“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’ 16 Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
17 The seventy[-two] returned rejoicing, and
said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” 18 Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like
lightning from the sky. 19 Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the
spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in
heaven.”
Jesus continued to speak about the hardship his disciples would experience as missionaries. However, the Word of God will sustain them in spite of rejection and death. Luke warned the Galilean communities that are receiving the Word of God and seeing Jesus’ miracles they should be repentant. Whoever hears and accepts the word of those sent by Jesus hear the word of Jesus. Whoever rejects the missionaries rejects Jesus and rejects God.
Jesus had power over the demons (Lk. 8:26-39) and Jesus gave the disciples the power to cast our demons in his name (Lk. 9:1-12). They returned from their mission elated. In his ministry Jesus overcame the powers of evil and handed that power on to the Church. Serpents and Scorpions were symbols and sources of physical evil in OT times (Gen. 3:1). Paul was bitten by a snake when he was shipwrecked in Malta and was expected to die. When he did not die the natives thought of him as a god. (Acts 28:1-6). The important message was not that they cast out demons in Jesus’ name but that their ministry would allow them to enjoy eternal life with God in heaven.
Almighty God, we are called to be missionaries in keeping with our call and our station in life. Grant us the grace to live a life of service pleasing to you that we may enter into eternal life with you. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Expanded Edition, Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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