Sending the Seventy, part 25

The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." (Luke 10:17-20 NASB) 

(Note: this post is a continuation of part 23 and part 24. You may want to read those before continuing with this post.)

If you are just joining us on this journey with the seventy, we have been studying this passage in Luke 10 for several weeks. Jesus sent seventy of his disciples to the towns and villages where He intended to go later.  They were to take nothing with them, but were dependent upon the hospitality of the villages where they would teach about Jesus and heal the sick. It must have been a hard journey, but they returned rejoicing over all they had  seen. Even the demons were subject to them in the name of Jesus.  

When they reported all that they had seen with their physical eyes to Jesus, He shared with them what He had seen in the spiritual realm. Their obedience in healing those who were beset by demons had great effect in the spiritual realm, resulting in destruction of the kingdom of the evil one. Still speaking from a spiritual sense, He told them He had given them authority to "tread on serpents and scorpions and over all power of the enemy". This was likely a reference to the fatal bruise on the head of the serpent foretold in Genesis and covered in part 24. 

"Nothing will injure you," Jesus told them. The word translated as "injure" comes from a root word meaning to violate justice or to deal fraudulently or deceptively.  We might interpret this to mean that nothing will deceive us. When we are obedient in following Christ, we can trust His Spirit to guide us to truth. If we follow Him, though the enemy fights against us, we will be able to resist and avoid the deception he would offer. 

These men had just completed a long and difficult journey of faith. They were not "social club church goers". These men were 100% sold out to Jesus, willing to go anywhere and do anything in obedience to Him. They were not just followers.  They were disciples. What great news it must have been that, in giving authority to do battle with the enemy, Jesus also gave them protection in the battle. Because they had a promise of protection from the enemy, they did not have to  be afraid of the battle! How often God tells us, "Fear not!" Once again, Jesus teaches them that there is no need to fear because the enemy cannot overcome their faith. 

Does this mean that there will be no physical injury? No. He had been speaking in a spiritual sense throughout this sentence, and there is no reason to think He suddenly jumped to a physical sense. When we place our trust in Jesus, He holds us secure against the wiles of the evil one, who would seek to wrench us from Christ. This fact should give us great hope for eternity and great comfort in our present life. We are safe with Jesus, no matter where He leads. Take heart, then, no matter where your obedience takes you. His Spirit is there, guiding and protecting all the way. Follow then, and fear not.  

Sending the Seventy, part 24: Treading on Serpents and Scorpions

The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." (Luke 10:17-20 NASB)
(Note: This post is a continuation of part 23, and you can read it here.) 

Our verse today is one of those that has been part of a controversy in the church because of the ones who have interpreted it, in conjunction with Mark 16, to suggest that "true believers" of Christ can handle serpents (rattlesnakes and other poisonous snakes) without harm, even when a snake bite results in envenomation.  When we look at this passage in context, however, I believe we will see it a little differently. The seventy sent-ones had just returned from their journey of sharing the good news of Jesus and healing the sick. They were filled with joy over the results of their labors and rejoiced that "even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 

They rejoiced in what they saw with their physical eyes. Jesus, however, shared and rejoiced in what He saw with His spiritual eyes. "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning." Immediately following that statement, He said, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you." Because Jesus was speaking in the previous sentence from a spiritual perspective, He was almost certainly continuing in a spiritual perspective. 

The word translated as "tread" is pateō, which is defined by BLB as "to advance by setting foot upon, tread upon, to encounter successfully the greatest perils from the machinations and persecutions with which Satan would fain thwart the preaching of the gospel."  The idea of "treading upon serpents" is that we would walk over the serpent successfully and walk past all the power of the enemy (Satan) as  we, through our obedient service to Christ, participate in the destruction of the kingdom of the evil one.  The "treading" does not require us to pick up a literal snake. The "treading" requires us to obey Christ in sharing the Good News of Christ to all we encounter, thus overcoming the power of that spiritual serpent, Satan, by the power of God Almighty.

The very first prophecy of the Messiah occurs in Genesis 3:15 as God cursed the serpent because of his part in the sin of Adam and Eve. These words of Jesus in Luke 10 are almost certainly a direct reference to that curse. Read it and consider.

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel." Geneses 3:15 NASB

Clearly, the heel of Christ and the head of the serpent Satan have a figurative encounter here. Although the serpent Satan will deliver a bruise to Christ's heel, it will not be a terminal wound. The heel of Christ, however, will "bruise" the head of Satan, delivering a fatal blow. (If the head is crushed, it is fatal.) 

Let's put all this rambling together. When we serve Christ in obedience as the seventy sent-ones did, we participate in destruction of the kingdom of the evil one. Christ has given his obedient followers the authority to "tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy". He has given us the authority to participate with Him in the fatal bruise on the head of the serpent Satan. If we have authority to tread "over all the power of the enemy", then there is no power of Satan that can stand against the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. No power. None whatsoever. 

Selah. Pause and consider.

If there is no power of Satan that can stand against the Kingdom of God, why do we allow him to cause such havoc in our lives? Why do we submit to the temptations he offers us? It is well past time for the body of Christ to embrace this truth. Jesus has given us all the authority we need to tread on the head of the enemy of our soul, resisting his temptations, and defeating his power in our lives. Let us embrace the truth that we can be free if we will be free, and live accordingly. 

Sending the Seventy, part 23

The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." (Luke 10:17-20 NASB)

There is an unbearable sweetness in Jesus' response to the sent-ones on their return. The seventy returned to tell Jesus about their trip. It had been hard and tiring. They must have been physically exhausted. Spiritually, however, they were on a mountaintop from which they would never recover. They were bubbling over with excitement about all they had seen, all God had allowed them to accomplish in the name of Jesus. Even the demons were subject to them in Jesus' name, they told Him. Listen to this sweet thing that Jesus said to them. It's amazing!

"I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning."

How about that?! He was telling His excited disciples, the sent-ones, that He had been keeping His eye on them, and that He knew what they had been doing. He knew that the demons had been subject to them in His name and, when that happened, He "was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning." As they brought healing from demonic influence in the life of those to whom they ministered, Satan literally lost ground in the high places. Jesus told them that, when they were ministering in His name, it was as if he could see lightning flashing all around with the fall of Satan's kingdom. Get that picture in your mind's eye. Wow. Pretty exciting, isn't it?

There's an interesting contrast between what the sent-ones saw and what Jesus saw. The sent-ones saw the lives that were changed. They saw the physical evidence of the demons leaving those who were healed. Jesus, on the other hand, saw the spiritual evidence of Satan's kingdom losing ground. What the disciples saw was very exciting, and there's no doubt about that.  We would be fortunate to see what they saw. If we could see what Jesus sees when we minister, however, how much more exciting it would be! 

"Satan falling from heaven like lightning". We can, through our obedience in sharing the good news of Jesus, be a part in that fall. We can have a part in not only extending the Kingdom of God, but also decreasing the kingdom of darkness.  Best of all? No matter how hard, how lonely, or how tiring our work, we can be assured that our Lord knows exactly what we face and that He is watching and cheering us on! 

So, weary servants, take heart. Even when your way is hard, you are never alone, never out of sight. Our Lord cares for you, and He is watching over you. He doesn't miss a thing!

Sending the Seventy, part 13: The importance of One

But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.' I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city. (Luke 10:10-12 NAS) 

These few verses contain sobering instructions from Jesus. When the sent-ones entered a town or village, they were to look for a man of peace. When he offered hospitality, they were to stay with him, accepting whatever he could provide. In exchange, they were to offer healing to all who were sick and to tell them the Good News of Jesus. There was the possibility that a town might not receive them. They might not find a man of peace, a warm welcome, or hospitality for their stay. 

Of course, the people didn't know what they were missing. Almighty God in the flesh had sent His personal envoys to give them a message straight from Him. He had sent men who could heal their sicknesses. It was more than anyone could imagine, and there were some who did not give them a second thought. The sent-ones and their message were rejected before they had a chance to deliver it. 

When that happened, they were to go into the center of town and make a proclamation where all could hear. "Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near."

I like to think that it was "one more last chance" but Scripture doesn't say that. What the sent-ones did with their proclamation is tell the people what they were missing. "The Kingdom of God has come near." Then, they were to leave. They were not to labor over-long in a place where hearts were hardened against them. They didn't beg or belabor the point. They left and went to the next destination. 

One man of peace could have made the difference in those towns and villages. One man could have prevented the destruction promised them for refusing Jesus. For some of the towns, there was no man of peace. There was not one person who would be the conduit through which the grace and mercy of God could flow. 

Selah. Pause and consider. 

The difference that one man, completely receptive and open to the work of God, can make is astounding. One man of peace could have opened the door for healing of all the sick in a town or village. One man could have opened the door for the gospel for an entire town. One man. One man or woman just like you or me could have made the way for Christ and blessed their town in ways even they could not imagine, and that is still possible today. We have no understanding of what a difference one person, totally sold out to Jesus Christ, can make, but this passage makes it clear that the difference can be incredibly significant. 

If that is true (and it is), then why aren't we more involved in our communities? Why don't we stand up for truth in a loving, generous way? Why don't we allow our homes to be a welcome respite for others? We have a great opportunity for good, and it is a tragedy to miss it. Dear ones, we must open our hearts and our homes to the work of God. Let Him make a difference through us. 

What does He long to do through you? The walk of faith is a grand adventure. Are you ready? Embrace the adventure!  

Sending the Seventy, part 10: Staying and Swallowing

Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house.'...

Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. (Luke 10:5, 7 NASB)

We are studying the passage in Luke 10 where Jesus sent the seventy disciples out as forerunner-evangelists. He assigned them villages and places where He would be going. They were to go ahead of Him and preach the gospel as well as heal the sick, carrying nothing with them except the clothes on their backs. (Literally, they were not even to carry an overnight bag with undies and toothbrush!) God Himself had made arrangements for their provision. 

They were to go with one very simple plan. When they arrived in a town, they were to offer a blessing of peace at a house. If there was a man of peace there, he would receive the blessing and they would be welcomed into the home. They were not to look at the house, think "maybe we can find a more comfortable house down the road", and try to move on. That is not how the provision would work. When hospitality was offered, they were to accept it. There was to be no moving around to a bigger or more lavish accommodation later. They were to stay right there, graciously accepting what was offered, sticking it out, no matter how comfortable or how rough the accommodations might be. 

They were to eat and drink what they were given. I've had the responsibility to be involved in the hosting of "celebrities" from the faith community on occasion and, frankly, they would do well to read this passage. On one occasion, the list of requirements for their comfort was so astounding that I strongly considered that  we should cancel the contract. For a one-time concert, I ended up moving the contents of my living room to the venue to provide the required comfort. The list of food they required was equally astounding, and much of it went to waste. By the time they gave the concert, their fine words were utterly meaningless to me because of the demands for comfort that preceded it. This should not be the way we travel in the name of Jesus. 

We live in a society of entitlement and that philosophy has taken something of a hold on all of us. Jesus was very clear. Don't even think about what you are entitled to have. Take what comes and be glad of it. Receive the blessings of God and offer thanks for whatever He sends, whether lavish or simple. Why? Why did this accepting what was offered matter? Their response to what was offered was the first indication of the truth of the gospel. The fine words of the blessing of peace were just words until their actions demonstrated the veracity of those words, and so it is for us. Does our response to our circumstances demonstrate the truth of what we say we believe or not? If we are to be the "sent ones" of Christ (and we are), then our response to the gifts of God and His provision must demonstrate our gratitude for and acceptance of those gifts. 

Years ago, a career missionary in Central America told me there was a secret to serving that I would need to remember:

"Where He leads me I will follow. 

 What He feeds me I will swallow."

That missionary doctor had learned the secret of the "sent ones" and it made all the difference in His ability to obey. It will for us, too, dear ones. Let's be sure our wants and expectations take a back seat to the Hand of God. Stay where He sends. Eat what He gives. Show the world the heart of Christ in all we do. 

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The link to last night's post on being the hands of Christ is here

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