Luke 9:51-10:24 "The Coming of the Kingdom and the Fall of Satan" Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! What is Jesus saying? Is he saying "blessed are you disciples because you get to see me in the flesh"? No. Remember that Luke is writing to Theophilus. Even as Jesus says to his disciples that they get to see what all the people of God longed to see, so also Luke says to us that we see what the prophets and kings longed to see. Do you see Jesus? I've asked you that before. What do you see when you come to worship? Do you come to worship in order to see Jesus? Or do you come for yourself? If you come to worship for yourself in order to get something out of it, you will come away empty. But if you come to see Jesus, you will come away with the vision of the majesty of our Lord Jesus Christ and in that vision you will find wisdom. My goal when I preach is to show you Jesus! How do you see Jesus? As Hebrews 2:8-9 puts it, at present we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death... How do you see Jesus? You see Jesus by faith. And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. As we look at our text this morning, let us lift up our eyes to Jesus that we might see him crowned in glory and honor because of the suffering of death! Introduction: He Set His Face to Go to Jerusalem (9:51-13:21) When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. Luke 4:14-9:50 was set in Galilee and it focuses on the revelation of the Kingdom of God through Jesus' preaching and power. It came to its glorious conclusion in the transfiguration, where Jesus was revealed in glory just after he first predicted his coming death and resurrection. Now 9:51-13:21 are set in the context of Jesus beginning to turn towards Jerusalem. Indeed, for the next 9 chapters we will be moving toward Jerusalem which means, of course, moving toward the cross! And we must always remember the cross as we consider the theme of God's judgment; because in the cross, God's judgment upon humanity falls first upon Jesus! Jesus is redefining Jewish expectation. The Jews expected that judgment is coming against their enemies. The disciples expect that judgment is coming against their enemies. Jesus redefines who their enemies really are. Who are your enemies? Muslims? Pagan Americans? What does Jesus say? 1. The Character of the Kingdom: Fire Falling from Heaven and the New Family of God (9:51- 62) James and John had just seen Jesus with Elijah. What had Elijah done with those who rejected the Word of the LORD? In 2 Kings 1 we hear that Ahab the King of Israel sent men to capture Elijah, and Elijah called down fire from heaven to destroy those who opposed him. The Samaritans were the descendants of the rebels of Israel. So James and John may have thought, "Aha! If Jesus is greater than Elijah, then maybe he'll want to call down fire from heaven against the Samaritans!" Would you like to call down fire from heaven against someone? or some group? Jesus rebukes them. They do not understand what he has come to do. What did Jesus say to them? Wouldn't you like to know what Jesus said in his rebuke? Luke may not give us the exact words said on this occasion, but the rest of our passage (9:57-10:24) is all about this. So they continue down the road to Jerusalem, down the road that will end at the cross, and as they were going we are told of three people who said they wanted to follow Jesus. These three help us understand better the character of the Kingdom. The first said, "I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." If you would follow me, please understand that I can promise you no shelter. To follow Jesus means to leave home and comfort behind. Do you understand how radical this is? The "family values" crowd today thinks that they have a high view of the family. That's nothing compared to the ancient world. Many ancient cultures worshiped their ancestors. In a household economy everything revolved around your family. Your identity was defined by family. Jesus is saying, my family has no other identity but me. The Son of Man has no home, no building or institution that provides a place of rest. If you follow me, you will be cut off from all that you hold dear. This is outrageously stated in the second encounter: To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord let me first go and bury my father." I buried my mother nearly a year ago. If I had said, "no, I can't come," my siblings would have been furious with me. The obligation to bury your dead was one of the highest obligations in ancient society. Among the Jews, the rabbis would permit a man to get out of virtually any obligation in order to bury his dead father. But Jesus says, Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. (9:60) If you want to be a part of my family, then you need to adopt my priorities. Jesus is not objecting to burial rites for the dead (after all, he will welcome Mary's anointing him for his death). Rather, he is saying "I am your family now." No other priority may take precedence over me. Taking care of your family is a good thing. The apostles will command it in their epistles. But Jesus warns us not to let our biological "family" get in the way of our true family. The third follower said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home." This was an eminently reasonable request. Indeed, it was the request of Elisha in 1 Kings 19:20. When Elijah called Elisha to follow him, Elisha said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." Then he took the yoke of oxen with which he had been plowing, sacrificed them, boiled the meat and gave it to the people, and then followed Elijah. So when follower number 3 says "let me first say farewell," a good Elijah would say, "Go!" But Jesus is not a very good Elijah! Jesus says, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God Who looked back? Remember Lot's wife? God sent his angels to warn Lot and his family to flee from Sodom. But when they fled from the town, Lot's wife looked back, and was turned to a pillar of salt (Gen 19) The disciples had wanted to call down fire from heaven Jesus reminds us of what happened when fire came down from heaven against Sodom and he even mentions Sodom 12 verses later in 10:12. But why does Jesus refuse to this man what Elijah granted to Elisha? What does "looking back" mean? For Lot's wife, it meant wishing that she didn't have to leave her old life. For this follower, it meant spending a final evening with his family. Is Jesus concerned that maybe he won't come back? Maybe if he spends an evening with his family, they'll persuade him to stay...? No. That's not the point. Jesus is concerned about the heart. Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. I am your new family. To identify with Jesus is to become part of a new family. How are you tempted to look back? What in your life is competing with Jesus? What allegiance is getting in the way of your devotion to Christ? Jesus warns us that looking back is dangerous. Looking back looking to the old way of life with fondness and longing indicates a heart that "wishes" that you could go back! We'll be looking tonight at David's sin with Bathsheba a classic case of a man who was looking in the wrong direction! 2. The Sending of the 72: Cities Going to Hades (10:1-16) In chapter 10 we are given a glimpse of a larger body of disciples that followed Jesus. The 72. Moses had appointed 70 (or 72) elders in Numbers 11:16, who assisted him in ruling over Israel. Now Jesus, the one greater than Moses, the LORD's chosen one, sends forth the 72 into every town and place where he was about to go. They are on the road to Jerusalem the road to the cross and Jesus sends forth his messengers, two-by-two, to announce his coming. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. In Matthew's gospel this quotation is given in a much broader context. In Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus sees the crowds as sheep without a shepherd, and so after saying "the harvest is plentiful" line, he appoints the twelve. The picture in Matthew is quite conducive to modern missions, but in Luke's gospel Jesus is speaking of a particular mission. What are they supposed to do: they are supposed to go throughout all the cities in Jesus' path, proclaiming the coming of the kingdom and healing the sick. They are to rely solely upon the provisions given to them by those who believe. They are to move quickly and travel light. They are to greet no one on the road (this reminds us of how Elisha sent Gehazi to the dead child in 2 Kings 4:29, saying, "greet no one.") This is a mission of great urgency. Why? In order to understand what Jesus is doing, we need to understand the prophets. Isaiah 13-23 consists of a series of judgments pronounced against various cities and nations Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, etc., concluding with warnings of judgment against Tyre and Sidon. Then Isaiah 24-26 speaks of how these particular judgments against individual cities and nations all prefigure God's great judgment against all cities and nations contrasting the cities of man with the City of God. (And then Isaiah goes on to reveal that Jerusalem has become no better than any other city of man!) The 72 are now being sent out through all the towns of Israel in order to say the kingdom of God has come near to you. Their message is that every city must repent. Because when the Kingdom of God comes, judgment falls. Jesus says to preach the gospel of the kingdom in every city and town. We usually think of the proclamation of the coming of the kingdom as good news. And it is good news for those who believe. But notice Jesus words in verses 10-11 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, "Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you." Wiping the dust off your feet is an insult saying that even the dust of your city is worthless. And Jesus tells them to proclaim God's curse. Say this in the streets of that town: Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near. What does it mean for the kingdom of God to come near a town that will not repent? Jesus explains this to us in verse 12: I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. It will be more bearable for Sodom? Sodom was the city that God destroyed with fire from heaven in Genesis 19. Remember the disciples request? They wanted to call down fire from heaven against the Samaritans, but Jesus refused. Instead, Jesus says that fire from heaven will come against the Jewish towns that refuse to hear the gospel. Who are your enemies? Jesus says that the answer may not be what you think! Then Jesus identifies three of the Jewish towns that refused to hear the preaching of the kingdom: 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. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. Sodom is the famous one. Why does Jesus then bring up Tyre and Sidon? This is why we read Ezekiel 28. In the days of David and Solomon, Hiram of Tyre had yielded to David. Tyre provided many resources for the building of the temple. But Tyre had rebelled. Tyre refused to follow Yahweh but the king of Tyre claimed divine status. Ezekiel 28 speaks of the rebellion of Tyre and Sidon and warns of God's judgment against these cities that had refused to heed the proclamation of God's kingdom. And so Ezekiel proclaims that God will cast Tyre down and destroy it. Some people have said that the language of Ezekiel 28 is really about Satan. Ezekiel 28:13 says that "You were in Eden, the garden of God." That sounds like Satan, right? But hear that verse in context: Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the LORD: You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God . . . Ezekiel is told to raise a lament over the king of Tyre, and the second sentence of that lament says that the king of Tyre was in Eden. How could this be said of the King of Tyre? Remember that the king of Tyre had helped to build the temple? The temple was designed to be the place where God dwelt with his people. The temple was designed as a recreation of Eden the one place on earth where the new creation was taking root. The king of Tyre was in the garden of Eden. He had yielded obedience to the Son of David Every precious stone was your covering and then Ezekiel lists 9 of the precious stones that were on the High Priest's breastpiece The king of Tyre was covered by the High Priest's intercession. He was an anointed guardian cherub who protected the holy place through his alliance with the Son of David. But then he rejected the kingdom of God he rejected the Son of David and he sought to exalt himself. Jesus is reflecting on this. Tyre and Sidon came under God's scathing judgment because they had once yielded to David, but then rejected God's kingdom. But Jesus says that if the works that he performed in the Jewish towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, Tyre and Sidon would have repented. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. What is Jesus saying? He had refused to allow the disciples to call down fire from heaven upon the Samaritans, but now he is saying that Capernaum a Jewish city will be brought down to Hades, the place of the dead. Any city that refuses to hear the preaching of the kingdom will be destroyed. The kingdom of God is coming first to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles. And when the kingdom comes, judgment falls first on the Jews, but also on the Gentiles. Jesus then takes this city metaphor and applies it to individuals. 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. Jesus has come to establish the new family of God the new city of God the new temple the kingdom of God and anyone who rejects the message of the kingdom rejects Jesus, and therefore, he rejects God. 3. The Return of the 72: Satan Falling Like Lightning from Heaven (10:17-20) The 72 were sent out as the heralds of the new Exodus the coming of the kingdom of God. And as such, they were to proclaim the coming judgment of God upon every city that does not repent. When they returned they came with joy to Jesus and said with a certain tone of wonder Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name! The power of Jesus over the demons was reflected in the 72. But Jesus wants them to understand the significance of this event. I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. As you cast out demons, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. What does this mean? Ezekiel and Isaiah had spoken of the fall of the cities of man that opposed God. Jesus now reveals what all this was about. I said earlier that Ezekiel 28 is about the king of Tyre. It is about the king of Tyre. But who stood behind the king of Tyre? Who is the power that opposes God? Once again, Jesus is demonstrating that the coming of the kingdom of God does more than the Jews were expecting. The real enemy is not the Samaritans. The real enemy is not the Romans. The real enemy is the devil. So while Ezekiel is talking about the king of Tyre, Jesus points out that the power behind every power that opposes the kingdom of God, is nothing else than the power of Satan (literally, the Satan the accuser). Even as the 72 cast out demons, Jesus sees the accuser being cast down like lightning from heaven. As the Kingdom of God comes, the kingdom of the devil is overthrown. But do not merely rejoice that the spirits submit to you! Rather, rejoice that your names are written in heaven. After all, Jesus is saying that the coming of the kingdom is bringing judgment against those who will not hear. Rejoice that the kingdom has come, yes! But rejoice that the kingdom has come in mercy for you! Conclusion: the Son Reveals the Father (10:21-24) In that same hour Jesus 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. The revelation of the kingdom of God has come not to the wise, but to "little children." The chief priests and leaders of Israel did not follow Jesus. We saw at the beginning of our passage, in 9:60, that Jesus is establishing a new family. The Father, the Son, and the children are the new family of God. Only the Father knows the Son; and only the Son knows the Father. This divine family is the original relationship that we are drawn into and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Jesus then turns to his disciples, he turns to you, and says Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For 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. Do you realize what you have? You have seen what all the prophets and kings wanted to see. They longed to see how God would establish his kingdom. They longed to hear the message of the LORD's Anointed One but they did not hear it. They did not see it. But you do. You see Jesus. Jesus has come to do all that we could not do. He came to take the fire from heaven upon himself.