Luke 17:20–37 (ESV)
20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” 22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 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 will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
Moms may be one of the most quizzed people on the planet. A survey in 2013 found that the average stay-at-home mom faces one question every two minutes and 36 seconds!
This passage begins with a question from the Pharisees, and Jesus uses their question as an occasion for painting a broader picture regarding the kingdom of God.
The Pharisees want a timetable. They are looking for a sign that they can observe to know when the kingdom of God is going to arrive, and the kind of sign they think they should see should be something cosmic or apocalyptic: stars aligning, earthquakes, and that sort of thing.
But Jesus tells them that the kingdom of God isn’t going to arrive that way, it won’t look like what they expect. In fact, the kingdom of God has been unfolding in their presence through all the miraculous signs Jesus has been doing, but they’ve missed it.
So Jesus tells them to adjust their expectations. The kingdom of God is a present reality being revealed in their presence in Jesus Himself.
Then Jesus turns to his disciples and speaks about the kingdom of God as a coming future reality as well. Jesus is speaking about His second coming, and as with the Pharisees, Jesus does not give a timetable except to say that His own suffering and death on the cross will take place before this second coming.
Jesus then encourages His disciples to be ready for this future reality, to watch for it and not be indifferent to the things of God while they wait, unlike the generations of Noah and Lot.
The point Jesus is making is that the kingdom of God is not a detached future kingdom or private inner spiritual sanctuary or some sort of utopian pie-in-the-sky dream. The kingdom of God is a present and future reality for disciples of Jesus in which they are not only citizens but ambassadors as well.
That’s good stuff, and it calls us to make a decision. If the kingdom of God is a present and future reality, then we must not only decide to live into it in the here and now, but we must also be ready for Jesus’ return.
Have you ever had one of those moments when you had unexpected guests drop by your house? Do you know what I’m talking about? When you get that phone call from someone saying that they’re in town and would like to stop by for a visit, and they’ll be there in about 20 minutes.
Now, most of us would welcome an unexpected visit from friends. But if you’re like me, it sets into motion a series of events that proceed their arrival as a quick cleaning of the house is in order; dishes, living room, the bathroom, anything that’s out of order is quickly cleaned up to be ready for your guest’s arrival.
But what if it were Jesus who was arriving at your door in 20 minutes? What then? Is that going to be enough time to truly be ready?
If we’ve discovered anything from our passage, getting ready for Jesus isn’t a 20-minute, last-ditch, cleanup effort. Jesus said, "Be ready." No one knows when He is going to return, but when He does, it will happen suddenly, like lightning, flashing across the sky. And everyone will know it.
Our job is to be ready and to make the most of the time that we do have; to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and the hope that is yet to come. To wait for His return with expectation and anticipation, but as we wait, we continue to live our lives for Jesus seeking to know, love, and follow Him wholeheartedly: praying for one another, building up each other in love, and reaching out with the love and grace of God in all our relationships.
The kingdom of God is here now and it’s a coming future reality…, be ready.
God bless you and know that you are constantly in my prayers!
Scott