Luke 10:19

The context

The seventy have returned from their mission and report that even the demons submit to them. Jesus replies with a vision of Satan falling like lightning, then gives this grant of authority, then tells them to rejoice instead that their names are written in heaven. The passage closes the mission section before the parable of the good Samaritan.

What it establishes

The verse grants authority over the enemy's power to those sent on mission, and it frames that authority as given rather than achieved. The language of serpents and scorpions is at least figurative for hostile spiritual power, and possibly literal as well.

What it does not establish

It does not promise immunity from harm. Paul is bitten by a viper and survives, and the New Testament records disciples being killed; the grant belongs to a specific mission. Nor does it sanction snake handling, an inference from this verse and Mark's longer ending.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• What does it mean to be a Christian? There are over 30,000 different groups, all of which answer this question differently. If agreement cannot be found on THIS issue, can the claims of Christians themselves be taken with any degree of seriousness?
• What does it mean to be a Christian? There are over 30,000 different groups, all of which answer this question differently. If agreement cannot be found on THIS issue, can the claims of Christians themselves be taken with any degree of seriousness?

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.