“Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name’. And He said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.’” (Luke 10:17-20)
Why did the Lord rebuke their joy? Is it wrong to rejoice, even when we personally gain victory over sin and all the power of Satan? Are we not allowed to rejoice when the Lord equips us with the power to help others, so that they too may be freed from all the power of the enemy? Yes, we are allowed to rejoice. In Acts 8:5, 8, we read of Philip’s ministry in a manner similar to that of the seventy, that the unclean spirits came out of the possessed. Many who were crippled and lame were also healed, and there was great joy in the city. The same is written in Acts 15:3, when Paul and Barnabas told of the conversion of the Gentiles in the churches. This brought joy to all the brothers.
Is the Gospel not good news for the messenger and for those who wholeheartedly accept it? Even their enemies saw the joy of Peter and John and were amazed. Why did the Lord admonish the seventy not to rejoice that the spirits were subject to them? Did the Lord Himself not rejoice over the success of the seventy? Yes, He Himself rejoiced at that very moment (Luke 10:21–22), because His life’s work was beginning to bear visible fruit. He had received co-workers; His prayers were beginning to be answered: first twelve, then seventy. Satan’s power and dominion were breaking; he was being driven out of people’s hearts. Satan, the mighty one, had to give way to the Almighty. Yes, that was cause for rejoicing and giving thanks to God.
Why, then, was the Lord not fully pleased with the joy of the seventy? It may be that the Lord, who sees all things and is the searcher of hearts, detected something self-centered in their joy. Sadly, He had observed this tendency more than once among the twelve disciples. They said, “The demons are subject to us in Your name.” But Jesus replied: “Do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you.” Alongside the Lord and His name, they still saw “themselves”. Their attention was partly on their own accomplishments.
Their joy would have been pure if all honor had been given to the Lord. But it became impure when they focused on themselves in a self-seeking way. There was a danger that this self-centered joy could develop into pride. The Good Shepherd, who loved them so deeply, warned them for this reason and said, “Do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you.” It reflected the unsanctified condition that existed before Pentecost – a condition that is still all too common today.
Even today, the Lord’s eye still sees this self-centered tendency in those who have been born again—a tendency that reveals itself not only in impure joy, but often in many other areas as well. Again and again, the Lord drew His disciples’ attention to these selfish inclinations. Through His own example and teaching, He showed them what true and perfect love looks like. He saw the shortcomings in His disciples’ hearts and prayed for their sanctification, as we read in John 17:20. And even today, He still intercedes for His disciples—for you and for me. The Lord also gave His life so that all who are born again might be sanctified through the truth. The truth not only frees us from our actual sins but also from this corrupt self-centered tendency within us. Then, even in times of great blessings, we are able to rejoice with a pure heart and give all glory to God. This is what the Lord meant when He said we should rejoice that our names are written in heaven. He wanted to turn the attention of the seventy away from themselves and toward the grace of God.
After the disciples were sanctified on the day of Pentecost, we read wonderful accounts of their successes in the Lord’s work. Great joy filled not only their hearts but was also evident on their faces. But they gave God all the glory from the depths of their hearts. Their joy was pure. In 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul speaks of his successes in the Lord’s work: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
Now, dear brother or sister, let me ask you: When, things are going well for you in the work of the Lord—in preaching, in answered prayers, in the healing of the sick, in the casting out of demons, in the conversion of sinners, or in your service as a choir director, singer, musician, Sunday School teacher, or in any other ministry—is your joy pure? Or is there perhaps something self-centered mixed into it?
When God blesses you in earthly matters, who do you give the credit to? The nature of your joy reveals much about your standing before God. Have you not yet been sanctified, and does something selfish still show itself in your rejoicing? The Lord will lovingly warn you, lest it produce evil fruit. And He will say to you, just as He did to the seventy: “Do not rejoice in this, but rejoice that your name is written in heaven.” In other words: Give all the glory for your success to God! Earnestly seek the experience of sanctification!
Do sanctified believers no longer face temptations to act from selfish motives? Yes, they certainly do! We remain human beings and must continually reckon with the pull of “self.” Even our Lord was tempted in this way. Before He began His public ministry, Satan tried to entice Him to use His power for selfish purposes. He was tempted to perform miracles for His own benefit rather than in submission to the Father’s will. But Jesus recognized the enemy and the danger behind the temptation, and He resisted. Instead, He waited for God’s timing and then performed mighty works according to the Father’s purpose. He did so from the purest motives possible—not out of self-interest, but out of love for God and for others.
To keep Paul from falling into this kind of misguided joy when reflecting on his successes, he was given “a thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). This kept him humble and dependent upon God. Let us also remain prayerful, so that no impure motives may mingle with our joy. Then we will be able to rejoice from the depths of our hearts at all times. After all, the greatest blessing of all is this: that our names are written in heaven.
Salomon Weissburger
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