Rejoice that your names are written in heaven
Luke 10:20 - Find your joy in understanding the gift of your salvation!
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“However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.””
Luke 10:20 NIV
Two days ago, I was directed towards Luke 6:30 and the words of Jesus just after He had proclaimed the Beatitudes. Today, God’s “random” nudge pointed me towards the Gospel of Luke again, and for that I am thankful.
This verse occurs after the twelve apostles are sent out in twos to proclaim the Kingdom of God and heal the sick (in Luke 9), and after their successful missions Jesus sends out the 70… or is it the 72?
Why am I asking this question? It’s because a number of Bible translations (NKJV, NASB95, ASV…) use the number 70, which was an important number in Jewish history. There were 70 elders in the Sanhedrin, and there were also 70 nations listed in Genesis 10. Other translations (NIV, ESV, NLT, NASB2020, GNBUK, CSB…) say that Jesus sent out 72 disciples on mission.
Why the difference? Remember, all of the Bible translations we have today are best efforts at analyzing ancient manuscripts and also the context of what was being said. The number 72 suggests a wider mission, a multiplication of the twelve apostles (12 x 6) and extending the mission beyond Israel to surrounding nations.
Sorry about that little side trip. I usually look at several translations of each verse to see the differences (if any) between them, and I found this to be perplexing! But it shouldn’t detract from the point of this verse. The 72 (or 70) have successfully returned from their missions on which they were to take nothing and avoid traditional ceremonies of etiquette), and in Luke 10:17, they report to Jesus “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
Jesus corrects the rejoicing disciples, saying “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Were they wrong in being happy that their missions were successful? Not necessarily. Jesus was pointing out that they should not be rejoicing in what they had done for God (“ the spirits submit to you”) more than being thrilled in what God had done for them (“your names are written in heaven”). God had promised the disciples their salvation, a much greater event to be happy about than being able to cast out demons or heal the sick.
Charles H. Spurgeon explains:
“He did not mean in the present instance to censure their joy in their success, but only to make it subordinate to another rejoicing, and to prevent its growing to excess.”
I also loved this explanation by Steven Cole from Precept Austin:
They were excited about how God had used them in defeating Satan’s forces through their ministry. Jesus is not telling them not to rejoice at all in such victories. Rather, He is putting it in perspective. Our greatest joy should not be in seeing how God uses us to serve Him, but rather in the simple fact that our names are recorded in heaven. Service has its ups and downs; but salvation through God’s grace and the assurance that whom He saves, He keeps, should fill us with steady joy. God’s sovereign grace in saving us should bring greater joy to us than all other joys, because it is eternal. Every joy that the person outside of Christ enjoys is temporal. Did he just win a million dollars in the lottery? Did he just get a promotion in his career? Did he just marry a beautiful young woman? Did he just get elected to a high public office? Don’t envy him for a second. Why envy a man who in a short time will be cast into the lake of fire? If he could only see as God sees, that successful man would gladly and quickly trade places with the person whose name is written in the book of life, even if that saint were suffering from terminal cancer! Our joy is eternal and will only grow greater when we pass into the presence of our Savior!
It’s easy for us to become excited when some mission or service we have done in the name of God is successful, or when we see displays of His power, as in answered prayer. When God uses us in some way, we become arrogant, impressed with what we did for God! The words of Jesus in this verse remind us that what He did for us will always be much, much greater than anything we could do for Him.
More than anything, this verse is a reminder that we should always downplay the personal joy we find over our successes, our gifts, and our talents. Instead, find your joy in understanding the gift of your salvation!
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank You for the undeserved gift of my salvation, and for the blessings You shower upon me day after day. My praise goes out to You that by grace through faith in Christ, we are one with Him and can rejoice that our names our written in His Book of Life. AMEN.