan (n.f.), much, and hállomai (242), to leap. To exult, leap for joy, to show one’s joy by leaping and skipping denoting excessive or ecstatic joy and delight. Hence in the NT to rejoice, exult. Often spoken of rejoicing with song and dance (Sept.: Ps. 2:11; 20:5; 40:16; 68:3). Usually found in the mid. deponent agalliáomai. (I) Used in an absolute sense (Acts 2:26, “my tongue was glad,” meaning I rejoiced in words, sang aloud; Luke 10:21; Acts 16:34). (43)

Zodhiates, Spiros, The Complete Word Study Dictionary, New Testament

10:21 Infants here refers to those who trusted in Jesus’s words and works through childlike faith. (44)

Tony Evans Study Bible

What made Jesus ecstatic? He was rejoicing because common men were able to come into the kingdom of God in childlike faith. The religious and intellectual elite—Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees—who should have recognized Him as fulfilling all the prophecies concerning the Messiah, were too busy making a show of their piety to see the simple truth before them. Jesus praised the Father for choosing to make salvation accessible to common, everyday people. In fact, elsewhere Jesus proclaimed that childlikeness is a must:

Luke 18:16-17 But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

What kind of faith does a child have? Children, unless they have been abused or neglected, are extremely trusting. They stand on the edge of the pool and shout, “catch me,” believing mom or dad will be right there! They have no fear that their loving parent will let them fall. Do we have that simple, childlike trust in Jesus? We need not, and cannot, do anything to redeem ourselves from sin or earn our way into heaven. Our total trust must be in Jesus who paid the penalty for our sin and conquered death and the grave. All we need to do is accept the gift He purchased for us which is eternal life.

Father, we rejoice that we do not have to be intellectual giants to understand the Gospel. We thank You for making it simple enough for Susan to give her life to Jesus before the age of five and Susie to surrender her life to Him at the age of fifteen. Please keep us from overcomplicating Your word!