Jesus states that many devout individuals from the past, prophets and righteous souls alike, yearned to witness and comprehend the spiritual truths being revealed in his time. They looked forward to this era, eager for the insights that were now accessible to his listeners. The surface meaning is straightforward: a historical comparison of spiritual attainment.

The deeper, mystical meaning, however, points to the unique nature of divine presence and gnosis. In Christian mysticism, particularly within traditions influenced by figures like Meister Eckhart or the Rhineland mystics, the 'seeing' and 'hearing' refer not just to physical perception but to an inner, direct apprehension of God. The 'you' in the quote represents the soul awakened to the immanence of the divine, capable of experiencing the Kingdom of God within. This is the gift of immediate spiritual knowledge, the *unio mystica*, which was the ultimate aspiration of many ascetics and contemplatives. They sought the direct experience of God's presence, a state that transcends mere intellectual understanding or historical accounts. The prophets and righteous, while guided by the Spirit, did not possess the same level of intimate, indwelling divine awareness that Jesus was inaugurating.

In your life: Recognize that the spiritual insights available to you *now* are the very treasures sought by saints of old. Cultivate a receptive heart to perceive the divine presence in the ordinariness of your present experience.