Luke 17:20-37
20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” 36
37 “Where, Lord?” they asked.
He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”
You Just Know
There are two things in this passage that Jesus said we will not be able to see with our eyes, grasp with our hands, or manufacture in our own strength just because we desire it. We will just know it. One is The Kingdom of God, and the other is the Return of Jesus.
He even warned that people will declare it is “here” or “there,” but that it is not what it’s like.
In the first case, the religious leaders asked Jesus publicly about the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom of God, as understood by the questioning teachers of the law, was expected to be the victorious appearance of the Messiah or the Chosen One to bring all things in society into political and spiritual alignment in a very visible and authoritarian way. They were possibly waiting for a Moses-like figure to arrive on the scene, performing plague-like miracles, and dramatically leading God’s chosen people out from under an oppressive government through an extraordinary Red Sea-like Exodus.
In the second case, Jesus privately discusses his second coming with his group of friends. The Return of Jesus, as described in Isaiah (2, 9, 33, 63) is what Jesus was referring to in his description of these “days of the Son of Man,” which would certainly be unexpected, spectacular, and remarkable like the days of Noah, with torrential rains and floods, and as in the days of Lot, with fire falling from the sky. Yet, it will come like an undetected surprise when people are going about their ordinary business, doing their normal work.
In the passage, Jesus has already appeared—the Messiah is there among them, going unnoticed in their midst. His second coming will come without warning and will not be able to be missed.
As he communicated to the Pharisees and disciples, Jesus still speaks deeply to our hearts today. Perhaps he is saying, “I am already here, longing for a significant connection with you as you live your lives, do your jobs, act justly, love mercy and walk humbly (Micah 6:8) with me and one another. And when I come again, I will recognize you, I will find you, I will be with you.”
“Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it” (Luke 17:33).
1. Where have you seen the Kingdom of God within you this week?
2. Where have you seen the Kingdom of God among you and your family, friends and workmates?
3. What is one way you can respond to Jesus’ invitation to connect with you today?
4. In what ways do you try to keep your life?
5. How can you intentionally lose your life, for the sake of the Kingdom? Ask Jesus what that means for you today.
Author Bio
Rhonda Wilson grew up in British Columbia, and is a daughter, sister and friend. She has been in roles as Pastor, English teacher, International Worker, and big sister in Canada and South East Asia for over 30 years. She loves to create new things from old, make valuable items from discarded materials, friendship from strangers, see light in the darkness, and beauty in ashes. She is now on Home Assignment in Canada reconnecting with friends and family, landing soon in Saskatchewan.
Luke and Acts taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The “NIV”, “New International Version”, “Biblica”, “International Bible Society” and the Biblica Logo are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office
by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission.