Thoughts on Luke - Day 45

                                        Luke 10:17-24

 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
¹⁸ He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰ However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
²¹ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
²² “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
²³ Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”


         Trivia question. What is the number one command in the Bible? Answer; "Fear not." I don't know why I tell you this except to tell you that "do not rejoice" is one you wouldn't expect to see in the Bible, but here it is. Why would Jesus burst their giddiness about returning from their mission that we just discussed in the last blog?

          I have some thoughts. Remember when Jesus came down from the mountain of transfiguration and He was frustrated? He was just worn out by the unbelief, self-centeredness, and the fallen-ness of this world and it wasn't just in unbelievers, it was in His disciples. He had just gotten a taste of glory and to return back was disheartening. However, He was soon back to His gracious self gently healing and patiently instructing. Here, although I don't want to humanize Jesus too much, it's almost like He gets a breakthrough in His frustrations. After the disciples rejoice over the fact that they are powerful, so powerful that they can cast out demons (imagine how impressed they were with themselves), instead of the fact that people were repenting or humbly praising God for the power that He has, and has entrusted them with, or praising Jesus that He picked them to be a part of His team - Jesus could rebuke them for not "getting it" once again. They were always about power, prestige, importance here on Earth. They just kept missing the point that He had come to, and therefore they were involved in the same mission to not make this world a better place, although that is a secondary benefit, but to save souls - to bring them into the kingdom of God. This is what the disciples should have been rejoicing in and even more so that they were going to Heaven someday. Jesus says, I've been in Heaven and if you could see what I've seen, this Earthly power stuff compared to that is so overrated.

       So where is the breakthrough I was talking about? I almost feel like Jesus, though He is about to get frustrated again, says to the Father, "I get it. You show Your grace and love by saving people that aren't smart, that are undeserving, that are simple. You show Your love by saving the people that mess up over and over.  You give them preference over prophets and kings and all the important people in the world. Why do You do that? I get it, because Your love and grace is unconditional and the best way You can show that is to show Your love to these juvenile disciples of mine." (not to put words in God's mouth)

      What are you rejoicing in today? Is it that even though you mess up continually, God has revealed Himself to you and you are on your way to Heaven? Or is it that you get to go on vacation next week, you just got a raise, that your team won, that you got a new boy/girlfriend, that you have 100 thousand followers, that you lost 10 pounds...? One hundred years from now none of that will matter, that is so overrated. Picture being in Heaven with God forever and ever and rejoice in that today and say," why me, God?!"

    Why me God, why did you choose to reveal yourself to me. I mess up so much, yet You love me and have showered Your grace on me. Help me to live for eternity and share the good news with people today that eternity awaits them too. All it takes is admitting that they aren't good enough, too. Amen