Jesus said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’ Luke 10:18-20

I had never seen a scorpion in the wild until one day. Well, it wasn’t in the wild exactly. Mary and I were stuck in a bus stop under heavy rain. It was close to where we meet with the children. While we were anxiously waiting for the rain to lighten up, a scorpion crawled out of the gutters. It slowly climbed up a light post at the side of the stop. Everyone just watched the movement of this menacing critter as if hypnotized by its presence. I’m sure that we shared the same sensation as anyone imagining this scene right now; fear, disgust and repulsion and I have to admit a little fascination on my part. Its sting was moving around as if it was seeking for a victim to strike. Then it just froze and stood there as if to remind us despite our high-rise buildings and concrete fortresses we can never be safe from him. He will find a way to visit us when we least expect. Up till then, I never imagined seeing scorpions in this concrete jungle. Of course, this was just foolish of me. There have always been here crawling all around us. I can see these creatures used as symbols of the grave dangers present in this world.

Jesus made some powerful assertions here. They are very practical even though not necessarily taken in the literal sense. The disciples were preparing to go into the world to become purveyors of the good news. Without a doubt, they would confront Satan and his snares. Regardless of what we think about him, we can agree that this figure is universal symbol of evil. Even though our Lord tells us that it is defeated, sometimes it is hard to believe it. We have ample examples of its presence. It might appear that evil is still doing pretty well especially for something that is already overcome. Not only does evil seem to have an upper hand, even the nature of what the world considers as good tends to be dubious. It is tainted with so much evil and it is hard to distinguish the difference. I defer to Shakespeare to illustrate what I am saying here. In his famous tragedy, Hamlet, the protagonist, supposedly the good person, attempts to exact justice for a single act of treason and fratricide. Unfortunately, he executes this not without causing the death of seven innocent people. No one can seriously say evil was overcome. Our flawed nature only produces flawed goodness. Regardless of all this, Jesus assures us that Satan is defeated.

Movies, most mythologies, and literature often address a battle in this existence between good and evil. We tend to read this scenario into our understanding of the gospel. However, this would be a grave mistake. Jesus is saying that there is no battle anymore. The foe is defeated. It doesn’t mean that he is not around. We should know enough to realize a lot of times defeated foes like to pretend that they are still in power. Jesus admonishes us not to listen to these lies. Instead He invites us to see the world through His perspective where the foe is utterly powerless. This is not to say we look at life through rose-colored glasses. Jesus did not. He warned us about scorpions and snakes lurking around. However, we don’t have to fight them.

I feel like I have to make a pause here to clarify something.

I am not suggesting that we become passive to all the problems of the world. There are many battles which are incumbent on us to engage in such as the fight against racism or any form discrimination. We need to address the inequality and the scarcity of basic human needs in many places in the world. There are many things we need to engage in this world. However, we do not go about this in the same manner as the world. In this existence, battles in this world are fought with the principle, “love your friends but hate your enemies.” We do not confront the world by disseminating hatred towards those who are promoting injustice. Jesus gave us another foundation which is completely contrary to the values of this world.

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Matthew 5:44

I have to admit that it is not easy to follow our Lord on this. We constantly are tempted to follow human nature. Well, if it was easy, Jesus wouldn’t have mentioned it in His teachings. In the world, there are countless snakes and scorpions waiting in hidden corners of our souls for the precise moment to sidle up and sting us with their venom of hatred and bitterness. Once contaminated, our eyes will see the evil present in the world. It will blur our vision to the point where we believe the only way to achieve anything in this world is through the forces of the evil one. Thanks be to God, Jesus is the Light of the world. He sends us out into the world to see the Truth.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; ” Matthew 6:22

In the streets where we minister, there are 1001 reasons to hate. There is never a lack of examples to believe that evil is alive and flourishing. There is enough violence and hatred to convince us that everything is a lost cause. The sheer number of people living in the streets screams at us that this is a hopeless situation. The snakes and scorpions are always present to strike our souls and make us abandon this place. However, the Holy Spirit did not bring us here to be impressed with the so-called victory of Satan. He is a defeated foe so the only thing he can do now is to try to pretend that he is in control. Those whose are blind to the Kingdom of God will succumb to his lies. However, Jesus promised us that the poison of these lies will not affect us. It does not mean that they won’t disturb us. This week alone we witnessed several scenes that would be enough to convert us into convicted misanthropes. I won’t reveal what they were. I am not going to promote the lies of the devil in this space. It is reserved only for the proclamation of the gospel. The good news is that Jesus has come to reveal the true way to live in this existence. He has given us the Light to see through the darkness and discover the true nature of people. This does not mean that they intrinsically good. Our true nature as human beings is that we need healing in our souls. We are like lost sheep wandering around aimlessly being influenced by the chaotic whisperings of Satan.

Sometimes it is difficult to see beyond the evil attitudes and actions. After all, we are humans. There is nothing wrong with this. Even Jesus gave us a way out.

“If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.” Matthew 10:14

I used to read this as an act of disdain. I believe that even in popular language this phrase has sneaked in to refer to total and utter rejection of those who mistreat us. In the Light of the gospel, the opposite is true. It means that we are free from the situation which might be overwhelming for us. We asked to shake the dust off our feet so that we will not carry with us the hatred and rejection we felt in a determined situation. It could be a place, work area or even a relationship. All these are places have their scorpions and snakes. God is able and willing to heal our souls and protect us from the effects of these places.

As for us, we came here because this is the place God has aside for us to heal and discover His goodness. Satan is always present trying to propagate his lies. He sends his legion of scorpions and snakes against us. However, the grace of God will protect and heal us from the venom of hatefulness.

The scorpion looked menacing at the bus stop on that day but he was just a tiny critter. He does not have the power to withstand us. He just looks scary and nothing more.