We have to back up a little bit to give us context for some of the things Jesus is going to say in today’s passage. When Jesus sent out the 72, he said this about three cities:
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.
I mentioned this last week, but remember that “woe” is not pronouncing a curse. It’s an expression of sadness about what is going to happen, not an orchestration of what is going to happen.
It’s interesting to note that it’s about cities. We don’t see elsewhere in Scripture where cities face some kind of eternal judgment anymore than they get an eternal reward, so I suspect this “day of judgment’ has something to do with the trajectory of these cities, how they will “sow and reap” in the world, and how the wages of their arrogance and sin will be the death of their culture. Historically, they all were eventually “judged” out of existence; all that remains is ruins, literally. More on this in a bit.
Then the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!” So he said to them, “I was watching The Adversary[1], Satan, fall like lightning from heaven[2]. Look, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and on the full force of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names stand written in heaven.”
There seems to be an almost child-like wonder: ”No way! Even supernatural evil has to submit to us in you name!” I’m not sure if they were excited about the power, amazed at what invoking the power of Jesus’ name could do, or a little of both. And depending on how you read that, you get a couple different ways of understanding what Jesus meant when he said, “I was watching the Satan fall from Heaven like lightning.”
· If they are amazed at their own power, Jesus is warning them: “Listen, Satan loved power, and I watched him get cast out of heaven. Don’t fall in love with power.”
· If they are amazed at Jesus’ power, he confirms it: “Yes, I was watching the power of the Prince of the Air[3] - Beelzebub[4], ruler of demons[5] - crumble even as you were at work. You can crush these these snakes and scorpions through my power, and I will protect you from them.”
· There is an interesting argument to be made that ‘heaven’ is Olympus, since the word here was sometimes used in antiquity to mean “the seat of the gods, the portion of Zeus.”[6] Zeus was a big deal to the Gentile audience. In Acts 14, Peter and Paul get confused with Zeus and Hermes at one point. In Revelation 2, Pergamum is identified as a place where Satan has this throne – perhaps the massive statue of Zeus, and where the people referred to him as “Zeus the Savior.” Keep in mind that the Gospel accounts were some of the last NT books written, so the authors had plenty of time to “read the room” and see what kind of details from the life of Jesus were important to know. If so, here’s Luke writing to a predominantly Greek audience, associating the demonic realm with the Greek Pantheon (which even the Greeks had begun to believe at that point), and singling out Zeus with his lightning and all to highlight that Jesus as the Lord over them all.
And here is another interesting thing from this comment. This is the only recorded instance when Jesus told His disciples not to rejoice in something good.[7] Hmmmm. There may be a message here about here about what we are to truly value in the Kingdom. Obviously, freeing someone from demonic possession is a good thing (!), but Jesus is quick to redirect their enthusiasm.
“Jesus implies two sets of contrast: (1) Disciples should focus on their status before Christ instead of on their own power since it is only in the name of Christ that victory can be achieved (vv. 19, 22). (2) Disciples should focus on what happens “in heaven” rather than on their performance on earth.” (NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible)
Following Jesus starts with “being” – in Christ, a child of God, a citizen of the Kingdom, a living stone building the temple. It starts with a new identity. This is the most important thing. From that ‘being’ flows our ‘doing’ with the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. That’s everything from being good parents to stewarding our money wisely to casting out demons.
Jesus takes their eyes of the thing they did that impressed themselves and moves their eyes to the impressive thing God has done for them. This is always meant to be the greatest source of our joy.
At that time Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.[8]
This reason for rejoicing may sound odd to us, but it was a common expression among the Jewish people of Jesus time.
· A first century Rabbi named Jochanan said, “From the time in which the temple was destroyed, wisdom was taken away from the prophets, and give a to fools and children.” (Bava Bathra, in the Babyonian Talmud)
· A second century Rabbi named Shimon bar Yochai, wrote, “In the days of the Messiah, every species of wisdom, even the most profound, shall, be revealed; and this even to children." (Synopsis Sozar)[9]
The cities had every chance to welcome Jesus. They deliberately refused him. When they chose blindness, God granted them their request. Fortunately, God will reveal Himself to humble, open hearts. The contrast is between those who are self-sufficient and deem themselves wise and those who are dependent and love to be taught.[10]
“Those who pride themselves in understanding divine things are judged, whereas those who understand nothing are taught.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)
Why was it good that God hid truths from those cities? They weren’t ready for it. It makes me think of the classic line from A Few Good Men: “You can’t handle the truth.”
How often in church history have we seen the precious news of the Gospel misused in the hands of those who just don’t understand who Jesus is or what he taught? You don’t give that which is holy to those who will use it for destructive purposes.[11]
You know who was ready? The common folk, the humble, the ones whose religiosity did not get in the way of seeing Jesus for who he was.
This wasn’t Jesus writing off the people in these towns as if they no longer mattered. Remember, he’s grieving their response. He’s just noting it was God’s will that what will eventually be known as the church – the corporate group of Jesus followers – is not going to begin in the halls of power and fame. It’s not going to trickle down from the homes of the rich, the halls of academia, the chambers of government. It’s going to start with those who:
· know they are sick and need a doctor
· are willing to become like children (in that society, powerless)
· are there to serve, not be served
· ‘esteem others better than themselves’
· have rejected religiosity in favor of genuine love for God and others
I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but the next event is a religious leader asking how to get into the Kingdom, and Jesus responding with the Parable of the Good Samaritan, which ends with the command to be merciful, not so hung up on a tradition that breeds heartless arrogance.
God never intended to entrust the good news of the Gospel to those who love power, prestige, and arrogance. He entrusted it to the poor and powerless, the rejected, the overlooked. He gave it to those who understood their spiritual poverty (#beatitudes). He gave it to those who could understand that the good news of Jesus was, indeed, good news.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.[12] No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides to reveal him.
Jesus came to earth to reveal who God is. We don’t have time to dive into a theology of the Trinity, but I think Jesus is just clarifying that He is God. God the Father’s power is God the Son’s power. God the Father’s rule and reign is God the Son’s rule and reign. What’s true about God the Father is true about God the Son.
The next verse is an open invitation: “Come unto me, all who are weary…” with a promise that Jesus will reveal who God is even more fully.
“Come to me, all[13] you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.[14] Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is well-fitted[15]and easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.”
Let’s talk about rest, and yokes.
The yoke is primarily a farming image, In farming, two cattle are yoked together to plow. It was a way that young cattle learned from older, more experienced cattle. It was also a reality for those in poverty, as they would have to move a cart by putting a yoke of sorts on themselves– think of Tevya transporting milk in Fiddler On The Roof.
Jewish teachers spoke of people bearing the yoke of God’s kingdom, which was primarily obeying the Law.
· The Mishna, the first written collection of Jewish oral tradition, says, “Take upon you the yoke of the holy kingdom.”[16]
· A teacher before Jesus’ era said, “Come near me, you who are unlearned … Get wisdom, put your neck under her yoke … Look with your eyes: I have labored only a little and I have found for myself great rest” (Sirach 51:23 – 27).[17]
But what was meant to bring rest had brought burdensome and even oppressive additions of traditions so much that Jesus said the made scribes and Pharisees now ‘bound on heavy burdens’(Matthew 23:4.)[18]Jesus now speaks of his own yolk. Those who turned to God’s ways as revealed through Jesus would find rest for their souls (Jeremiah 6:16).[19] As Adam Clarke says of this passage (and I am paraphrasing a bit),
· Sinners, wearied in the ways of sin, are invited to come to Christ and find speedy relief.
· Penitents, burdened with the guilt of their crimes, may come to the Cross, and find instant pardon.
· Believers, sorely tempted, and oppressed by the remains of the carnal mind, may come to the blood that cleanses from all unrighteousness; and, purified from sin and strengthened in every temptation, they shall find rest in the Savior.
Songs for Contemplation
· “O Come To the Altar.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6oFT53Lrho
· “Jesus, Strong and Kind.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Y8s-Sz_ac
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[1] “Satan” is a title; it would be more accurate to say “the Satan.”
[2] “It is not clear whether Jesus is speaking of a vision by which he saw something in the spiritual realm or if this is simply a declaration of what has been happening. In either case, Satan’s authority and power over people has been broken. Serpents and scorpions are physical dangers that the disciples will face in their preaching, and also symbols of demonic opposition. (The ESV Global Study Bible)
“Jewish tradition spoke of Satan’s primeval fall in sin (though the Greek verb tense here might mean that Jesus watched Satan fleeing before them). The language… could also be used figuratively (see v. 15 ; La 2:1). (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)
“A second possible interpretation of Jesus’ words is as a warning against pride. It is as if He were saying: ‘Yes, you are quite heady because even the demons have been subject to you. But just remember… it was pride that resulted in Lucifer… being cast out of heaven. See that you avoid this peril.’” (Believers Bible Commentary)
“This verse falls back on the taunt-song describing the fall of the king of Babylon (Isa 14:4-11).” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)
“Similar imagery related to Satan’s defeat appears in John 12:31; Revelation 12:7–17; 20:1–3, 10.” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds of the New Testament)
[3] Ephesians 2:2
[4] Matthew 12:24
[5] Matthew 9:34
[6] According to the BDAG (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich, a Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature.
[7] Believers Bible Commentary
[8] “Jesus is not suggesting that God has chosen certain individuals for salvation and others for condemnation. Rather, God has decided that those who choose to place their trust in the wisdom of this world will be blinded to the reality of his kingdom, while those who reject such reliance on worldly wisdom (and depend on God) will receive understanding (vv.25-27).” (Asbury Bible Commentary)
[9] As noted by Adam Clarke in his commentary
[10] Believer’s Bible Commentary
[11] “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” Matthew 7:6
[12] As in Dan. 7, the Son of Man has received all power and dominion.
[13] “When we read that the Father is revealed only to those whom the Son chooses, we might be tempted to think of an arbitrary selection of a favored few. The following verse guards against such an interpretation. The Lord Jesus issues a universal invitation to all who are weary and heavy laden to come to Him for rest. In other words, the ones to whom He chooses to reveal the Father are those who trust Him as Lord and Savior.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)
[14] Remember: he didn’t come to call the healthy, but the sick.
[15] The word Xrestos, transliterated chrestos. It was given as a name to slaves who were ‘useful’ or ‘kindly. A variant spelling is…. Christus J (HELPS Word Studies)
[16] Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
[17] NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
[18] Adam Clarke Commentary
[19] “This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls…’”