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Luke 10:18 “And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

Luke 10:17 “Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

   Greater is He that is in you then he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Jesus has absolute authority in the spiritual realm. When those He had sent out returned they were grateful for the power that had been accessible to them.

   We often find opportunities to deride the disciples. But, it is here that we find them doing something that we often forget to do ourselves. True, Jesus gives them something better to rejoice over. But, they were on the right track, there was much to be thankful for. We tend in our day to focus on our duty, service, results, and performance. The disciples were simple in their gratitude that they were able to be used at all.

Father, thank You for allowing us to be used by You! That is a blessing. Often we think about how much we have had to do to serve You. But we should rather be grateful for how little we have had to do in order to make a difference for Your kingdom. To be involved in this great gospel ministry is a delight beyond imagination. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 10:16 “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”

   This really summarizes the point of this passage. Nobody can afford to ignore true ministers of God. Now, let’s be clear as to what we mean here. Sola Scriptura is as true as it has always been. In other words, God’s Word is the final authority. The authority of the church does not come before the authority of the Bible in the Christian’s life. Only God’s Word is inerrant, not our interpretation of it.

   However, when the church acts in accordance with the Word of God, it is expected that we will listen. When missionaries go into new areas and preach, if they are faithful to the Word, it is a matter of life and death (and eternal destiny) for the new tribes, peoples and nations to hear and obey the Word. When the church teaches the growing Christian biblically, that individual must listen in order to follow Christ as intended.

   So, to put it directly, the church has authority. But, it is a dependent authority. It is dependent upon Scripture. It is expected that we will question the church on the basis of Scripture, and that process is good and very important. But, when we question the church on the basis of only our own ideas and opinions, we are doing something dangerous. The Word is the final authority, and if the church acts in accordance with the Word, it is dangerous to work against her.

   As Jesus says here, to reject those He has sent is the same as rejecting Him. And, rejecting Him is the same as rejecting the Father.

Heavenly Father, we long to be in fellowship with You at all times. To know You is the most wonderful thing that ever happens to us. You alone are God. You alone are the One Who Can. We are powerless without You. We love You and praise You forever! Thank You for Your mercy, love, grace, and truth! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 10:15 “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.”

   In what way was Capernaum exalted to heaven? Jesus ministered there. He Who is God Himself physically came to see these people. He was there, He spoke, He did miracles, He stayed there. Though we can speak of God’s blessings on people throughout history, this was indeed a special blessing, to have the Christ physically present.

   So then what does it mean to be brought down to hades? Jesus here uses a word that would be widely understood. It referred to death and the grave, and more specifically what lies beyond it for the wicked. Regardless of what a person might have in mind, whether a dark underworld, hell, or the abode of the dead, this word matched it all.

   Thus we can make two statements here about what Jesus was saying about the destiny of the wicked. First, He did not in any way deny the existence of hell. He didn’t minimize it or make it friendly. But, second, He didn’t get specific either. He didn’t here locate it for us, or give us exact specifics as to its nature. That was beside His point in this verse. He was simply letting Capernaum know that indifference to Him would not go without dire consequences.

Heavenly Father, thank You for telling us the truth! This world likes gods that lie. We want to hear stories and anecdotes that make us feel good. But the brutal facts are always the most useful things. We can know something when we have the facts. It gives us something to work with. Thank You for shining the light, regardless of the level of darkness. You alone are good! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 10:14 “But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.”

Luke 10:13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.”

   Tyre and Sidon, like Sodom, also were recipients of God’s judgement in the Old Testament. And yet Jesus here pronounces woe upon the towns that He had ministered to in His day. This gives us a very interesting glimpse into the mind of God.

   Jesus was not just speaking theoretically here. He was actually sharing truth from His omniscience. God knows not only what has been, but what could have been. This is difficult for us to accept at first. But, when we see that Jesus will be the judge of all, we can be extremely thankful that He knows these things.

   It is apparent here that Jesus will judge people on the basis of their access to the truth. The towns and villages that Jesus ministered to while He was here, had ample opportunity to see Him for Who He is, and to repent.

Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to live for You! Thank You for Your mercy, love, and grace. Only by Your will does any of us live from one day to the next. We love You and hope to serve You all the days of our lives. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 10:12 “But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.”

   Here we enter into one of the most important teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus establishes in His teaching that He is to be the Judge. In other words, He will be the one to decide how tolerable it will be for anyone in the Day of Judgment, which is what He refers to here.

   Thus, it is important to see carefully what He says here. Sodom was a city racked with wickedness. It was so bad that once Lot and those connected to him were evacuated, the implication from Genesis is that there was less that ten righteous people left in the city before it was destroyed. And, it is not a stretch to say that there were none. God rained fire and brimstone on this place directly from heaven in one of the most obvious judgements in history.

   So, in what sense can there be any comparison between Sodom and a city in the disciple’s path that rejected Jesus? The answer is a very foundational principle from Christ. People do not experience the greatest judgment, the least tolerable outcome, due to sin alone. Sin condemns to be sure. Because of sin we are all doomed to die and are separated spiritually from God. But, the doom to hell, and the lake of fire afterwards, is the result of rejecting the Savior.

   The judgement of Sodom was the judgement of a whole city, not each individual in it. Those individuals will in the Day that Jesus judges, have a better time of it than a city of Jewish individuals rejecting Christ in the days of Christ on earth. The Sodomites had Lot, yes. But, these Jewish cities (and Samaritan and Gentile cities of the region) were made up of people who had more Scriptural truth available to them than Sodom would have had. And, it was the messengers of God Himself in the flesh on earth at the time that were coming to visit them.

Heavenly Father, thank You for making Your truth known to us! Having passages of Scripture such as this one is a great mercy to us. We realize that for those of us who have been given so much of Your truth, to respond positively is just expected behavior. Sometimes we get proud of ourselves and our response to You. Forgive me for being guilty of this! Oh Father, I love You, and I will praise You for Your wisdom and guidance in our lives. You have done all things well. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen. 

Luke 10:11 “The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.”

   Why was it so important that they make this statement concerning the kingdom of God? Once rejected surely it would matter little what they tried to say to a town like this. Yet, Jesus makes a point of this statement and wants them to be sure to make it.

   This has implications for us even today. The Jews were looking for Jesus to come and set up His physical kingdom on earth. He did not do that at the time of His first coming, but He will do so upon His return to earth the second time. But, we too sometimes want to get the cart before the horse. Many Christians act as if they must save this world politically, socially, morally and so forth. We may work to benefit our world in these ways. But the mission of the gospel is to save human souls, not transform society into a Christian utopia. Surely, conversion WILL lead to progress in all of these areas, but it is the conversion of souls, not the world system that is ultimately in view.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gospel! We want to be Your servants, and make this world a better place to live. But, we will strive to keep the focus where it belongs. Your Son is the kingdom! It all belongs to Him. And He will set up what He wants when the time has come. May we be faithful to preach and teach Your Word in the meantime. We love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 10:10 “But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say,”

   In this verse Jesus is giving those He was sending instruction as to what to do if they were rejected by  a town. Notice He tells them to go out into the streets. The ministers of Christ are to find a means of general communication, even if other opportunities are denied them.

   In some cases today this may be by the circulation of fliers, street preaching where possible, or the renting of public venues for the purpose. In any case, the means is to be as generally and easily accessible as possible for those who need to hear the message.

   Also, one must keep in mind that the disciples were going out among people who were at least familiar with the teachings of Scripture at this point. This was not a foray into the unknown where dwelt men and women who had never once heard a page of the Old Testament quoted. For such missions, the time needed to establish rejection would be longer and thus the use of a public venue might take longer as a new tribe or people would not likely accept the unknown as easily. However, the same basic concept still applies, even in this case.

Heavenly Father, we must never forget how much of a mercy it is that Your truth has spread to our corner of the globe! Without the story of the life of Christ, we are like people running around in an emergency trying to determine what has happened, and where to go for safety. We would never know how to live, why to live, or even who we are, without Jesus. Thank you for Your Son! Thank You for Life! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 10:9 “And heal the sick there, and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.”

   What was this to mean? What did this signify? This is a bigger question than we might think. Nowadays we don’t think the same way because the gospel is sent out to all. But, in this time, the Jews were the holders of the oracles of God. The truth was not proclaimed as clearly and directly as it is today. Thus, to be told that the kingdom has come near was a significant thing.

   Several times in the gospels we get the message that Jesus is the kingdom. This is the idea here. As the disciples brought the healing miracles to these people, they were to help them understand that this ministry was to prove the presence of the kingdom close at hand. The Jewish people were being called upon to accept the kingdom of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your kingdom blessings in Christ Jesus! You have given this world the most amazing opportunity to know You and Your truth. We can only stand back in amazement at all that You have done for us. May we be Your messengers, sent forth to share Your good news with all this world. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.