Luke 10:17-24
What must it have been like to be Jesus? No matter where He went, no matter who was in His presence, Jesus knew that He could not be defeated by them. What would it be like to know that you’re the most powerful person in the room, regardless of what room you’re in? I don’t know about you, but if that was me, it would go to my head pretty quickly. I think I would enjoy that power just a little bit too much. Lucky for us, it seems to have had the opposite impact on Jesus, as revealed through His interaction with the seventy in today’s reading. They, the seventy, have been given great power and authority and they’re pretty excited about it. They want to celebrate the fact that they have power over demons and authority over evil, but Jesus redirects their excitement in a way that reveals the true heart of God. Instead of joining in their pride of this new found power, Jesus says, “Yeah, sure, that authority is cool and all, but the real cause for celebration is the fact that your names are written in Heaven.” The Kingdom of God is not concerned with power and authority. Worldly empires obsess over power, a Divine Kingdom, on the other hand, is concerned with things much greater. Jesus reveals that His Kingdom is one that turns the world upside down. This Kingdom is one that makes sense to children, but is completely foreign to the rich and powerful.
This is what is revealed to us in the coming of Christ. The birth of Jesus, an innocent baby, born of a peasant in a cave, reveals the diving love of the Father that can be understood no other way. The birth of Christ set in motion the plan that would bring restoration to all of creation. He came to reveal who God really is. Up to that point in history, the nature of God had been repeatedly misunderstood (as we see all throughout the Old Testament), but the birth of Christ was the beginning of the ultimate revelation of God. This is when things would finally start to make sense so that we could understand God for who He really is; a heavenly Father unconcerned with power, but obsessed with peace and love.
As you read Jesus’ prayer in Luke 10:21-22, what do we learn about Jesus’ relationship with the Father? What do we learn about the Kingdom that Jesus was initiating?
(By Cody Poinsett)