In Luke 10 we read about Jesus sending out 72 of His disciples into the harvest field of Israel. He gives them His authority to go in His name, to heal the sick and then to let people know that ‘The Kingdom of God is near you’. (verses 8,9). They come back overjoyed at all that they have seen, and especially the demonstration of power and authority that He had given them over evil spirits (verse 17). The following few verses have something important to say to us about thanksgiving, rejoicing and our source of joy.
From early days, even in the New Testament and up until now, we as individual Christians, and in what we teach in the church, seem to have got into an unhelpful habit of, too often, tending to make things complicated, of tying ourselves in knots and doing the same to others. I guess that there is something in our humanity and our pride that can take us that way. Maybe it could be too much eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, rather than the tree of life? Of course I am not saying that we should not become strong and wise in the faith, as Paul says to Timothy, 1 Timothy 4:6-16, as John writes to his friends, 1 John 2, and as Jude exhorts his readers to contend for the faith and build themselves up in their most holy faith, Jude verse 3 and 20. It is also very good to increase as much as we can in the exercise of the authority, gifts and anointing of the Spirit that God has given us, 1 Corinthians 12:31 and 14:1. Yes please and Yes indeed.
In Luke 10, however, I believe Jesus is pulling His disciples (male and female – Luke 8:1-3) back to the root and rock on which their joy and thanksgiving should be founded. He says “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” Luke 10:20. Or as we might say: “Let’s get back to basics boys and girls, and keep it simple to start with”. We live in the material world on earth so it is not surprising if sometimes our thanksgiving is very influenced by what is happening in the now. By what we can see, hear, feel, touch, know in our physical life today. So any time you are having a bad day and can’t think of something for which you can thank God – go back to basics and feast. As Brian Howard’s song goes “Let us give thanks, that our names are written, written in the book of life, inscribed upon His palms”.
After you have feasted on that foundational thanksgiving for a while, there is alot more you can move on to, not only in the Lord’s goodness, love and faithfulness demonstrated in my daily life, but also in being thankful for the authority He has given us in the spiritual world. The same authority which the disciples had just experienced.
This sort of thanksgiving is clearly a pathway to clearing my head in the complexities of life, whether in my day to day life, my relationships or my spiritual life. Perhaps things in life haven’t fallen into place as I think that they should. Or difficulties in relationships seem insoluble. Or people aren’t healed when I pray. Or when doctrines are challenged and I don’t have an immediate answer. And you could say that Jesus practiced what He preached (He did!). Because next up, in Luke10: 21 (NKJV) we read, “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in Spirit and said ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and has revealed them unto babes: even so Father for so it seemed good in your sight’”
So next time you feel a bit foolish, simple or childlike because your internal voice, or someone else, says “life is more complicated than that – it’s silly or unreal to trust God so simply and be so thankful”; reply to yourself (or the other person), “well I’m one of the Father’s babes on whom He is pouring light, revelation and salvation like Jesus said”, ”and what’s more, my name is written, written in the book of life, inscribed upon His palms”. Then let yourself be even more thankful for God’s favour, blessing and goodness, just like Jesus did in this incident.
