#DailyDevotion When The Gospel Is Preached Satan Loses His Power

Luk 10:10-20  But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say,  (11)  ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’  (12)  I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.  (13)  “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  (14)  But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.  (15)  And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.  (16)  “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”  (17)  The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”  (18)  And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  (19)  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.  (20)  Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

So there are several things in this passage that are important in this passage today. One is the ambassador status of those whom Jesus has sent to spread the good news of the kingdom of God. One might argue that this was only for the 70 but Paul says, 2Co 5:20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” So it is still valid today. So when Jesus says, “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”  this is still true. When someone who is called into the office of the Holy Ministry speaks, we need to listen because they stand in the place of Christ. This does not mean we have to accept everything they say wholesale. We are commanded also to be discerning and judge what they say against the scriptures. But on the whole, they are to be received as Christ himself.

To those places and those people who reject the message of the good news of God’s kingdom it would have been better for them if they had never heard the good news. Those who reject Christ’s ambassador’s and their good news will most certainly receive the judgment of Jesus. There will be levels of punishment in the world to come. Those who had never heard the good news and did not believe in Jesus will not be punished as much as those who had heard the good news and rejected it. Jesus and his sent ones had gone into the towns of Israel preaching the good news and validating the good news with numerous miracles and signs. Apparently they had not repented enough and believed when Jesus is talking here.

When his disciples returned Jesus tells them he saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Their preaching was pushing back the kingdom of Satan in this world. I believe this is paralleled here,  Rev 12:9-10 “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.  (10)  And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.’” With the good news of Jesus Christ, the devil has no authority over us. He can no longer accuse us of our sins before God. While he tries to make war with us here below he may only cause harm to our bodies through his agents. But we have authority over him and them so they may cause us eternal harm. However our greater joy is that we are saved by Christ and our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Merciful God and Father, continue to send us ambassadors of your mercy in Christ Jesus that we may hear, repent and receive them as our Lord Jesus Christ and to the end we may enter into your kingdom unto life everlasting. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.