Justin Appel

Dear Friends,

Today’s lesson from Luke’s Gospel relates the conclusion of the story of the Seventy whom Christ sent out to prepare the way for his arrival. These disciples were sent out in pairs to speak to people in various households, healing their sick and proclaiming that “the kingdom of God has come near you.” (Luke 10:9)

As the Seventy return joyfully, they note that “even the demons are subject to us in Your name” (Luke 10:18), to which report, Jesus says that he “saw Satan fall like lightning” and that he has given them “authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.” (Luke 10:19).

Here, Jesus states the Seventy have been so successful in their work that Satan, the Accuser, is falling from his role as cosmic ruler (see David Bentley Hart’s translation for this interpretation). Clearly, Christ’s arrival caused epic, cosmic disruption to the powers of the age, and did so, in this case, through the instrument of ordinary people.

In the midst of this heady glow, Jesus warns the Seventy not to be proud of their achievements, but rather to give thanks that their “names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20).

This warning against pride is reiterated in Jesus’ prayer to the Father immediately following the story, in which he thanks the Father for revealing “these things to babes” rather than to “the wise and prudent,” and that “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 will to reveal Him.” (Luke 10:22)

All of this is a practical injunction to humility. God rewards those who approach Him in humble faith and obedience with a clear understanding of Himself. As St James says in his Epistle, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

Yours in Christ,

—Justin