Luke 10: Dangers in Authority

Moses appointed seventy elders to assist him in leading millions of Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness. Jesus repeats the instructions He gave to the disciples when He empowered 70 others who followed Him, which was given with a bit more detail in Matthew:

Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. (Luke 10:4-8 ESV)

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. (Matthew 10:8 ESV)

Those working for Jesus had to use their resources to get to where Jesus sent them, but were not to use their resources for the job. This included clothing, transportation (shoes), food, and lodging. All the needs of the working of the kingdom of Heaven should be supplied by those who receive teaching and freedom. Paul confirms this as God’s way:

Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up… (Galatians 6:6-9 ESV)

When you hear a message about God or read the Bible, do you have a hard time retaining what you learn? When we are taught about God and don’t give back to acknowledge this, we are mocking God, which will bring corruption into our lives. This is not only an affliction from the enemy, but it may prevent the words sown into our lives from taking root and bringing lasting wisdom about God’s ways. If you want more of the Holy Spirit, more of God in your life, then do not get tired of doing what is right: give back to God and acknowledge that you have received from those teaching about His ways!

Back to the 70 and the dangers of authority. After Jesus empowers them, He gives a warning to cities that will see the miracles, but fail to turn from sin when they do. What sin were they refusing to turn from?

“The 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.” (Luke 10:16 ESV Strong’s)

When we hear about Jesus, especially when people are being set free, and we reject Him as our Lord, that is a sin. It will cause us to be rejected by God when the final judgment comes. If you received Jesus, I hope you were also told about the power of His name.

Often, demons will scatter when you first begin using it. It is like a toddler who cries out for “Daddy” to rescue them. A good, kind “Father” will run to help His child. However, God expects us to grow and learn His ways. This is what the 70 empowered by Jesus discovered: that demons were subject to them through His name! The Lord gives us the first step we should take in our walk with Him as the 70 return to Him.

Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20 ESV)

When we begin using the name of Jesus and see demons flee, often we focus on that authority and rejoice in the power of it. The Lord said this is wrong. We should be focused on our final destination, on where our names are recorded in Heaven. Jesus addresses a church that has forgotten about this in the prophecy of Revelation:

He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels… (Revelation 3:5 AKJV)

If one segment of the body of Christ will overcome something, their name will not be blotted out from where it is recorded in Heaven: in the Book of Life. Why is it so important that your name is recorded there?

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works… And whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:12 & 15 AKJV)

If your name isn’t recorded in Heaven, in the Book of Life, you will be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire where there is eternal suffering. This is why we should rejoice when our name is in that book and not when we are given authority in this world. What is more important, the 100 or so years we have here or all eternity afterwards? Let’s look at what can get our name blotted out of the Book of Life.

I know your works, that you have a name that you live, and are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. (Revelation 3:1-3 AKJV)

God refers to those who will receive eternal life as “alive” and those without Jesus as “dead.” There are some who have the name of Jesus, they call themselves Christians, but they are not Heaven-bound. What is keeping them from Heaven? They are not working for God. They said a prayer once, then haven’t done anything since.

Christians in this category need to remember that taking Jesus as Lord is the only way to Heaven. The word “Lord” means owner, master. Are you doing what your Lord wants? Do you even know what He wants? There is an entire class dedicated to this topic, so we will leave it at that. Look for the “Revelation Churches” class in the Living Word for more information.

Many of you are probably asking yourself, “Couldn’t we rejoice for both?” The followers of Jesus were rejoicing that the demons were subject to THEM in Jesus’ name. This is perilously close to bragging about our accomplishment. Also, removing a spirit may only be a temporary victory and doesn’t necessarily mean our names will be in the Book of Life on the judgment day.

“On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:22-23 ESV)

We may receive authority from Jesus and cast out demons, prophesy, or even do mighty works, but that doesn’t mean we will make Heaven. We must “know” Jesus. The Greek word ginōskō (gin-o-sko) is translated as “knew,” is the same word used for the most extreme intimacy: sexual relations. We need to have a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus.

This group is also guilty of “lawlessness.” This Greek word anomia (an-om-ee'-ah) means: the condition of being without law, because of ignorance of it, or violating it, contempt and violation of law. That is why we don’t rejoice in the power of the name of Jesus, but in the fact that we are citizens of Heaven. The first step in our walk as Christians should be to focus on Heaven, not on victories in this world.

After this, Jesus tells His disciples to rejoice in what they are seeing: the Kingdom of God is at hand. Moses and the prophets desired to see this day, but here was the generation to see it come to pass. Immediately after this announcement, a lawyer stands up to test Jesus by asking how he can receive eternal life. Also, in this chapter, Luke includes what we should be focusing on about Heaven to receive eternal life.

This man wasn’t a secular lawyer for the rulers of Rome who controlled Israel. This man was an expert on the laws of God: the Ten Commandments. He correctly summarized the first two commandments: love God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself. But when Jesus tells the lawyer to do these things, the man attempts to justify not “loving people,” meaning being compassionate to them, by asking who his neighbor is. This leads to the parable known as the good Samaritan.

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. (Luke 10:30-33 ESV)

Since the injured man was traveling from Jerusalem, there is a good chance that he was Jewish. Priests ministered in the Temple, and Levites cared for items in the Temple. Both should have been righteous men, yet neither one stopped to help their fellow countrymen. Samaritans were half Gentile and not considered to be true Jews, yet he was the one to have compassion on a man who was wounded through no fault of his own. Jesus recounts how the Samaritan tended to the wounds of the injured man and even paid to have others continue the recovery process, then asks the lawyer this:

Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36-37 ESV)

Most likely, the lawyer was trying to define “neighbors” as people who lived close by. Jesus supplied a different definition. A “neighbor” is anyone who crosses our path and is wounded or in need through no fault of their own. This isn’t a drug addict who has no money because they get high instead of working. This isn’t a criminal being rightly judged because of their crime. We should have compassion for anyone we encounter who has a sudden situation happen, through no fault of their own. We should show God’s love by trying to help them.

How does this apply to receiving the authority of Jesus? First, we need to know God’s law, as the lawyer did. The Ten Commandments are and always will be God’s ways. Next, we need to love God and love others by showing God’s mercy or compassion to them. What does showing mercy to others look like?

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5 ESV)

Declaring judgment against other Christians is not showing mercy to them. We should focus on improving our walk with God instead of focusing on what others are doing. How can we see that there is a beam in our eye if we do not know what we are looking for? This is step two: learn and apply God’s ways to our lives first.

The third step is the final event recorded in Luke, one that only Luke recounts. It is worth reading the entire account:

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 ESV)

Martha welcomed Jesus into her life and into her home, but she was too busy to spend time with Him. She was troubled and anxious; those are words that both have a root in fear. Fear is the opposite of faith. Jesus was saying that it was fear that was causing her to be busy serving and doing things.

Mary’s focus was on Jesus. She wanted to sit and learn from Him. She was right at His feet. This is the third step. We need to take time to focus on Jesus. To spend time with Him, and listen to what He has said and is saying to us.

If we fail to do any of these three things, we may find that the authority in the name of Jesus begins to decrease. We may even be one of those who is told, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.”

The tenth chapter of Luke beautifully illustrates what Jesus expects of us as we draw close to Him. We are given the authority of His name to overcome the enemy, but the Lord has expectations of us. We must begin taking these three steps:

1. Focus on our New Kingdom, not victory in this world

2. Learn and apply God’s ways to our lives

3. Take time to listen to and be with Jesus

The path to Heaven is narrow. Our focus must be on God and His ways. Most importantly, we must make time for God! I’m so glad you took time to hear about God today:

Step One is accomplished! I do hope you have learned something new that you can apply to your life, that is Step Two! All that is left to do is to spend time with Jesus. Tell Him about your day or ask Him about His time with the disciples. Prioritize Jesus, and you're on the right path!