THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW places in scripture where Jesus interacts with the Pharisees in a scene not overly filled with tension. Here, they have asked a seemingly honest question about “when the kingdom of God would come.” (Luke 17:20) This is not only of interest, but in fact is extremely important to them. Israel’s lengthy history as a nation is deplorable; since the exemplary times of David and Solomon the people and their culture have been on a thousand-year downward spiral, and they have suffered several deep bottoms during that time. It is the penalty for rejecting God as their king. (c.f. 1 Sam. 8:5-9) Presently, they are a nation only in the sense of ethnicity, culture, and geography—the various wars of the previous three centuries have found them under subjugation to Rome, the present regional super-power. The great desire of the Pharisees, and also their internecine guerilla enemies, the Zealots, is to see come into being the ancient prophecies of a restored kingdom under a king from David’s line.
Jesus has been speaking of the kingdom of heaven since he started his ministry, and they are aware of this. “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” (Matt. 4:17) They are genuinely interested; in fact, this is a subject that has been intensely studied by and spoken of by the priests—perhaps Jesus can help shed light on this subject for them. Jesus responds, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21)
Luke does not record the way in which the Pharisees react to Jesus’ statement in this scene. Jesus is depicted simply turning away from them to further the discussion with his disciples. From the decisive weight of the testimony of all four gospels that time after time show the Pharisees’ opposition to him, we understand the underlying reason for their consistent opposition to him, although here this is not on display. Paul, familiar with the intricacies of the gospel message, says “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor. 2:14)
The Jewish religious hierarchy’s deficient spiritual condition is complex in its development, and devastating, literally, in its legacy. The curse of God on their forebears has become trans-generationally theirs (cf. Deut. 5:9b). It has been realized due to the long-held traditions of religious legalism now enacted through their traditionally pious but spiritually empty walk with God. Jesus’ answer to them does not satisfy their expectations, and simply serves to further alienate them from him.
Jesus turns to his disciples, who are always *eager to hear from him. To them he gives a broad and sweeping revelation of the coming kingdom. He sets the tone of this apocryphal event in the scope of their personal relationship with him. “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” (Luke 17:22, 25) This is both a warning and an encouragement for them. “Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.” (Luke 17:23) He has taught them from their beginning with him that “the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21b) He is emphasizing this with them now, for they will very much need this spiritually foundational truth in their not-too-distant future.
In speaking to his disciples of what to expect in the future, Jesus turns to well-known iconic and apocryphal tales from their shared cultural and religious heritage as illustrative examples. In the time of Noah, “people were eating, drinking, and marrying. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:27) In the time 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.” (Luke 17:28-29)) Jesus is the master of communication. These are powerful and deeply thought-provoking images that he has constructed orally, and they not only engage the mind, but they are also sure to play upon the imaginations, and more than that, the deep motivations, that drive the disciples. We can imagine him giving pause in the flow of dialogue for these images to work in the disciples, as they do in us. And then, at just the right moment, he adds “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:30)
In our time, the images are just as powerful; actually, even more so—current estimates indicate that there are 2.3 billion Christians in the world, so Jesus’ message affects far more people now. His story and his story’s message have penetrated the cultures of the world and developed into accepted archetypal religious lore with the strength to form deep belief and core values. Additionally, for those who believe in Jesus and accept him as Lord and Savior, there is the prophetic tidal force of his story. His warnings to his disciples came to pass as he was crucified, but his promises continued in the formation of his living body, the church.
His prophetic voice about end-time events has been and continues to be fulfilled. His apocalyptic warnings gain more urgency daily in our time, as we keenly observe the events of the world, and especially the world events surrounding Israel. And one part of his message to his disciples in this story remains just as true for us today: “Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.” (Luke 17:23) History, including that of our own generation, is replete with the frenzied voices of the false prophets that inflame anxieties and excite people to actions that are neither wise, nor appropriate.
His instructions to his disciples, then and now, remain our best guide. “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.” (Luke 21:8) While the time may be near, Jesus tells us, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matt. 24:36) His best advice remains, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matt. 24:42, 44) He adds, and we should carefully consider, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant?” (Matt. 24:45)
Q. Do I know that I know that I know my eternal destiny?
*Know and understand this: “Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.” (Matt. 10:41)
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