The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
(verses 17-20)
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I note several things in these verses:
(1) Demons are real. I’ve known it, but practically I have tended to leave them out of the equation of present-day life. This passage tells me that’s a mistake.
(2) In Jesus’ name demonic powers submit to messengers of the Kingdom.
(3) Although Jesus doesn’t specifically mention this ministry in his instructions to the seventy-two, this is clearly what they understood and what he had in mind.
(4) Jesus affirms the reality of the spiritual battle, highlighting Satan’s downfall. I believe he is referencing what has just happened through the activities of the seventy-two, but also the event in eternity-past when Satan was cast out of heaven, sealing his fate, foreshadowing full defeat, and setting the stage for this current battle.
(5) Success in these spiritual confrontations is not to be the focus. Rather, the deep abiding source of joy and celebration in the life of Jesus’ followers is that they are known in heaven by name and that they have a rightful place there, guaranteed.
So, this passage tells me to press on, with eyes wide open. See the spiritual battle for what it is – don’t be blind. Stand in the authority of Jesus. Be confident in his protection and victory. But don’t get distracted by the battle. Keep looking up, always. Keep eyes on Jesus. Know you are known in heaven. Rejoice, greatly, in the reality.
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Lord Jesus, give me eyes that are wise, eyes that are open, eyes that are focused on the sureness of your victory, eyes that see the place of my citizenship even in the midst of the skirmishes here. Give me eyes on Jesus.
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Question:
What’s your tendency? Are you more prone to ignore the spiritual battle or more prone to unduly revel in it? What’s the corrective for you?
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Photo by Brandon Morgan on Unsplash
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