Luke 10:18-20 - I saw Satan fall

10:18

Jesus then says that he saw “Satan fall like lightning from heaven”. Now this can be taken in two ways (at least). One is that Jesus is referring to Satan being cast out of heaven after his rebellion, so is putting the disciples experience into perspective. Another way is that Jesus is declaring that the defeat of Satan is imminent. The crucial act in the defeat of Satan is the cross and the person of Jesus Christ, but as the church we also have authority, as will be made plain in the next verse. Satan is real, Satan can do much damage, but he is a defeated enemy, and an enemy that in Jesus Name we can defeat.

10:19

This verse emphasises the power and authority that we have, remembering again that Jesus is speaking to the seventy two, not just the twelve. The stuff about snakes and scorpions is not giving any licence for the stupid snake stuff that some idiots in America go in for. Jesus is saying that we may face all sorts of dangers and threats, but we have been given authority to “overcome all the power of the enemy”. “Nothing will harm you”. We do need to look at the wider context here. Jesus was going to suffer greatly, He had earlier told His disciples that they needed to carry their crosses, and the church will be persecuted. So any superficial reading that this means nothing will ever go wrong, or we will never suffer, is clearly mistaken. However, we can approach life and mission with confidence. We may see forces at work in society, as we do today, but we do not need to be afraid. We need to take things seriously, but Jesus has all power and authority, and He gives authority to us as well.

10:20

One danger is fear and a defeatist attitude. Jesus’ words in the previous two verses, and the experience of the seventy two, should put paid to that. However, we are not to go to the other extreme. Defeating demons is not to go our heads, it is not to become the focus of our lives. Instead the things that is to give us greatest joy is that our names are written in heaven. We are close to God’s heart, we are involved in His plans, we are going to spend eternity with Him.