Does anyone else ever get uncomfortable going to Torchy’s Tacos, with their logo being a red-horned, pitchfork-holding, cute little devil? Don’t they know the devil is still very real? Most of the world, though, seems to see any mention of Satan as a joke. People’s picture of him are often just mocking fairy tales they’ve invented for themselves. But the devil truly lives, and his evil in the world is a serious matter. But don’t worry, the Torchy’s devil is just a silly drawing and doesn’t actually need to scare us off. Plus, they do have good tacos.
So who is the devil actually? What does he do? Yes, he tempts us to sin, but that’s only one part. Satan has been the raging enemy of God since the beginning. When Jesus says in this passage that Satan is a murderer and liar, he means that Satan seeks to destroy everything good that comes from God, and he operates always in opposition to truth. And thus every person, thing, and deed in the world is either under God’s reign, flourishing in truth and goodness, or under Satan’s reign, doing the opposite. There is no in between.
So consider the weight of Jesus accusing the crowds of being sons of the devil! They really wanted to see themselves as children of God—don’t we all—but it we’re honest, children of God would have recognized the Messiah. In essence, Jesus tells these people that not only do they not belong to God, but they also are wholly in opposition to the goodness of God. That stings. Now, we probably shouldn’t go around calling people children of the devil—we don’t always know who’s who anyway. But when Jesus says it, it should in fact sting.
But here’s the important point: you can tell who’s a child of God by the righteousness of their lives. Those that belong to the Lord receive the gospel with faith, receive Jesus with love, and receive his commandments with obedience. And those that do that are living in the truth and goodness of the sovereign God of the universe, and the devil has no power over them. What a wonderful thing it is to belong to God!
Although lots of passages like this one have a brutally harsh message, the flipside of that coin is always a message of good news and glory. Though the devil is crafty and his power is great, those that are identified by Christ Jesus, and have a worshipful life to prove it, are impervious to the devil’s schemes. So with God your Father as your strength, believe the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ.
