Waiting for His Return

Luke 17:20-21

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, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

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Luke 17 includes an extending section answering the question of when and where the coming of the kingdom will take place. I'd like to walk through these verses and simply summarize what I think each verse is saying about Jesus' second coming. I am being intentionally simplistic, because I believe Jesus has revealed only a limited glimpse of what the end times will be like - but he's revealed enough that it should shape our life today:

1. Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, "Look, here it is!" or "There!" for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you." (v 20-21)

- The kingdom has already come in some measure, quietly and unnoticed by most, even though it is right in our midst.

2. 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. (v 22)

- We will long for His return, but we may be waiting longer than expected. The delay may be painful, especially in the face of persecution.

3. And they will say to you, "Look, there!" or "Look, here!" Do not go out or follow them. 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. (v 23-24)

- Though already here in some aspects, it is also yet to come in its fullness; there will be false predictions and "over-realizations" of His coming throughout history, but we must keep a level head and sober mind at all times.

4. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. (v 25)

- The king and His kingdom are inaugurated through suffering; the nature of His rule will begin humbly and continue to be characterized not by might, but by servant hearts who walk in the way of the cross.

5. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 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. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. (v 26-30)

- There will be a final judgment and mankind will be surprised when the black shadow of their sin is finally understood in contrast to the light of His holiness and glory.

6. 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. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. (v 31-33)

- Our understanding of the nature and progress of this kingdom should produce a present lifestyle characterized by a willingness to forgo earthly rights and possessions - a readiness to leave this world for the better world to come, and never look back.

7. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left." (v 34-35)

- Not everyone will be admitted to citizenship in this kingdom, and many will be surprised by who is who in the end. Though Jesus frequently reminded us of the ironic economy of "the first shall be last," each generation will largely fail to grasp this and fail to walk in the way of the cross.

8. And they said to him, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather." (v 37)

- There will be no singular location for the final revealing of the kingdom. Where the "corpse" is may simply describe the universal decay and corruption resulting from the fall of mankind into rebellion against God. The "vulture" may simply represent the coming judgment of God.

Matthew, Mark. and Luke each chronicle the closing days of Jesus' earthly ministry by highlighting these judgment sayings. Jesus clearly wanted to equip his disciples with hope of his coming and confidence in light of persecution and perceived delay. We too can take heart knowing that He will come, and that His kingdom already makes progress among us, even if quietly and unnoticed by most. Though many will be surprised by their fate, for those who walk in the way of the cross there is eager longing for "one of the days of the Son of Man" - when His presence and reign will make all things new! May this vision and hope be our own and sustain us until the day he comes again:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:1-8 ESV)

Faith in His Mercy

Luke 18:6-8

And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" 

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This chapter revolves around examples of true faith, and each example defines faith as utter dependence upon the mercy of almighty God.

1. The widow. The first example of the persistent widow connects faith and mercy explicitly. Jesus teaches that our God will surely hear the cries of his people for justice. But then he questions whether such cries are even happening - "will he find faith on earth?" We are called to be like the persistent widow, who proved her faith in God's mercy by the unrelenting nature of her prayers. She persevered to the end and saw the merciful character of God proved true.

The rub: Is my lack of prayer because I don't believe He is merciful? And does this weak faith result from ignoring his word and not dwelling on his kind heart, displayed at the cross?

2. The tax collector. Along with persistence, our faith in God's mercy must be accompanied by undeserving humility. The Pharisee made a list of his successes. But God was more impressed with the taxman who knew he deserved nothing before a holy God.

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:13, 14)

The rub: Do I hope God will accept me for my list of good deeds, or because I simply have faith in his kindness toward the humble?

3. The children. The kids rushed to him, eager to see, hear, and touch this man who seemed to relate and sympathize with them in some unique way. The kids were often looked down upon in this culture, but Jesus saw them. He noticed them and paid attention to them. And Jesus defined true faith using the kids as his model and example: because they so unashamedly trusted him.

The rub: Do I come to him like a child, trusting he will accept me as I am?

4. The blind beggar. What if you had no possessions, no friends, no purpose, and no real hope that life will get any better? And no eyesight. You are blind. Then, you hear rumors of a healer who is both willing and able to make cripples well. And, he is walking toward you right now. How you respond in his presence will directly reflect what you believe about him. And this beggar responds in a way that perfectly fits his need and Jesus' ability to meet that need: "Son of David, have mercy on me!" His faith was dependent upon the reality of God's mercy.

The rub: Do I cry out persistently, humbly, like a child, like a beggar? Or am I the opposite? Occasional in prayer, self-reliant, presumed mature, secure in my comfortable lifestyle. Can this be faith? Can this be trust in the merciful character of God? Do I dwell on his mercies? Do I even believe in them?

Lord, remind me of your kindness. Let me never give up seeking You, learning about your mighty deeds and promises, and crying out for mercy on a daily basis. I am your child, you are my Father. I rely completely on you and stake all of my hope in your merciful love. Amen.