Jesu Juva
St. Luke 10:1-20
July 6, 2025
Proper 9C
Dear saints of our Savior~
No matter how many fireworks displays you’ve taken in this weekend—no matter how much “ooing” and “ahhhing” you’ve done at the sights and sounds and sparklers—what we see in the sky this weekend . . . doesn’t even begin to compare with what Jesus saw. What did Jesus see in the sky? He tells us: I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
What it was exactly and precisely that Jesus saw at that moment we can only imagine. We know what lightning looks like. We know about the speed, the heat, the discharge of energy. Somehow, with that same kind of spectacular fury, Satan fell from heaven. The enemy of Jesus and His church took a great tumble—and came crashing down. His power was diminished. His grip on humanity was loosened. Satan and his demons were dealt a decisive blow that knocked them down and sent them skittering and scattering in full retreat.
What triggered that satanic tumble? That’s easy! That we know. The falling of Satan was set in motion by the sending of Jesus. The Savior’s sending led to Satan’s falling. The Lord appointed seventy-two men and sent them out ahead of Him. Everything we hear about in today’s text—it’s all about the sending. The seventy-two didn’t set out on their own initiative; Jesus sent them—sent them with His authority and His Words.
Why seventy-two? Why not seventy or an even one hundred? Well, it’s probably a symbolic move by Jesus. Seventy-two was the total number of nations listed in Genesis after the flood. It’s a number that corresponds to all nations and all peoples. Jesus was heading to Jerusalem to suffer and die for the whole wide world. He sends out the seventy-two as His heralds, proclaiming peace and healing the sick. And upon their return, Jesus congratulated them with this good news: I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Mission accomplished.
The sending of Jesus led to the falling of Satan. Those spectacular results weren’t achieved because the seventy-two were dynamic speakers with magnetic personalities. They hadn’t taken classes on evangelism or demonology. No, they succeeded because Jesus Himself had sent them with His own authority. Jesus had told them straight-up: The one who hears you hears me. These men went out “in the stead and by the command” of their Lord Jesus Christ. These men were, in a sense, precursors to pastors—proto-pastors. This episode gives us a glimpse into the holy ministry, carried out in and through His church.
Note the urgency of the work to be done by those Jesus sends. Jesus looked around and He saw ripened fields waiting to be harvested. He saw people who desperately needed to hear the great good news that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. There was no time to lose.
In my home state of Kansas, this is the time of year when the combines come rolling through. There are places in Kansas where golden wheat fields stretch as far as the eye can see, from horizon to horizon. And when harvest time rolls around, everyone gets busy. There are never enough workers, never enough hours in the day. Did you notice what Jesus said to do when the church’s harvest is too much to handle? Pray. “Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
In the United States of America in the year 2025 it sometimes seems like the harvest isn’t so plentiful. As we survey the religious landscape around us, it looks a lot more like my weed-infested garden than the amber waves of grain on today’s bulletin cover. In this neighborhood it’s no easy task to find those who are hungry and receptive and responsive to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The harvest is plentiful in places like Africa. But here it seems like Satan is mounting a successful assault to lead many down the path that leads to destruction.
But that bad news only increases the urgency for our telling of the good news. Night is coming when no man can work; but it’s not night yet. So let’s pray. Let’s pray to the Lord of the harvest for pastors and teachers and workers and witnesses who can save some before it’s too late. Pray for your pastors, that we might have courage and wisdom to serve. Pray for our synod—for President Harrison and DP Meador—that we might be faithful in our harvesting and faithful in our suffering.
It’s a glorious thing to be sent by Jesus; but it’s also a dangerous thing. Note the danger. Jesus said, “I am sending you out as lambs among wolves.” The people Jesus sends are lambs—lambs who represent the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That sounds great until you realize that lambs sent among wolves are tasty treats and delicious appetizers. Jesus sends us out as wolf food. Where two or three lambs are gathered together in His name, there you have a smorgasbord for wolves. It’s a reminder to us that following Jesus doesn’t mean racking up the victories and successes; it means taking up our crosses and following Jesus through death to life.
The message Jesus sends us to proclaim is peace. Jesus told the seventy-two to proclaim “Peace be to this house” whenever they entered a house. But this is much more than the pious equivalent of “have a nice day.” This peace is the peace of Jesus—peace that ultimately flows from the cross of Jesus. It’s a peace that surpasses our understanding. It’s the peace that comes from knowing the truth about ourselves . . . and the truth about Jesus.
The truth about ourselves is grim. Our sin has earned death and condemnation for us. The evil things we seek to avoid are the very things we keep on doing; and the good we aim to achieve never quite gets done. We deserve to fall like lightning together with Satan. But a gracious Lord has lifted us up. In Jesus Christ the kingdom of God has come near to you. In His crucified body your sins—all of them—have been dealt with and forgiven. Now nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. You have the joy of knowing that your name is written in heaven.
Jesus saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Beloved in the Lord, Satan is still falling—Satan is still falling TODAY. When you come here, weak and weary from another seven days of satanic assaults, Jesus is here to forgive you and lift you up in the words of absolution spoken by your pastor (who has been sent to you by Jesus). And when that absolution is spoken, Satan is falling like lightning. When the pastor serves the body and blood of Jesus to repentant sinners—when you believe it and receive it according to Christ’s command—Satan is falling like lightning from heaven. And at every baptism the harvest continues, the kingdom grows, and Satan falls like lightning from heaven. He’s losing! He’s in retreat! He’s judged; the deed is done. In the end, in Christ, we win.
As the fireworks fade for another year, remember: Satan is falling fast—like lightning—because of what goes on here in the church of Jesus Christ every week. But Jesus reminds us that the big thing—our deepest cause for joy—is that our names are written in heaven—written in the Lamb’s book of life. This is why God sent His Son into the world—that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life. This is why God has sent me here to be your pastor—to tell you with certainty that the kingdom of God includes you. The Lord of the harvest has come for you. Rejoice that your name is written in heaven.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
