He
said to the disciples, “The days will come, when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Don’t go away, nor follow after them, for as the lightning, when it flashes out of the one part under the sky, shines to the other part under the sky; so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. As it was in the days of Noah, even so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise, even as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from the sky, and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:22-29
Luke 17 [20.] Being asked by the Pharisees when God’s Kingdom would come, he answered them, “God’s Kingdom doesn’t come with observation; neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, God’s Kingdom is within you.”
Luke 17 [22.] He said to the disciples, “The days will come, when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Don’t go away, nor follow after them, for as the lightning, when it flashes out of the one part under the sky, shines to the other part under the sky; so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. As it was in the days of Noah, even so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise, even as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from the sky, and destroyed them all.
Luke 17 [30.] It will be the same way in the day that the Son of Man is revealed. In that day, he who will be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away. Let him who is in the field likewise not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it. I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. The one will be taken, and the other will be left. There will be two grinding grain together. One will be taken, and the other will be left.”
Meaning:
The Pharisees had asked when God’s Kingdom would come, and Jesus answered that it does not come with signs that can be watched for, because it was already present among them (Luke 17:20-21). Now he turned to his disciples and spoke about the future coming of the Son of Man. He warned them of a long wait, of false reports, of his own suffering first, and of a sudden day that would find most people unprepared, like the days of Noah and Lot. Matthew records similar teaching in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:27, Matthew 24:37-41).
- “you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man”
Jesus knew his disciples would face times of hardship and persecution after he left them, when they would long for even one day of his presence. “Son of Man” was Jesus’ favorite title for himself, drawn from Daniel’s vision of one who receives an everlasting kingdom. The disciples would have to wait for his return with patience.
- “They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’”
In times of longing, people are easily deceived by those who claim the Messiah has appeared in some secret place. Jesus said plainly, “Don’t go away, nor follow after them.” Matthew records, “If therefore they tell you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ don’t go out” (Matthew 24:26).
- “as the lightning, when it flashes out”
His return will not be hidden. Lightning lights up the whole sky at once, and everyone sees it. No one will need to be told where he is.
- “But first, he must suffer many things”
Before the glory came the cross. Jesus repeated what he had taught before: “the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31). The disciples had to understand his suffering before they could understand his coming.
- “As it was in the days of Noah ... in the days of Lot”
The people of Noah’s day and of Sodom were not condemned for eating, drinking, marrying, buying, planting or building. These are ordinary activities. Their sin was that they lived as though God did not exist and ignored every warning, “until the day that Noah entered into the ship” (Genesis 7:7). In Lot’s day, “Yahweh rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Yahweh out of the sky” (Genesis 19:24). Judgment came suddenly, and only those who heeded God were saved.
The Significance of Luke 17:22-29
- Ready, not deceived
Christians are to wait for the return of Christ without being drawn after rumors and false teachers. His coming will be unmistakable.
- Living in the light of that day
Ordinary life is good, but it must not make us forget God. “The day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2).
Cross-References:
Matthew 24:27: “For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” The parallel in Matthew.
Matthew 24:37: “As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Noah’s generation as a warning.
2 Peter 2:5: “but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness,” God rescues the righteous.
1 Thessalonians 5:3: “For when they are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ then sudden destruction will come on them,” The suddenness of the day.
Conclusion: Jesus told his disciples that they would long for his presence, but they must not follow those who say, “Look, here!” because his return will be as plain as lightning across the sky. First he had to suffer and be rejected. Then, as in the days of Noah and Lot, his day will come suddenly on people absorbed in everyday life. Disciples are called to wait patiently and live ready.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible