“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10-19-20
Anyone who is close to me knows I am no fan of snakes. And while I have never been stung by a scorpion, I have no interest in testing my pain threshold with one. So, of course, the first part of these verses appeals to me in a (forgive the pun) fleshly way.
Let’s place what Jesus says to the disciples and us in context. Our Lord has sent out seventy-two men to tell about the kingdom of God. When they return, they are pretty excited because, “even the demons are subject to us in your name” (verse 17). Jesus sends them out with instructions, including what to do if the message is rejected, and they come back with a rush of power. This picture is notably attractive.
However, if power was the goal, this would merely be a story of magic, and we could liken the disciples to great wizards. Oh, how I’d love to point my finger like a wand and zap the demons in my world. Gone would be sickness and poverty, at least for myself and those I know.
But if power was the goal, then as history has consistently revealed, then our efforts would be about us, and the results would only corrupt us and further corrupt the world. God gives us whatever powers and gifts, not for our own edification, not to serve our own perceived needs, but for His service. The disciples drove out demons and healed the sick in Christ’s name, and brought the Kingdom of God to the very homes of the people He loved. This, dear friends, is our charge.
He tells the disciples and us to rejoice about our place in his kingdom, something far more valuable than earthly authority or control, but difficult to comprehend, especially when we can see the effects of power and the devastation of powerlessness everywhere we turn. Yet the one who could have zapped the devil, the one who could have raised an army against those who eventually put Him to death, chose the true way of sacrifice. His name was always written in Heaven; we should rejoice that ours is because he chose the way of weakness.
Lord Jesus Christ, I thank and praise You for living and teaching that earthly death is not the end, that pain and rejection do not mean we are cast out of your kingdom, but closer to it. May we always remain mindful of your true goals. Amen.
