“And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.””
The first thing I see here is a claim to be God. How so? When Jesus says he saw Satan fall, he is claiming to have been in existence before Genesis 1:1.* Using similar language in John 1:1 (“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”), John describes Jesus as having existed “in the beginning” just like God did in Genesis 1:1.
After that declaration, Jesus assured the disciples that he had authority over the power of Satan and that he had given that authority to them.
This gift of power over the enemy seems significant and something to rejoice over. However, Jesus was concerned that they might focus on that gift (or power). Thus, he warned them not to rejoice in that authority/power. Rather, they should rejoice in the most fundamental thing, which is that their names are written in heaven. That “free gift” (Rom 6:23) is the foundation for every good thing that Christ gives his children. It seems that Jesus wants them to focus on the most basic thing.
This is a good reminder to me to keep things simple. I’m reminded of the Lord’s warning in Jeremiah 9:23-24:
23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
If I focus on the Lord and his kindness to write my name in heaven, there is less opportunity for me to focus on myself.
Father, help me to cast my eyes and heart upon you today, and thus think less about myself and more about you today. Amen.
*Note: This assumes that Satan fell before the history recorded in the Bible. For my point, though, it matters not if Satan fell before creation or only before the fall (Gen 3). If Jesus saw it happen, he was there.
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