I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven

 

 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 began the journey to Jerusalem, encountering many who sought to become disciples, 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."  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."  These Seventy are those whom He appointed as new apostles, being sent out, as were the Twelve before.  My study Bible comments here that Jesus' words,  "I saw Satan fall" describes an event that took place before the creation of the world.  Five times Satan set his will against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; see also Revelation 12:7-12).  Serpents and scorpions are images of demons and devils; the enemy is Satan (Luke 4:1-13). 

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 those whom Jesus refers to as babes are people of simple faith and open hearts (see Luke 18:15-17).  

Jesus says, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."  As my study Bible describes it, Scripture tells us this was an event that happened even before the creation of the world, when there was rebellion in heaven by Satan.  But this is also one of those places where we're meant to understand that the nature of time is something that is not fixed simply to our experience of time in a worldly sense.  Historically, the Church has understood Scripture to have given us what are called "types."  That is, events in the Old Testament that prefigure fulfillment in the New; there are echoes (if you will) that make themselves understood and punctuate time.  One example of this is Jacob's Ladder that appeared to him in a dream, of angels ascending and descending (see Genesis 28:10-19).  Genesis 28:12 reads, "Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it."  In the Christian patristic tradition (the early centuries of the Church), Jacob's Ladder came to be understood as prefiguring Christ, an image fulfilled in Christ Himself, who is the Ladder that connects heaven and earth for us, upon whom angels ascend and descend.  This is just one example of what is a "type."  Another example is the burning bush beheld by Moses; that is, the bush that burned with flame but was not consumed (Exodus 3).  Out of that fire, God spoke to Moses.  But this "type" of the burning bush is also seen in the New Testament, as prefiguring and fulfilled in some sense in the Virgin Mary, for she conceived the Child Christ by the Holy Spirit, a divine fire which did not consume but gave life.  Therefore, one image for Mary is the Burning Bush, and she is portrayed as such in particular icons.  Therefore, these images serve us to understand God's work in the world as "punctuating" time; manifesting in a harmony with all other appearances of God and teaching us and fulfilling things already given.  When Christ says these words, "I saw Satan fall like lightning" upon the return of the Seventy, He is referring to an event that happened even before the creation of the world as we understand it.  But before the creation of the world, there was not time as we understand it either, for the sense of time in heaven is nothing like what we understand as moments passing one by one.  Therefore, the fall of Satan may also be fulfilled as Christ's power and mission is at work in our world.  When the Seventy return speaking of even the demons being subject to them in Christ's name, He says, "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."  The same power and authority that defeated Satan long ago and cast Satan from heaven is now shared and distributed through the Incarnation of Christ, manifest even in these newly-appointed apostles in their first mission.  These words are addressed to the Seventy, but they are also addressed to us, in that they are a declaration about the Church and the ongoing ministry of the Church which Christ established in the world.  Just as there are those in each generation who may carry on the work of the apostles, just as each generation must carry the faith and the Kingdom in the world, so this power and authority, and the fall of Satan, is also manifest and entered into through Christ's work and the power of God at work in us and through the Church and the faithful.  What is called spiritual warfare means far more than exorcisms or encounters with demons, but also guarding our own hearts in simple faith, and casting out what does not belong there or conflicts with our faith.  In that understanding, let's take Christ's words seriously:  "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  We should never forget that this is the real goal of the Christian life, it is the salvation that is made possible through grace, what St. Paul calls "the knowledge of Christ," and "the righteousness which is from God by faith."  These are attained, St. Paul says, because we may "know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, [we] may attain to the resurrection from the dead" (see Philippians 3:7-10).  For all of this is a part of that spiritual warfare, made possible for us through Christ and His Incarnation, and the grace and working of the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom of God within us and among us.  In this expanding, growing, ever-evolving mission Christ has brought to the world, we may view the work and marvel of the Seventy, the casting out of Satan, the blessings and grace of God who shares even His power and authority with human beings, even to those of us who are "babes."  Let us pay attention to the things He teaches us to seek, the glory which He teaches us is true glory.

 

 

 

 

 

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven

 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 beginning His journey toward Jerusalem, 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 says that Jesus' statement, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven, describes an event that took place before the creation of the world.  It notes that five times Satan set his will against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; see also Revelation 12:7-12).  Taken in its entirety, Jesus' statement is a response to report of His power and authority at work through the seventy apostles.  Serpents and scorpions are representations of demons and devils.  Nevertheless, the seventy -- and we -- are to rejoice rather because our 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."  My study bible says that babes are people of simple faith and open hearts (see 18:15-17).  Jesus rejoices over the outworking of faith through His ministry, the fruits of faith in His disciples, and especially the presence of the Kingdom at work through them to whom God has revealed it.

Many people seek for power and for signs of the presence of the Kingdom at work.  But Jesus tells us that we should rather rejoice in that our names are written in heaven.  This is a powerful call to faith.  The Gospels are filled with signs and wonders of the presence and power of the Kingdom, as is all of Scripture.  But what about in our own lives?  What should we look for?  Perhaps the most important characteristic of Christ's ministry, especially in Luke, is healing.  What does healing mean?  And what does it look like when we are healed?  Quite often, healing is something we know from the inside, but people cannot necessarily tell from the outside, except perhaps those of great spiritual and psychological discernment.  Healing may come in the form of God's love which empowers us to overcome hidden wounds, personal difficulties with addictive behaviors or reliance upon abusive relationships, or destructive patterns of our own habit and thinking.  God's work in us may be to turn us around, to create true repentance from bad or destructive behaviors, to release from forms of selfishness we thought we needed to rely upon for substance in the world.  Our faith may give us the strength to say No to what we need to renounce, and Yes to what we need to embrace.  We simply cannot predict the type of healing God's work in us offers, but these things don't necessarily present themselves to us or to the world as spectacular signs such as those we read about in the Gospels.  And yet, it is the power of Christ against "the enemy" that we don't realize is at work in us to produce such healing results.  This does not mean that we attribute all bad behaviors and choices to the direct work of demons and devils, but it does mean that we recognize that at the root of much selfish and destructive behaviors of all kinds is the "enemy of God," the "evil one."  There is an influence in our world that comes from spiritual origin which the Gospels also testify to, which gives birth to all kinds of ways of thinking and being -- destructive and misleading patterns of thought,  such as, for instance, toxic forms of shame or blame, as the case may be.  Even our own denial of a problem is a kind of lie that may work destructively, and which we need to face.  In the Gospels, the patterns of demons at work in a person are always destructive, and particularly self-destructive.  The patterns and influence of various ways of thinking which are quite commonplace among us can also work within us in the same way, and we should understand these also as forms of evil which harm both individuals and communities.  They form the root of what the tradition of Eastern monasticism calls "logismoi," the things for which we rely on our faith to help us with a constant kind of repentance or "change of mind" so that we are healed.  Spectacular signs and proofs of the presence of God's kingdom need not come in the forms we see in films (such as The Exorcist) or the signs of Christ's miracles.  But our own signs and miracles may happen to help create change in us, to overcome the flaws of our own lives and upbringing, the hardships that may befall us at any time.  There are thousands of thousands of ways in which the Kingdom may be influencing our own lives, even as science may measure and validate the power of love and prayer on health and healing.  Let us consider more deeply the ways in which our faith instructs us through the power of God's love, and in particular the ways in which we heal.  And let us, indeed, rejoice because our names are written in heaven, even when it is only we who know and understand the impact of our faith and the reality of that journey.

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven

 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 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."  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."   The seventy apostles return with joy.  Jesus takes joy in the sharing of his holy power with human beings, those who are laborers for the harvest.  Once again, what we are told by the Gospel is about a type of hidden warfare going on; in Christ's mission into the world, He enlists human beings as participants in this battle, which is not like worldly battle but one of hearts and minds, and based in love.  My study bible says that the reference, I saw Satan fall, is a description of an event that took place before the creation of the world.  Five times Satan set his will against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; see also Revelation 12:7-12).  Serpents and scorpions are allegorical images of the demonic.

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."   Jesus continues to rejoice over the sharing of holy power with human beings, the revelation possible for us, and our participation in the life of the Kingdom He offers.   This is a sharing in the life given from the Father to the Son and in turn to those human beings who may share in and understand the revelation given to us.  It is all about the working of grace in the world.  My study bible says that babes are people of simple faith and open hearts (see 18:15-17).

How can we understand the joy of Jesus?  His newest apostolic mission, these Seventy whom He has recently appointed (see yesterday's reading, above), return with joy, as the holy power invested in them by Jesus has come to fruition they have experienced and seen for themselves.  Jesus tells them nevertheless, not to rejoice over such power, but that their names are written in heaven.  That is, because they share in the joy of heaven, as members of the Kingdom.   Jesus alludes to a battle which my study bible suggests has taken place before the creation of the world.  Nevertheless, its effects are seen and felt, and continue, with human beings at the center of the battleground.  And we are invited to participate in this battle.  I wonder if we today can calculate the reality which is revealed here and given to us in the words of Christ and in the actions and appointment of the Seventy.   We don't always generally see or measure these effects, from a modern perspective, in the terms that Christ names.  But we can look around at our world and most clearly see all types of evil effects.  The demonic that makes its presence known through Scripture functions to create varieties of affliction, hardship, pain, hostility, and aggression toward human beings.  Christ, by contrast, shares His power in grace, through faith, with the ultimate boundary respected as the free will of human beings.  He offers us participation and membership in a Kingdom, in which not only He but also God the Father become a part of our own reality, our identities in this shared participation, an ongoing energy present within us and among us.  We can look around at the world and see the things that typify demonic behavior in the Gospels:  abuse, affliction, aggression, hostility, hatred, coercion, manipulation, a total lack of respect for the basic integrity that free will gives to a human soul as endowed by Creator.  But it's not enough to wonder at the presence of evil.  What is important to understand through the Gospels is precisely what Jesus teaches His apostles to rejoice over:  that their names are written in heaven.  That is, that they may be participants in this Kingdom through faith, that they may serve God through faith in Christ -- that they may live through His love, grace, and truth.  This remains the pillar and cornerstone of our understanding of the battleground.  It's not about the things that we see with a limited perception of events in our world.  It is rather about finding that internal pole of faith, finding our own participation in this living grace and God's energies at work in the world, and remaining within the conditions of discipleship Christ has taught us.  This is a difficult task, but one nevertheless that remains with us 2,000 years after Jesus' ministry and teachings He's given us, which remain true and living for us.  Let us understand that He still sends us out as sheep in the midst of wolves, with instructions on how to live as those sheep who belong to Him.  His language and teachings are those of humility, of truth, of strength, and hope, and perseverance.  St. Paul instructs us in the fruits of the spirit, which remain hallmarks of our participation in that Kingdom and in His grace.  Can we live them for ourselves?  Let us remember this battle was won long ago, but that in real time, in our time, Christ invites us in to participate His way.  The choice lives within us, day by day.

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 Jesus made the decision to start His journey toward Jerusalem, He 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."   I saw Satan fall describes an event that took place before the creation of the world, says my study bible.  Five times Satan set his will against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; see also Revelation 12:7-12).  Serpents and scorpions are images of devils and demons; they are things which carry poison and cause pain to human beings.  These are part of the power of the enemy, who is the evil one.  In the Lord's prayer as given in Matthew 6:13, Jesus teaches us to pray, "Deliver us from evil," or from "the evil one" (it can be read both ways in Greek).   The Greek for this word translated as "evil" is poneros, which literally means the one who causes pain, is hurtful.  That pain includes burdens of harsh labor and toils in its meaning.  But again, Jesus reminds us that it is not power that is ours personally nor that we should rejoice over. Rather it is His power shared with us as a work of grace, and our true rejoicing is that our names are written in heaven, and that we may participate in the kingdom of God.

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."  Here Jesus Himself rejoices over the power of grace at work in the world, and gives us a true taste of the joy we should know in gratitude for such gifts.  He teaches us their true value in His words.  Babes, says my study bible, are people of simple faith and open hearts (see 18:15-17).  This is the power that has worked through Christ, in whom is vested all power by the Father -- and Christ reveals the Father to whom He wills.  What we need to understand is that many prophets and kings have desired to see what these apostles -- and through their work, we also -- see and hear. 

Here is really the great good news that the Virgin Mary understood at the Annunciation, when she said in what is known as the Magnificat, "He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.  He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty."  Her own song was reflective of the songs of others before her, such as Hannah, and so this is a theme that has echoes throughout spiritual history and the work of God in the world.  Jesus Himself rejoices in Spirit at the work of the Father through His own ministry, saying, "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."  At that which our Lord rejoices, in the Spirit, in prayer between Father and Son, we can truly take time for awe.  It blesses His ministry and sanctifies the work of God in the world that is always truly surprising.  And more than that, it means that Satan has fallen like lightning, the one who oppresses with toils and hard labor and pain, who enforces only the power of materialism and conquest and murder and all its association with death in many dimensions.  (That is, a purely material perspective minus a relationship to God, to Christ.)  This is the great victory in which all should rejoice.  And yet, how do we neglect the gift of this good news, God's grace in the world?   Let us understand its awesome power in our lives and its blessing.

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven

 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 as Jesus had set Himself to go to Jerusalem, He appointed seventy other apostles 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."  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 says that "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" describes an event that took place before the creation of the world.  Five times Satan set his will against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; see also Revelation 12:7-12).  Christ shares His power with the Seventy, as He did previously with the Twelve, so that even the demons are subject to human beings in His name.  Serpents and scorpions are symbols of demons and devils.  This is about spiritual battle, not a worldly one.  But the greater rejoicing, He reminds us, is not over such power but rather to be members of the kingdom of heaven.  Whatever power the Church may have over demons, human beings always have free will.

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."  Christ rejoices in prayer over the revelation of His ministry.   Babes, says my study bible, are people of simple and open hearts (see 18:15-17).  These seventy, like the twelve before them, are not men of extraordinary learning or social stature; in this sense they are like babes.  Jesus contrasts them with the wise and prudent.  What it reveals is the power that rests solely in the Son, for even many prophets and kings have desired to know what these babes know, to see and hear the things they have seen and heard, and it remained hidden from them.  This is clearly the remarkable intention of God the Father at work through Christ's ministry to the world, another sign of gracious condescension and love.

Jesus' ministry has power, as expressed in the joy of the Seventy that "even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  But perhaps in today's reading in particular, what is revealed is that this power is unlike earthly power.  A spiritual battle, as stated before, isn't an earthly battle.  There aren't great weapons that wipe out material civilizations and humankind.  This is a battle from the heart, and in the hearts and minds of people who choose their faith and the journey of their faith in the world.  These disciples have followed Christ, and He shares His power with them.  They have found that in His name, even the demons are subject to them.  We can't always know or tell demonic influence; it's something that is most likely subtle rather than something out of a horror show or frightening film dreamed up for the camera.  Popular culture won't really give us a good idea of what our faith is about.  Exorcism wasn't something strange or unknown in Jewish religious tradition.  (When Christ is accused by Pharisees of casting out demons by the power of demons, He responds by asking them, "By whom then do your sons cast them out?" in Matthew 12:27).   But what is truly remarkable and wonderful is that through Christ, God has given such power to babes -- and more than that, greater than that, is that such babes hear and see the work and the truth of the Kingdom, mysteries are revealed to them, and their names are written in heaven.  This is the gracious God that hid such things from the wise and prudent, even from prophets and kings who highly desired them, and shares them with those of true hearts and good faith.  There's really more to this than we've discussed, because all of it touches on the great transforming -- transfiguring -- power of Christ.  It is, as Christ's words of gratitude to the Father tell us, a product of the grace of God at work through this ministry, through Christ, and in these men and women of faith who are His followers.  The truth of God's grace and condescension is that human beings -- even babes -- are those who will share this kingdom and whose names are written in heaven.  This is the gracious power of God, the power that doesn't work as worldly power does, that will transform unlearned, even socially and politically naive men into those who will change the world with the Gospel message.  That is what we see at work in the saints, in the love of God, in our faith.  It remains at work, but it is still with us and within us to follow and keep His word in faith.  It is God's love that is the real power, and that we share in.   This is the bond that defeats the enemy.

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 Jesus appointed seventy other apostles 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" describes an event that took place before the creation of the world.  It says that five times Satan set his will against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; see also Revelation 12:7-12).  To trample on serpents and scorpions is a figurative allusion to devils and demons.  But the greatest gift of all is to be part of the kingdom of heaven, of service to the gospel of the kingdom.

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."    My study bible tells us that "babes" here, as referred to by Jesus, are people of simple faith and open hearts (see Luke 18:15-17).  There is a command here in revelation, in the things given or revealed to people; those here referred to as babes are the open-minded, the ones who can receive, to whom the Son has chosen to reveal the Father.

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."    Jesus emphasizes not only the astonishing nature of the revelations given to these men, but also how precious they are. 

I wonder, sometimes, if we can understand just how precious this gift is that we are given.  It is the gift and blessing of the kingdom, the capacity to participate in the kingdom of heaven, to have the Father revealed to us through the Son.  Here, Jesus emphasizes the unique and precious, priceless quality of this gift of revelation -- this blessing given to these "babes," little children without formal learning and education.  It seems that we take so much for granted, that so much that has been revealed as reported in the Gospels has become not only the things we know and count on, the familiar, but even the sadly discarded and unvalued.  It's a strange thing to consider Jesus' words in the Gospels, this great and powerful revelation of the kingdom, and the obviously exalted value placed upon our capacity to enter into the kingdom by Jesus, and to share in its mysteries -- and at the same time to think that somehow in today's world there is so much that just slips by us, all too familiar, or perhaps even discarded and unknown to so many.   It's tempting to take so much for granted.  The world offers so much, there is so much distraction, entertainment, shocking daily news, free invitation to be involved with so many things -- the power of the gospel may get shuffled under so many other things with which we busy ourselves in life, so many ways in which there are so many other things to think about or to consider or be involved with in our day to day lives.  It puts one in mind of the parable of the Sower, and Jesus' illustration of what it is for the seed of the word to fall among thorns, which choke the seed with "cares, riches, and pleasures of life" and so prevent spiritual fruition.   We are, so many of us, in such a place, choked with all the distractions that the world offers us -- and there are so many, and in such abundance.  It makes one reflect that perhaps we are now so surrounded by so many "thorns."  But this is why it is essential that we remember to stay centered and renew ourselves in prayer. Prayer has a way (and this is particularly so in the practice of contemplative prayer, such as the Jesus prayer practice) of refocusing and renewing, rendering us in a place where we have a chance to recollect who we are, as did the Prodigal Son when he "came to himself."  It's important that we remember who we are by remembering God, and refreshing ourselves in prayer that gives us renewed energy, centered in the power of the gospel message, the freedom that lives in Jesus Christ.  This is a freedom from the thorns, a freedom to choose, and to remember who we are and what we must be about, the things that give life meaning beyond what we chase or what distracts us, and the delusions we follow that give ourselves an idea of self that is temporary, transient, and often empty.  Our reliance is on God in this centered place, where we can encounter what we truly value, the rock we hold onto, and that supports and sustains when the more worldly things let us down, such as the "praise of men" we may come to rely on without this great value of the gospel that teaches us where and who we truly are in the sight of the One who knows that we are precious enough to reveal a Kingdom to, even if we are just "babes."

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven

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

 In yesterday's reading, we read that Jesus appointed seventy apostles (in addition to the Twelve) and sent them two by two to every city into which He was about to go as He journeyed toward Jerusalem.   He told them,  "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the 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 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."  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."    Christ's distributed power is at work among these apostles.  My study bible says that I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven is probably a reference by Jesus to Isaiah 14:12-15.  It says, "Note the five 'I wills' in that passage.  Because he pursued his own will, Satan is both fallen from heaven, and he is defeated and dethroned from his demonic lordship over the world by the ministry of Christ and His disciples.  The joy of discipleship is not in authority over demonic power, but in the citizenship of God's kingdom."  The authority to trample on serpents and scorpions refers to images of demons - those which give pain, and poison, to human beings, and used by the power of the enemy.  The word translated as power (of the enemy) may also be translated as strength. 

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."  My study bible says, "These things are the mysteries of the Kingdom manifested through the words and works of Jesus.  They are received by babes, people of simple and open hearts, rather than by the scribes and Pharisees, the wise and prudent."  We have a powerful turning point in the ministry here, and in a sense, in the history of the salvation story.  Through faith, the "revelation" of the Father by the Son, to whom the Son chooses, human beings carry this power of the Kingdom into the world; it defeats the strength of the enemy, allowing them to trample on "serpents and scorpions."  My study bible adds, "Jesus is the Son of God in the absolute.  He shares fully all authority and knowledge of the Father, and is the sole and eternal revealer of God to humanity."

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."  Again, there's a helpful note here:  "Many prophets and kings of the Old Testament anticipated the coming of Jesus, but they did not experience the blessing of His Incarnation and the presence of His kingdom."

In Jesus' last statement, about the many prophets and kings who have desired to see what the Apostles see, we get a sense of the tremendous awe at what is at work here, its preciousness.  Often I think we're so inured to hearing stories from the Bible, especially of Christ, that it's hard to understand this feeling of awe, rarity, preciousness.  But the truth is that when we experience Christ's presence in our lives it's always new, and awesome, and something we can't really predict by our worldly understanding of what life holds.  We may not have the kinds of awareness of the "work of the enemy" in our midst that the Gospels convey, but there are all kinds of oppressive forces in our lives with which we have to grapple.  In a modern context, we may experience Christ's power in our lives through a kind of healing resolution to painful problems, a way through a difficult situation, a way to bear troubles and difficulties, and to find a more wholesome sense of self.  All of these things are healing efforts against a painful and oppressive enemy, against things which poison our lives.  Often, I find, a way through a difficult situation isn't that I am able to change that situation, to change a person who's being cruel or unjust, to undo a kind of imposition or hardship or painful experience, but rather through Christ's power perhaps a better perspective is gained, something that helps in the long run, a kind of way of seeing and experiencing that adds to life, helps growth, and puts someone in good stead with God, right-relatedness as the result.  Children of abuse, for example, come to blame themselves; it's far easier than coping with the fact that parents may unjustly hurt them.  In Christ, we have an example of love, healing, a parenthood by adoption in which chastisement or rebuke is just, not unjust.  For the child of abuse, morbid shame or guilt becomes something to correct in Christ's embrace, the plank in one's own eye being the inability to see past this childhood abuse, and to become healed in order to love properly oneself, and not to pass on shame in the forms that prolong the problem.  The world suffers from all kinds of oppressive problems and we should not discount the power of wrong choices, abuse of authority, other ways in which right-relatedness is obscured, made harder, and stood upon its head.  Let us consider the outcome of Christ, His awesomeness, His day in our own lives - and then grasp its precious sight.