(07-07-08) The Seventy-Two - Luke 10.1-11, 16-20

Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20

·   Animals getting a hard deal

o   snakes, scorpions, spiders, sharks, piranhas…

o   Spiderman?

·   So, when Jesus is talking about snakes and scorpions…?

o   what are they symbolic of?

o   just the next chapter…

·   Who or what is Satan?

·   Who or what is ‘the enemy’?

·   Who or what is ‘evil’?

·   ‘…nothing will harm you.’

o   we know that we can’t take that literally and simplistically:

·   Personal experiences of congregation…

·   Job 1-2

o   God is totally powerful and utterly good.

o   the God of the Bible is not ‘good but lacking the power to do anything’ (impotent) nor ‘able to act but unconcerned’ (callous) – No!

o   He is fully concerned and able to do anything He chooses to…

·   Avoiding dualism…

o   God takes full responsibility because He is fully powerful and fully loving.

·   The ultimate victory of God – Isaiah 66, the end of the long story of Israel’s disobedience ends with the blessing of God.

·   So what’s actually been happening in the story that gets us thinking about this?

o   Jesus is talking once again about the Kingdom of God – linked with:

o   The Great Commission – ‘all authority in heaven…’

·   So this is something that all of us are involved in.

o   how?

o   day by day, in the understanding of who God is…