1-14-2019

Good Morning All,

           Luke 10:18; “And he (Jesus) said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven”.

      There are a handful of verses in Scriptures that just scream at us with the intensity of what they say.  They are somewhat enigmatic and usually are just beyond our clear understanding.  This verse is one of those verses.  Jesus had sent out 72 of his followers in pairs to go around the area to different villages.  They were to preach the gospel, heal the sick and drive out demons.  They went and it worked!  The 72 returned excited and happy.  Then Jesus, in joyful response, speaks our verse.

     Satan falling like lightning from heaven; what an image that creates.  In fact, that is something that I would like to see.  Here lies one of our biggest challenges; we want to filter everything in our lives through our human reason, logic and senses.  We want to bring God and all his power and majesty, His mercy and blessings down to our level.  We want it to make sense to me.  Yet here Jesus gives us an image of what is going on.  The prince of darkness, who sat ruling the earth is being thrown down.  He is being ejected from his throne room by Jesus.  He is being replaced so that those who suffered under his cruel rule now have hope.  Those who were rejected are now claimed.  Those who knew only despair now have peace.  This is what we truly see.

     God, in His love and mercy, brings us up to His level.  We may not see this happen with our human eyes but we can see it with our eyes of faith.  This is what Paul was talking about in Ephesians when he spoke of “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened” (Eph. 1:18).  But we are weak and sinful so we keep slipping back to the old level.  Yet God keeps pulling us up with His Word and with His sacraments.  God’s grace pulls us up and it drives the devil insane!!  God loves you and when Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins; then rose again to seal the deal; Satan lost.  Satan never saw it coming.  Satan thought that when Jesus died; he had won.  How can anyone claim victory out of death?  How does the winner die?  Yet when that tomb opened, Satan fell from the sky.  He no longer has the control he once had.  We now have a chance.  It is like Luther tells us in “A Mighty Fortress” where he writes “the old evil foe meaning us woe but can harm us now “he’s judged, the deed is done; one little Word can fell him.”  That Word is Jesus and he heals us every day.  We experience God’s miracle every day.  Every time God forgives our sins, Satan falls like lightening and through faith; we see it.  We see it in the bread and the wine; we see in the water connected to the Word.  By faith, we see Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Thanks be to God for this gift.

Gracious Father, by the waters of Baptism You claim us as Your children and give to us the forgiveness of sins, eternal life and you free us from Satan and his bondage.  Lead me to see You with the opened eyes of faith that we may see Satan fall and walk closer to You.  In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret