Luke 17:20-37
Notes
Transcript
Handout
The only way to make sense of the present is to grasp what will happen in the future.
And the future that Jesus tells us about in these verses could not be more serious.
A question about the coming of the kingdom of God prompts Jesus to talk about his return, and the judgement that it will bring.
But are we so preoccupied with the present that we overlook what is to come? Are we so enamoured with the things of this world that we ignore the reality of the world to come? Are we too concerned about our lives now to be at all concerned about our lives then?
Big questions! But this is about as serious as it gets.
When it comes to the kingdom of God...
LOOK IN THE RIGHT PLACE
LOOK IN THE RIGHT PLACE
Like many today, the Pharisees were fixated on the question of when, how and where God’s kingdom would appear.
They expected that God would bring about an earthly kingdom (with a Davidic king), followed by end-time blessings.
But Jesus is quick to challenge their assumptions...
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, nor will people say, “Here it is,” or “There it is,” because the kingdom of God is in your midst.’
The kingdom cannot be seen in observable ways, says Jesus.
In other words, it doesn’t come with borders, thrones, political power or military domination. You can’t hold a census to determine the population of the kingdom of God. It can’t be determined by dates and times.
Nobody can say about the kingdom of God - there it is! It’s over there! I know the way, take that road then turn left.
Why? Because the kingdom of God isn’t a place. It is a person.
“The KoG is in your midst,” says Jesus.
With his coming, his ministry, his teaching, his redemptive work, the kingdom of God has come in the person and work of Jesus.
Earlier, John the Baptist had sent messengers to Jesus if he was the Messiah. He then proceeded to heal, cast out evil spirits, open blind eyes etc. Then said, go back and tell John what you’ve seen.
In other words these things were the evidence (from the OT) that the kingdom of God had come in the person of Jesus.
But the Pharisees couldn’t see it.
There’s a story told about the late Queen Elizabeth 2:
American tourists walking near Balmoral bumped into a gentleman and elderly lady
Chatted about where they were from, and asked the lady where she lived:
I live in London, she said, but I have a holiday home the other side of the hills. Been coming here for 80 years.
80 years, they said? Then asked if she had ever met the Queen. She replied "I haven’t, but Dickie here meets her regularly”, referring to the gentleman with her.
They asked him what the Queen was like. He said "She can be very cantankerous at times, but she's got a lovely sense of humour,"
They then posed for a photo with Dickie, the Queen’s friend, and asked Her Majesty if she would take it for them!
Don’t miss what’s right in front of you.
The Pharisees couldn’t see that the kingdom of God was in their midst, because they couldn’t/wouldn’t recognise Jesus for who he really is: God in human flesh, the Messiah, the Saviour of the World.
He is the key to understanding the present and the future.
Do you recognise him. Are you looking for answers in the right place?
Look in the right place. And, when we’re thinking about the future...
LOOK FOR THE UNMISTAKABLE
LOOK FOR THE UNMISTAKABLE
With these thoughts in his mind, Jesus instructs his disciples:
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.
This is likely an allusion to the difficulty of being followers of Jesus, the opposition, the cost. That’s prompt us to say, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
And it will bring deception: people telling us that Jesus is over there, now over here. We’re not to go chasing after such claims, we’re not to be concerned if we hear that Jesus has returned in a certain place at a certain time.
Any claims that he has appeared can be safely ignored.
Why? Because he will not return in secret! It will not be done behind closed doors. There’ll be no conspiracy to keep it under wraps.
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.
“Son of Man” = Jesus’ referring to himself using an OT title for the Messiah.
“In his day” refers to the day of his return, his appearing.
And what a vivid image we have of that appearing!
Like lightening that illuminates the sky as far as the eye can see.
The implication is clear: when Jesus returns, it will be unmissable and unmistakable. No one will question what is happening. No one will be able to miss it. No one will be kept in the dark.
Every eye will see him!
So, don’t be tricked into believing or even expecting a false return of a false Jesus.
In the run-up to the Oasis reunion last year, I heard a story of a girl who’s dad owned a pub in the 90s. He told her that he’d booked Oasis to play a gig in the pub. She couldn’t believe it. And she shouldn’t have!! It was a total lie. She spent the next few decades believing that she’s seen Noel and Liam in her dad’s pub, when it was just some tribute band.
I really hope she got to see them for real last year! Because there’s nothing worse than a fake imitation in comparison to the real thing.
We need to beware anything that tries to misdirect us away from Jesus himself.
Even speculation about Jesus, his return, how modern day events might relate to his coming, can have the effect of diverting us away from Jesus himself.
Or different kinds of Jesus false about him, like prosperity gospel, or any kind of denial about his death/resurrection and what it achieved.
Because the authentic kingdom of God must include a crucified Saviour, dying in the place of sinners to bring forgiveness and freedom.
But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
Look for the unmistakable Jesus - the one who died and rose again in the past, and the one who will be seen by every eye in the future.
And still thinking about the future...
LOOK FOR THE UNEXPECTED
LOOK FOR THE UNEXPECTED
Jesus speaks about two OT events, both in Genesis, to make his next point:
‘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 sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
‘It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
The point is the same in both the flood and the destruction of Sodom: the judgement of God came suddenly while people were going about their regular routines, living their ordinary lives.
In other words, they were carrying on as if God didn’t exist, and as if he is not the judge of all the earth.
They were living their lives as if the world will always carry on as normal without any interruption.
In both cases, judgement came because of their sin, their failure to repent and turn back to God.
Jesus couldn’t make himself any clearer now.
His return will come at a time when we least expect it.
Some will be putting on their washing. Others will be in an Uber. There’ll be some idly watching TikToks. Some will be having a nap. Then suddenly Jesus will appear.
And with him the judgement of God on those who haven’t turned to Jesus in faith, who haven’t turned away from their sin, who haven’t obeyed the call to believe the gospel.
It will be unexpected, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Because the gospel is being preached in all the world. The nations are being called to believe in Jesus as Crucified Lord and Risen Saviour, and that he is returning.
And yet billions continue to reject him and will face that Day of Judgement without the saving protection of Jesus.
What about you? Are you ready to face Jesus when he appears? Have you turned away from sin and turned back to God, believing that Jesus died in your place and rose again?
Don’t be caught out. Don’t leave it until later. There might not be one!
That’s the message that the church proclaims to the world. Repent and believe, the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe.
And so, as we wait in the present awaiting the future...
LOOK FOR WHAT WILL LAST
LOOK FOR WHAT WILL LAST
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! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.
When Lot was told to leave Sodom it was urgent.
‘Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!’
The same urgency must be felt today concerning the end when Jesus returns.
The instructions to not go back for possessions isn’t literal. But Jesus means for us to understand that when it comes to fleeing to him, following him, living for his kingdom, there is to be no delay.
We shouldn’t allow the things of this world to capture our hearts such we that long more for them than we do for our returning king.
That’s the warning to remember Lot’s wife, who did look back to the Sodom she loved and was turned into a pillar of salt.
There is nothing in the world worth holding onto if it means we lose out on Jesus.
In the same vein, this world isn’t worth keeping if it means others losing out on Jesus.
As those who know Jesus and believe in him, we are called to take good news to any who don’t yet believe.
Because a day is coming when it be too late.
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 corn together; one will be taken and the other left.’
Some to eternal life. Some to eternal judgement.
‘Where, Lord?’ they asked.
He replied, ‘Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.’
Today we say “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
The gruesome image of vultures devouring the dead foreshadows the certainty of the judgement to come.
That’s the sobering reality of what the Spirit is saying to us in these verses.
We can make a difference to the eternal future of some by living and speaking for Jesus in the present.
But what are we living for? Who are we living for?
Are we living with the urgency and imminency that Jesus speaks of in this passage?
The Pharisees wanted to know details - when, where, how?
But Jesus wants us to know that he is coming, it will be sudden, unexpected, and unmistakable. And then the world will face the judgement of God.
While we shouldn’t be obsessed with the specifics of Jesus’ return, we should be obsessed with its reality.
We should be living in a state of expectation, allowing the certainty of Jesus’ return to shape our priorities, how we use the time we have, how we use the lives we have, to change bring eternal hope to those we live amongst.
The future could not be more serious. Let that sobering truth drive how we live and speak for Jesus in the present.
How much do you think about the future? What do you think about when you think about the future?!
Read Luke 17:20-25. What do you think the Pharisees wanted to know? What were they looking for? How can we be drawn into thinking about the kingdom of God, and/or the ‘end times’, in the wrong way? What can we do to avoid that?
Read Luke 17:26-30. Why do you think Jesus chose these two incidents from Genesis? What do they tell us about his coming return? How should that change the way we think about it?
Read Luke 17:30-37. What “possessions” would you be most tempted to retrieve? What are the things of this world/life that you treasure most? What is Jesus saying to us about that in these verses?
Pray that we would have an accurate appreciation of the reality of Christ’s return that radically influences how we live for him in the present. Pray for a sense of urgency for reaching the lost. Pray that we wouldn’t be distracted from living for Jesus and his kingdom by the things of this world.
