Saturday 25 January 2025
The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’
Reflection
Sometimes I wonder if I have a particularly short attention span. The sending out of the 70 is very familiar, but I did not immediately recognise this story of their return, which I must have read or heard read many times over the years. Perhaps that’s because we are often focused on sending people out into the world, sharing the good news, and trying to make the world more like God’s kingdom. Should we ask more about what those people find and learn?
Knowing as we do where Luke will take us later in the Gospel, the power of the 70 is quite jarring. No Jonah-like “We told them but they didn’t want to listen”, but rather an apparently unblemished record of casting out demons and other achievements. If Jesus had the power to inspire normal people to such achievements, why didn’t he surge to a peaceful triumph over the power of evil, rather than end his life on the cross? Maybe that is too literal a reading of Luke’s words – maybe the 70 were celebrating the successes they had had, even as they were mixed with failures and disappointments, rather than reporting that every interaction was successful.
There are two points that I am particularly taking away from this reading:
- The power of inspiration – Jesus’ faith in the 70 gave them confidence to do things they never thought they could do. Who could we inspire to live out their talents more fully?
- The importance of wearing success lightly – Jesus tells the 70 not to rejoice in their experiences, but that they were loved by God. If we get too focused on chasing success, in whatever field, we risk losing sight of the blessings of normal life, and may miss God’s promptings that we should perhaps be seeking new directions.
Prayer
Lord,
We confess that we sometimes feel like failures
That others seem to glide along effortlessly achieving great things
While we seem to stumble and struggle with intractable problems.
Help us to remember that you love us whatever we achieve
That even when we feel weak, we may be serving you
That our very weakness may be the factor that emboldens someone to ask us for help.
As we celebrate the love that you have for all humanity,
We pray that your kingdom may come.
Amen.