I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes

 

 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

 

- Luke 10:17–24 

 

Yesterday we read that after He had begun His journey toward Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face, the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.' But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.  Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me." Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 

 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  My study bible tells us that I saw Satan fall is a description of an event that took place before the creation of the world.  There are actually five times that Satan set his will against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; see also Revelation 12:7-12).  This event that took place before the creation of the world is now something in which humankind may join through the authority given by Christ.  Serpents and scorpions are images of demons and devils.  Christ shares His authority with His disciples, these seventy, to enter into this spiritual battle against all the power of the enemy.  Nevertheless, He says, it is better rather to rejoice because your names are written in heaven.  The weapons in this battle are not conventional or worldly, just as His Kingdom is not of this world.  These weapons are prayer and following and living His word.

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."  My study bible says that babes are people of simple faith and open hearts (see Luke 18:15-17).  

Christ's words in today's reading reveal to us the tremendous and awesome work of the Lord.  That is, humankind, those "babes" of simple faith and open hearts, now become the recipients not simply of spiritual knowledge, but rather those who are clearly deemed worthy of receiving what "many prophets and kings have desired to see, and have not seen it . . .  and desired to hear . . . and have not heard it."  What is spiritual battle?  What is rebellion against God by those angels -- unseen creatures -- who became demons?   These things are the stuff of countless imaginary stories, films, fantasies, and legends.  But the ways in which they are portrayed in the Gospels basically gives us an image of that which is destructive and harmful for mankind.  If we want to understand why there would be such spirits who have chosen this path, our faith gives us one simple explanation, and it is linked to the Gospel reading for today and Christ's words.  The explanation is just that human beings were created to participate in the kingdom of God as those who would receive such authority from Christ, and the angels were to minister to human beings in the long journey toward this end and the future of Christ's saving mission.  Of course, we can't know nor understand all that is unseen and a matter of great mystery.  But of the understanding that we do have, envy becomes an archetypal sin, one which continues to permeate the Scriptures, even to the death of Christ on the Cross.  If we take a close look, most of the conflict that surrounds Jesus has to do with the question of authority, and who is the greatest.  Jesus' response to the debate on this question of who is the greatest among the apostles gives us our understanding of the Church as something set apart, which is not supposed to be like the rest of the world.  What is the cure for envy?  Humility.  Ultimately, it is seeking to know the will of God and doing it that sets us in the right place, and leads us on that journey for the truly exalted place God has in mind for human beings.  It is through humility that we may be gifted with Christ's shared authority, through serving Christ that we see and hear what many prophets and kings desired to see and hear and did not do so.  Christ's mission to save human beings includes an extension of authority that turns the "powers that be" upside down.  A distribution of such authority to "babes" shows no regard for the power structures of the world, but instead infers a kind of egalitarian witness to true character and heart that defies all pretense and ambition, and places faith and love at the center of what makes up beauty, truth, and goodness.  This is the power of grace, the love of God that always seeks our love, that seeks to open our eyes and ears to the things we really need -- and to a picture of healing that includes in its completeness a particularly exalted spiritual place for human beings, if we but choose His Way, His "Road."  As Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem, He gives the disciples lessons on humility and grace, on receiving even the littlest as if they bear the face of Christ and of the Father who sent Him.  He will teach them service to all as that which makes one greatest of all.  He will teach about sacrifice, leaving behind even what is precious for the sake of Christ and the Church, and gaining lives they can't imagine.  Let us bear witness to what it is to carry that Kingdom into the world, and follow in their footsteps.  We enter into a kind of battle in an infantry of peace, an authority of grace, with weapons of faith and prayer, and patience and endurance, and conquest which bears more resemblance to sacrifice.  And until further notice, this battle waged for the hearts and souls of human beings continues.  Jesus speaks of His ultimate authority, and He is still looking for those friends to join Him in spiritual struggle, and with whom He may share it.