Today's Passage is one of those where context is everything: Luke 10:
17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 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. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus had send out seventy-two disciples, two-by-two, ahead of Him, as he traveled throughout the towns and cities of Israel. They were to present the Gospel - that the kingdom of God had come in the person of Jesus Christ. As they did, they were entering into spiritual battle. He told them that they could expect resistance to the good news, and many would reject them, but they were to keep on moving forward to where people would respond. When they came back to report to Him, they were excited to report that they had seen people receive the good news, and that even those who had been controlled by demons responded and were delivered. Jesus then says in verse 19: 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. Some throughout history have taken this as an invitation to play with snakes during worship, but it is obvious here that this is an illustration of spiritual battle. Satan had deceived Eve and Adam as a serpent, and he has all sorts of underlings who present themselves in disguise. We might also have an allusion here to the event where Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake and brushed it off, not holding him back from sharing the Gospel - Luke, who is writing here was the penman for Paul. Rather than playing with pythons, Jesus calls on them, and us, to focus on what is important: getting our names, and those of others, in the book of those who will be with Him in eternity. Let us not be afraid of the battle, but rather listen to the instructions of our Commander, trusting in Him for the victory.
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