Luke 10: 19, Treading On Serpents and Scorpions

Bernard Pyron

Luke 10: 19 says "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

Christ is not talking here about literal serpents and scorpions. Serpents
and scorpions are used as metaphors. I believe serpents and scorpions
refer to people.

"Tread on" is important. "Tread" is Strong's number 3961, which
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance says means "to trample, literally or figuratively, tread down under foot." I went to http://www.houlton.net/monk/ and typed in the slot Greek 3961.

It says 3961, or pateo, means "to tread

a) to trample, crush with the feet

b) to advance by setting foot upon, tread upon: to encounter successfully the greatest perils from the machinations and persecutions with which Satan would fain thwart the preaching of the gospel..."

So, as Janis Joplin used to sing, "These boots were made for walking. And
these boots are gonna walk all over you."

But remember that Luke 10" 19 adds "...and nothing by any means hurt you."
I suspect that this statement could tell us more about what Christ had
in mind here than "treading down under foot" of some enemies called serpents and scorpions. It may be that whatever group of Christians Christ is adressing in
Luke 10: 19 are given the spiritual power to walk among and even over
their enemies, the serpents and scorpions, without being hurt by them.

OK. But who are the serpents and scorpions?

Christ in Matthew 23: 33 says to the Pharisees "Ye serpents, ye
generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"

The serpents refer to Pharisees, or Pharisee types of individuals,
those who assume authority over Christians.

Ezekiel 2: 6 has a little on scorpions used metaphorically. Look at verses 3 to 7: "And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious."

Ezekiel is calling Israel scorpions. And he says "And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words..."

Did you ever hear a scorpion talk? Scorpions is being used
metaphorically here and not literally. Scorpions are God's people
in rebellion, and they can sting and cause hurt.

"Israel" can be either national and physical Israel of the Old Testament,
or Talmudic Jews of today, or it can refer to Christians as spiritual Israel (Galatians 6: 16). Without getting
into a debate with the dispensationalists who claim Christians cannot be Israel, we can say that Israel in Ezekiel 2: 3-7 refers to those who claim to be the people of God. which would apply to Christians.

The interesting questions are who is Christ addressing in Luke 10: 19, saying this group of Christians will be given the power to be among serpents and scorpions and not be hurt by them? And when will the time
be that this group of Christians have the power to walk among and even
over serpents and scorpions and not be hurt by them?

I want to throw out one possible relevant Scripture. Revelation 7: 1-3 says: "And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads."

This small group of Christians are sealed so that they cannot be
harmed by events which are soon to come. The language sounds like
they are only sealed to protect them from physical harm coming upon
the earth - but this again is metaphoric language and they are sealed
to protect them against those who might harm them. They can walk
among and over serpents and scorpions and the serpents and scorpions don't fully know they are being walked among and over by this small remnant.