Luke 17:20-37
Key Verse Luke 17:32-33
The coming of the kingdom of God is the main theme of the Gospel
according to Luke. Jesus began his ministry with the message of the coming of
the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43). He gave his disciples knowledge of the secrets
of the kingdom of God (8:10). His proclamation of the kingdom’s coming was
accompanied by miraculous healings (9:2). He also addressed who was or was not
fit to enter the kingdom of God (9:62). At one point, Jesus declared that the
kingdom of God had come upon them (10:9; 11:20). He described how good it would
be to join in the kingdom of God and how bad it would be to miss out on it
(14:15). This kingdom of God had been preached since John the Baptist and
everyone was forcing his way into it (16:16).
Through these teachings, it became pretty clear to many that
Jesus had come as the king, and that he was bringing the kingdom of God to them.
Actually, all of his disciples expected that Jesus would restore the kingdom of
God as soon as he reached Jerusalem, by taking authority and power away from
Rome (19:11), who had her own people and territory, under her emperor. Likewise,
Jesus would establish the kingdom of God in Jerusalem and, from his throne, he
would rule over his people Israel like any other worldly king.
There was no question in their minds that the kingdom of God
would be the best and most powerful kingdom, filled with life, joy, and
happiness, without any sickness, troubles of life, wars, or worries. They
tasted a glimpse of this through Jesus’ works.
Likewise, we also want to experience such a kingdom. The sooner
it comes, the better it will be for us believers, especially for those who are
suffering because of their belief in Jesus. Many were eager to see the kingdom
of God come. The question of when the king would come or where it would be
established was an important question. In today’s passage, Jesus answered these
questions.
1. The kingdom of God is in your midst (Luke 17:20-21).
While Jesus’ disciples were filled with great enthusiasm for the
coming kingdom of God, the Pharisees, caught up in their skepticism and
unbelief, asked this question:
“Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when
the kingdom of God would come” (Luke 17:20a).
Since Jesus came as king, we can rephrase this; when will Jesus fully
become the King and rule over his kingdom? Where will this happen? Jesus
answered these issues as well:
“Jesus replied, "The coming of the
kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, 'Here
it is,' or 'There it is,'” (Luke 17:20b-21a).
Since the dawn of human history, men have gotten together and
formed many kingdoms. The Roman Empire was well-known, having been established
about 150 years before. It had expanded since then, and by this time, her
territory extended all the way from the Atlantic Ocean in the west, to the Caspian
Sea in the east. But according to Jesus, the kingdom of God is not something
that can be discerned through observation, as with the other kingdoms of the
world. Some thought that the kingdom of God was spiritual and invisible,
and that it existed only in people’s minds of people, totally unlike the kingdoms
that we see today. Also, Jesus denied that there was any particular location where
one could look for the kingdom of God. This seems to further reinforce the idea
that the kingdom of God is purely spiritual in nature, since we cannot pinpoint
its location. Jesus gave us a clear explanation for why the kingdom is not
observable and why we cannot pinpoint its location:
“because the kingdom of God is in your
midst." (Luke 17:21b).
What did Jesus mean by this? Though it is not entirely clear, we
may consider two things: a) since Jesus was present in their midst as king, the
kingdom of God was also right there among them, b) since King Jesus was among them,
the kingdom of God was not far away, but within their reach.
It is interesting that this question was raised, not by one of
Jesus’ followers, but by the Pharisees, who denied that Jesus was the coming
king. Unlike the disciples, the Pharisees did not feel the presence or coming
of the kingdom of God through all of Jesus’ works. Simply, the kingdom of God
was distant from them. By saying this, Jesus was alluding that they did not
feel or sense the coming of God’s kingdom, because they did not see or accept it,
which was present right there among them.
On the other hand, Jesus’ disciples were so happy with him as their
king and with being in his presence, they did not feel it was urgent to know
the exact time that the actual kingdom would come in its fullness. What does
this teach us about the kingdom of God that was in their midst?
When I was in my twenties, I searched here and there for a
church where I could quench my thirst for God’s blessing and His truth. In some
sense, I was looking for a small kingdom of God on earth, among many different
churches. Some churches seemed to offer better blessings than others;
eventually, I found such a small kingdom, not in a big church, but in a small
group of people. It was Kyung Hee Mun UBF. A little more than 10 people
gathered and studied the Bible there. Through them, the words of God were alive
with hope and joy. For the first time, my search for a kingdom was fully met.
The reason? Godly love and truth was alive among the brothers and sisters of
this small group and because, in them, I could find an intimate relationship with
Christ for the first time.
What does this tell us about the significance of the coming presence
of the kingdom of God? For the disciples, Jesus was with them and for them; he
was the solution for their lives as long as he was with them. In this way, they
enjoyed all the benefits of the kingdom of God, even before its full
consummation. What I mean is that our relationship with Christ is
the most important element in recognizing the coming of the kingdom of God. Jesus
promised to be among his disciples until the end of the time (Matthew 28: 20b).
His actual presence with his church is pictured in Revelation 1:13. During
their revival meetings, many of the Lord’s powerful servants felt the presence
of the kingdom of God to such an extent that it was as if they were actually
living in it (Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 4:20). So King Jesus and his people,
i.e. those who honor him as the King and follow his commands, form a tangible
body of the kingdom, no matter where they are. His present rule among his
people is the most tangible evidence of the kingdom that we have. Apart from
such a relationship, it is impossible to know the coming of the Kingdom of God
and people will look for it here and there; such a search will be futile and
illusive.
God’s kingdom was already in the disciples’ midst, it is now in
the midst of his followers, and it will continue to be with His people up to
the end of the ages, when we will finally see it. Until that time, we are to remember
Jesus’ words, “The kingdom of God is in your midst”.
2. A time when believers long to see one of the
days of the Son of Man (Luke 17:22-24).
“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. People will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not
go running off after them.” (Luke 17:22-23).
Jesus’ disciples were anticipating that the kingdom of God would
be established as soon as he reached Jerusalem. To their surprise, Jesus toldthem
that there would be a time when they would not be able to have him with them
and would long to see one of the days of the Son of Man. During this time
period, they would not see Jesus at all
and only long to see him. This hope was similar to the Pharisees’ desires,
mentioned in Luke 17:21. This would be the time when people would tell believers,
“There he is” or ”Here he is”. But after a long period of absence, eventually
the day of his return will come.
“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.”
(Luke 17:24).
The Son of Man, when he returns, will be seen by the world like
lightening in the sky. He will be visibly seen by all the people of the world.
So, this was the first time that Jesus introduced his
disciples to the idea that there would be a period that no one, not even his
disciples, had guessed or anticipated was coming. After this long
period of time, the day of the kingdom’s full consummation would come. This was
totally unexpected and contrary to their understanding of the Kingdom.
Naturally, there would still be a big question left in their minds: why then
was there to be this long period where their king, Jesus, would be absent? Why
wouldn’t he establish the kingdom of God right away? We can certainly see this as
God’s prerogative and plan. Jesus gave his disciples a glimpse of understanding
regarding God’s purpose.
“But first he must suffer many things and be
rejected by this generation.” (Luke 17:25).
Here, ‘first’ is primarily pertaining to something that precedes Christ’s coming ,
not before the long period of the Son of Man’s absence. This ‘first’ is representative
of his strong will and clear goal. As we will note in the following passage (Luke
17:30-37), the day of the Son of Man is also the Day of Judgment. In order to
bring His judgment upon the world, God first needed to prove His justice, love, and good will in
bringing His judgment on mankind. He would also give the people of the world
time to muse over these characteristics of His nature. Only then would God be
right and just to bring judgment on all the ungodly.
How did Jesus’ suffering and the people’s rejection of him testify
about God’s love, justice, and good will? These would be revealed through the
Holy Spirit:
“But very truly I tell you, it is for your
good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you;
but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove
the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment”
(John 16:7-8).
This message captures the essence of the Son of Man’s
significance. Jesus’ suffering on the cross testified to three things: the sins
of the world, God’s righteousness, and His judgment. This is more specifically
addressed in the next verses:
“about sin, because people do not
believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to
the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about
judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” (Luke 17:9-11).
God gave the world a clear message through Jesus’ life, of which
his death on the cross and his resurrection are the key elements for them to
understand. After this message, God granted them a long interlude before
pulling out His sword for the final judgment. It is God’s grace and patience
for all sinners that prompted Him to communicate this message in a most
powerful and gracious manner. Here, we see and feel God’s amazing patience and
grace for all the sinners of the world. So there will come a time of testing
and rooting out of all the unfaithful, while the faithful persevere to the end (Luke
12:35-48).
What does this teach us? Just as Jesus’ suffering and death were
necessary before the coming of the Son of Man, the same is true for us who must
suffer and die before we face the Son of God in glory. Until we meet him, the
message for the world is the Son of Man’s suffering, death,
and resurrection. Then how can one speak and live without knowing the
cross of Jesus? In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul says,
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was
with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
It is far more important to know and understand Jesus’ suffering
on the cross, his death, and his resurrection. We need to realize these, not as
an idea or information, but by heart. How is this possible? Jesus gave us a
clue in the next passage.
3.
In the
days of the Son of Man (Luke 17:26-28).
"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so
also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 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. "It was the same in the days of
Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and
building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven
and destroyed them all. "It will be just like this on the day the Son of
Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:26-30).
First, I would like to help us understand some of these words
better; here, the author Luke noted two different times, the days of
the Son of Man, and the day of the Son of Man (also
referred to as the Son of Man in his day). The days of the Son of
Man is different from the day of the Son of Man (Luke 17:30); in order to note
the difference, Luke described the day of the Son of Man with prepositional
phrases (i.e. the Son of man in his day (v24), or when
the Son of Man is revealed (v30). This is also known as the Day
of Judgment or the Lord’s Day, which denotes the particular day when Jesus will
come to earth the second time, in his full glory.
On the other hand, ‘the days of the Son of Man’ is
used differently. It is used in two settings; first, that people will long to
see one of those days, and second, when the days of the Son of Man were compared
with the days of Noah and Lot. When Scripture mentions the days of
Noah, it is referring to Noah’s lifetime. The same is true for the days of Lot.
If we apply this to the days of the Son of Man, it denotes the days
when Jesus lived on the earth as the Son of Man. We can further extend this to
the time when the message of the Son of Man went into effect. This is the
time period when the truth of the Son of Man was the main message for the
people of that time. So it not only includes the time when Jesus was on the
earth, but also includes the time from his ascension all the way up to the time
of his second coming. Thus, the end of the days of the Son of Man is marked by
the day of the Son
of Man. [Some think that this is will just be a short time period before Jesus’
second coming, but I believe that this does not have a firm footing in God’s
word (especially as seen in Luke); it is also a conjecture drawn by its
relationship to the day of the Son of Man. Such an understanding fails to
recognize the full significance of this period, according to God’s perspective
of His salvation work].
This passage gives us understanding about what would happen from
then on up to the time of Jesus second coming. So, this time coincides with the
time when his disciples would long to see one of the days of His presence.
“In the days of the Son of Man” indicates that a specific
message the Son of Man on the earth would be the message for that time period,
as the days of Noah carried a specific message to his generation. As was mentioned
above in the days of the Son of Man, the message is the message that he gave
while he was still on the earth. Then what is the message of the Son of
Man that is proclaimed on up to the time of Jesus’ second coming?
During his earthly ministry, Jesus called himself “the Son of
Man”. He looked just like a man and truly was a man of flesh; however, he
demonstrated his power as the Son of God in three ways: healing the sick,
driving out demonic forces, and teaching the truth in a most powerful and
revealing way. The ultimate proof that the Son of Man was actually the Son of
God was given by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. No man had ever done such
things, but Jesus did them because he was truly the Son of God.
So the message given in the days of the Son of Man carried what
Jesus did on earth and pointed to the central and key message behind his death
and resurrection. Through this message, peoples were to understand that the Son
of Man was not just a man but also the Son of God. The Lord, used as a title for
‘the Son of Man’ in Daniel, alluded to the Son of God, the picture of the coming
Messiah.
During this time, the disciples were to take the message of the
Son of Man and carry it through to the day of the Son of Man, in the belief
that he was the Son of God, and would come back as the judge of the world.
But what will the people of the world be doing when he comes? In
Noah’s day, people were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in
marriage. In Lot’s day, people were busy buying, selling, planting, and
building. Likewise, in the days of the Son of Man, people will be doing the
same things. Simply speaking, in spite of the message of the Son of Man, God’s
best and final message, they turned deaf ears and would not change their beliefs
and lifestyles, but would continue living their lives according to their sinful nature. This
would be flagrant disrespect for the God of love, justice, and holiness. All
these showed one thing: that they rejected the message of the Son of Man and
failed to honor him as Lord. They will be doing these things all
through the days of the Son of Man and will continue up to the time when the
Son of Man is fully revealed fully (Luke 17:30).
This is a grim outlook. Why was it given to Jesus’ disciples?
The implication here is clear; the time when they would long to see one of the
days of the Son of Man would literally be long and dreary. During this time, the
world’s influence would be overwhelming; they would be disrespectful of the
message of the Son of Man, and dishonoring to Jesus, the Son of God. The
disciples needed to realize this in advance and be careful not to follow these
people. Instead, they were to have faith in the message of the Son of Man, for
he would surely come as their Lord and judge.
This will be a period of testing for our faith. Those who set
their hearts on the message of the Son of Man and keep their hope of the coming
of the Son of Man in his glory will persevere through those long and dreary
days and years. Those who do not do this will surely follow the trend of the
majority of the world. The mainstay of their lives is eating, marrying, buying,
selling, and building. These are the things that the world in which we are
living revolves around.
All men want immediate and unconditional salvation. Such a desire and hope was and still is
deeply rooted in the hearts of all men. It was clearly seen in the disciples’
reaction to Jesus’ teaching about his suffering and death. As soon as he told
them that he would suffer, be rejected, and die, Peter passionately refused to
accept that idea and rebuked him. When the resurrected Jesus was with the
disciples for forty days, they asked him, “Is this the time when you will
restore the kingdom of God[BJ1] ?” To the Pharisees and the teachers of the
Law, such an idea was the cause of their rejection of Jesus’ lordship. Likewise,
everyone failed to fully understand the significance of Jesus’ suffering and
death, in regards to the salvation and truth he would bring to all men.
In addition to his message as the Son of Man, Jesus’ suffering
and death were for the work of providing for men’s salvation. Then, the
days of the Son of Man is a period of time when the message of the cross will work
in the lives of believers toward their final redemption (Colossians 1:9-12).
If God was willing, He could do away with this long and dreary time of
suffering, but He does not because He wants to save us all through His love. He
accomplishes this in order to provide sinners enough time to delve into His
truth in grace, and also because He demands justice payment for sins, and for His
righteousness to be upheld. This is God’s unsearchable wisdom for both us and Him.
Lastly, in this long time of suffering, there is one thing that we should never
forget: the day of the Lord is the Day of Judgment for the world and it is
surely coming.
How will this come about?
4. The day when the Son of Man is revealed (Luke
17:30-37).
What God will do when the Son of Man is revealed was illustrated
twice, once by what God did for the people in Noah’s time, and again by what
God did to the people of Lot’s day. Both judgments were thorough and swift.
When God speaks twice, it is deadly serious. No one should dare to ignore His
word, yet what will those people do? They will continue to do what they love to
do - eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, and building – without any
fear of the Lord. What will happen to them?
When the Son of Man is fully revealed, he will swiftly judge those
who rejected him as Lord; his judgement
will be like lightening that goes from one end of the sky to the other. Here,
Jesus taught about what people should not do at this time:
“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. Remember Lot's wife!” (Luke 17:31-32).
He will come suddenly and swiftly, without warning; there will
be no chance for people to rescue themselves from God’s judgment. They will not
even have time to pick up one precious item from inside their house. It will be
like the day when the flood came down in Noah’s time, or like in the days of
Lot when burning sulfur came down from heaven and burned all the people to
death.
What will be the result of his coming?
“I tell you, on that night two people will be
in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding
grain together; one will be taken and the other left." (Luke 17:34-35).
God’s judgment will be precise and thorough; here, ‘two people
in one bed’ may be a picture of a husband and wife, or other family members,
such as brothers or sisters. They lived together and shared the same ideas and
hopes, but one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women would be
sitting face to face, doing the same thing, grinding grain, yet one will be
taken and the other will be left behind.
In outward appearance, both of these two couples mentioned were
doing the same thing, but, in their hearts, there was a difference. What was it?
“Whoever tries to keep their life will lose
it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.” (Luke 17:33).
The author, Luke, put these words within the context of an emergency
flight to escape God’s judgment. This may imply that, in such a crisis of life,
people are to cease any from efforts to save their own lives through their
precious worldly posessions. That is, it looks as if this teaches about a
momentary decision of life at the time of God’s judgment.
Similar messages are found six times in the four Gospels. Four
of them are used in the same context. One passage in Matthew and one in Luke,
as shown here, are used in a different context from the other four. So it is
worthwhile to consider this more closely in order to understand what the author
Luke meant by this.
Immediately after Jesus’ announcement of his coming suffering
and death, Peter did not accept his word and even rebuked him. At this time,
Jesus said, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever
loses their life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:24). Mark 8:35, Matthew 16:25 and
John 12:25 also record a similar passage in the same context. So, most likely,
the true meaning of this phrase must be drawn from these passages in that
context. This means that, if we want to save our lives, we will surely lose them,
but if we dare to lose our lives for the sake of the Gospel, we will gain life.
In other words, the cross is impossible for anyone to accept as the way of life,
unless we dare to lose our lives by believing that Jesus will save us. This
decision of faith marks the beginning of faith for anyone. By using this
principle at the time of Jesus’ coming in glory, Luke reveals that
believers are not only to build their faith on this principle of life, but also
must carry on with living according to this principle, until the time when the
Son of Man is revealed. This must be the commanding
principle of our Christian life, from the beginning of our faith in Christ until
we all meet Christ in His glory.
Just before this warning, Luke gives the example of Lot’s wife.
As she was running away from the fire storm from heaven, she looked back and
became a pillar of salt. Her unquenchable desire for her precious possessions
was so entrenched in the depths of her heart that she [BJ2] looked back. In other words, her mind was not
built upon the principle of losing her life in order to save it. Throughout her
life, she had lived to save her life and that mentality could not be changed in
a matter of seconds or hours, especially in a time of such crisis.
The way of the cross is the way of life. In order for us to
accept this now and forever, we must begin, even now, to lose our
lives for the sake of the Gospel. Only when we do this now, can we continue to
do it tomorrow, and again and again until we meet Christ in his glory. If
we fail to do this, our lives will be filled with eating, drinking, buying,
selling, marrying, and building, which will result in a grim outlook for us.
"Where, Lord?" they asked. He
replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will
gather." (Luke 17:37).
It is difficult to understand this passage precisely, but one
thing is clear - vultures do not fail to find dead bodies, no matter where they
are. Likewise, God’s judgment will surely come upon those who reject the Lord,
the Son of Man. No one should make the mistake of casually thinking that God’s
judgment is not real or is just a human idea.
But for those of us who believe, we thank God for Jesus, who
gave us the message of the cross and imparted to us the faith that enables us
to dare to lose our lives for the sake of the Gospel. I pray that this may be
the commanding principle of our lives today, tomorrow, and until we meet Christ
in His glory.
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