Success

Luke 10:13-24

¹³”Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. ¹⁵And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. ¹⁶The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” ¹⁷The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” ¹⁸And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. ²⁰Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” ²¹In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²²All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” ²³Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! ²⁴For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Chorazin and Bethsaida were cities located in the region where Jesus did most of His ministry. They had seen numerous miracles and heard His message on more than one occasion. But they remain unimpressed and were not flocking to Jesus as believers. He holds up the pagan cities of Tyre and Sidon (from whence came the notoriously wicked Jezebel) as places that would have embraced Him in faith. Again, He points out that His own people are filled with rejection.

After this pronouncement, the 72 return from their mission trip and are filled with stories of success! Jesus affirms their accomplishments with more instruction. He shares the fact that Satan is already a defeated foe because Jesus’ power is supreme and they have gone in His name into their mission fields. But He also helps them realize that it is power of the Holy Spirit who does this work through them and their success against Satan is not nearly as important or impressive as their eternal place in the Kingdom of God. You might be able to cast out a demon but that is nothing when compared to an eternity spent in Heaven with God.

I think that when the disciples returned from their successful experiences against Satan they were vulnerable to some pride issues. I certainly would be and Jesus handles that possibility before it even has opportunity to take root. Each of us can be used by God daily to do His will and advance His Kingdom if we are willing. But those experiences can also be used by Satan to derail us because that can easily lead to the sin of pride. So we too need to fall under the constant instruction of the Father and give HIM the glory for the success, because it actually belongs to Him anyway.