The Kingdom of God Coming through the Son of Man
Luke 17:20-37
Key Verse: 17:24-25
“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. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”
Today’s passage is about the kingdom of God and the second coming of Jesus. This may sound unfamiliar to you, but it is one of the cores of teachings of the gospel of Jesus. The Kingdom of God is the reason Jesus, the Son of God, came. He proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God, “The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Throughout His earthly ministry, He taught about the Kingdom of God through many parables. He sacrificed His own life on the cross for the sins of the world. In doing so, He opened a new and living way to the Kingdom of God. Moreover, Jesus will return to take His people into the Kingdom of God.
Was you busy last week? Eating and Drinking, buying and selling, and planting and building. Many people may be in danger of making the same mistake, as the people in Noah’s time, and the people of Sodom. There is a famous quote of a historian: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” We must take Jesus’ teaching in today’s passage seriously. If we fail to do so, we risk repeating the history of the people in Noah’s time, the people of Sodom, and even the fate of Lot’s wife. May God open our hearts and speak to us through his words! We may accept Jesus as the Messiah with sincere repentance, so that the kingdom of God may come in us. In this end times, we may live as Jesus’ disciples – the life of giving and the life of serving – and be ready for His coming
First, The kingdom of God is in your midst (20-25).
Once, some Pharisees came to Jesus and asked when the kingdom of God would come. What a surprise! Pharisees asked about the kingdom of God. Did they really want to know about it? At that time, the Jews were waiting for the kingdom of God to come, based on the prophecies about the messianic kingdom in the Old Testament. For example, Isaiah9 prophesied that the Messiah will establish a kingdom of peace, justice and righteousness that would last forever, with the Messiah ruling on David’s throne. Because the Jews had suffered greatly under the rule of powerful nations for many years, they developed the hope of an earthly Messianic kingdom to overcome their hardships. They expected that the Messiah to overthrow all their enemies, even Roman Empire, with his mighty power and establish his righteous kingdom on the earth. This hope of a messianic kingdom on earth strengthened them to keep their national identity and their heritage. They never curbed their pride and belief for long years of suffering.
Then Jesus came and began to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God. He humbly served all kinds of sinners by healing the sick and driving out demons. He opened the eyes of the blind; made the lame walk; cleansed lepers; and even raised the dead. Everything he had done testified that He is the Messiah. However, the religious leader could not accept Jesus as the Messiah for he looked so poor and weak. He was not the kind of Messiah they wanted. They wanted a Messiah with political and military power. So, they rejected him. As a result, they rejected the kingdom of God. Asking the question, they were not seeking an answer, but they were looking for a way to discredit Jesus.
How did Jesus reply? Look at verses 20b-21. “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.”” Firstly, Jesus helped them to have a right view of the kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not physical earthly kingdom based on political and military power. The Kingdom of God is spiritual and everlasting kingdom where God dwells and rules as the king of kings and Lord of lords.
To give us the Kingdom of God, Jesus, the Son of God, made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant. He humbled himself and served sinners by healing their sickness, feeding the words of eternal life, giving them the living water, and eventually offering his body as the sacrifice for sin of the world.
Look at verse 25. “But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” It refers to his suffering and death on a cross. It also explains why he suffered and died on a cross. Jesus did so to set sinners free from the slavery of sin and death, and to take them into the eternal Kingdom of God where there will be no more pain, tear, nor death. In the light of his glory and grace, there sinners will rejoice in the eternal fellowship with Father God.
The religious leaders ignored the prophecies that the Messiah would suffer and be rejected because they did not understand the work of the Messiah. However, Jesus taught repeatedly that he must suffer and die first. The word “must” indicates that this was the will of God. Why did Jesus have to suffer and be rejected? It was because of our sins—sins of pride, lust, selfishness, ingratitude, unfaithfulness, deception, laziness, rebellion, and more. Because of our sins, we deserve to be punished eternally in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. There was nothing we could do to avoid this destiny; no good works, no payment of money, no education or achievement could save us. Then, what can save sinners from the dominion of sin and death?
Isaiah prophesied, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa 53:5-6) Jesus took away all our sins with his blood on a cross. Then God raised him from the dead. Through his death and resurrection , Jesus destroyed the one who has the power of death, the devil. Then what? Colossians 1:13-14 says, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Yes. Jesus transfers them into the kingdom of the Son through redemption and the forgiveness of sins. What they really needed to do was to accept Jesus as the Messiah with sincere repentance. Then, Jesus would transfer them into the kingdom of God. They could experience the kingdom of God in their hearts. That is why Jesus said, “the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Throughout history, people have longed for the kingdom of God. So they have tried to establish paradise through philosophies and systems. Communists claimed that utopia would come through a classless society, with the motto, “From each according to his ability to each according to his need.” So, did Russia, China, or NK become paradises? Not at all, ironically, communists who gained power established a strong elite class and used their positions to exploit the weak. On the other hand, capitalists claimed that utopia would come when private ownership was acknowledged and free markets established. So, do we live in a paradise? No. Why? It is because people are selfish and greedy and take advantage of others.
We can find the best example of the kingdom of God in the Garden of Eden. It was paradise, not because the garden was so beautiful, but because God was there. God was the source of life. God reigned with love, peace, justice, and righteousness. When Adam and Eve accepted God as their king and obeyed his word, they could enjoy this paradise freely. But when they disobeyed God, they lost the kingdom of God. Even though people eat delicious meals, wear designer clothes, live in luxurious houses, and enjoy many vacations, they are miserable. It is because they do not have the kingdom of God in their hearts. Rather, their hearts are filled with strife, jealousy, bitterness and complaints, and blame others. Their hearts turn out to be a kingdom of jealousy, bitterness…
Thank God for Jesus, our savior. When we repent of our sins sincerely and accept Him as our Lord, the kingdom of God comes in us. Forgiving all of our sins and accepting us as his children, God rules over us with peace and love. Then, we can enjoy the kingdom of God, no matter what conditions we live in.
In John 4, there was a sorrowful woman who was deeply broken. She had hoped to find peace and happiness in the love of a man, but had failed 5 times. She was thirsty for love, burdened with shame and also hungry for true worship. One day at the well, she met Jesus. At first, she dismissed him because he appeared to be a nobody. But, due to his humility and truthfulness, she opened her heart and accepted him as the Messiah. Then, the kingdom of God came down into her heart. She could experience the love of God for such undeserving sinner like her; she could rejoice and worship the Lord in Spirit and truth. Since Jesus came into her heart, she turned out to be the woman of joy, the woman of truth, the woman of courage. She invited all Samaritans, saying “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” (Jn4:29)
There was a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector who was extremely selfish, greed and stingy. Jesus invited himself to His house and had fellowship with him. Jesus’ love and truth moved him deeply. He sincerely repented of his sins and made a decision to live new life, saying “Look Lord, Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus blessed his repentance, saying “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Lk19:8-10) His selfish heart filled with joy, love, and peace that come from God.
Wherever Jesus rules as the Lord of lords and the King of kings, there is the Kingdom of God. Does Jesus reign over your heart as King? Or is something else ruling over your heart? When Jesus reigns in your heart, there is the kingdom of God.
Look at verses 22-25. Now Jesus turned his attention to his disciples. They also had the same expectation that the earthly messianic kingdom would come through Jesus. Then, Jesus taught them several things. Firstly, Jesus would come again according to God’s time schedule. Look at verse 22. “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.” Here, “one of the days of the Son of Man” refers to the day of the restoration of the kingdom of God. They would long for this days when Jesus reigns with love and peace, justice and righteousness. This day surely comes; yet it will come according to God’s time schedule. Here, Jesus taught the disciples to trust in God, relying on His absolute goodness, and to wait patiently, believing that God will fulfill His promises in his time and in his way.
Secondly, Jesus’ coming will be universal, like lightning. Look at verse 24. “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.” Though we do not know when his coming happen, we will not miss it. It is because it will be public and universal. Everyone will see him for themselves and will not need to be told by someone else. Do you know how fast lightning travels? It can go around the earth more than two times in a second. So, In a split second, everyone on earth will see Jesus at the same time. Revelation 1:7a says, “‘Look, he is coming with the clouds,’ and ‘every eye will see him….’” We will all see Jesus with our own eyes when he comes again. So, if anyone says Jesus is here or there, they are lying. Do not run off after them. We do not need to be anxious or fearful whether we miss His coming. Instead, we need to focus on whether we are ready for his coming. How should we prepare ourselves for the day?
Second, remember Lot’s wife (26-37).
No one will miss his coming. However, since it will be sudden and unexpected, our concern should be whether we are ready for it. When I was in Korea in 1997, I heard the exiting news that my bride was finally coming for our wedding. Her flight was scheduled to arrive at 5 AM. I was so excited that I woke up 1 AM, then again at 2 AM, 3 AM, and finally at 6 AM. Though I knew when and where, still I missed her. I had made the excuse that I had too busy to welcome her. But, we cannot make an excuse when we are not ready for his coming. In this passage, Jesus teaches the disciples how to be ready for His coming, using the historical examples of those who failed to be prepared in the times of Noah and Lot.
Look at verses 26-27. In the days of Noah, people were so corrupted that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil all the time (Gen 6:5). Their wickedness was expressed through the way they married. Ignoring God, they married at random based on their lustful desires. They were also very violent. God regretted he had made them. When a tree branch becomes infected, we can cut it off. But when the roots are infected, the entire tree must be removed. God decided to destroy them all with a flood. But before doing so, he gave them 120 years to repent. In that time, God called one man, Noah, who was righteous before him, and walked faithfully with him. God commissioned him to build a huge ark and fill it with every kind of animal that moved on the earth. Though the people of Noah’s time saw the huge ark being built and every kind of animal coming to it, they intentionally ignored it. They fully indulged in eating, drinking and marrying up to the day Noah entered the ark. They had eyes, but did not see, and ears but did not hear. They were senseless, faithless, heartless. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. No one survived, not even one, except for Noah and his family members who entered the ark.
Look at verse 28-29. In the days of Lot, the sin of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah was so grievous, and the injustice so widespread, that the outcry reached God in heaven (28a; Gen 18:20-21). The angels of the Lord visited Sodom and the people there responded by trying to have violent with them. God decided to judge the city. When Lot warned his sons-in-law, they laughed at him, thinking that he was joking. People were like brute beasts without any awareness of God or his impending judgment. They were concerned only with eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building (28b). But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all (29).
Then, Jesus said, “It will be just like this on this day the Son of Man is revealed.” (30) From these two historical events, what can we learn about the day when the Son of Man is revealed? First of all, the day Jesus comes again will be the day of God’s final judgment on this sinful world. No one will escape. There will be no place to hide. Through the seven seals judgment, the seven trumpets judgments and the seven balls judgments, God will destroy them all, even the haven and the earth. It will be the most dreadful day for all those who ignore God and His Words of judgment.
Second of all, only those who listened to and obeyed God, like Noah’ family and Lot’s family, were saved by His mercy. Nothing is wrong with eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, buying and selling, and planting and building. These are our everyday activities: How we live our lives. However, Paul said “Be vary carful how you live… because the days are evil.” (Eph5:15) The days are evil because people live without God and without the word of God to obey. Though they may live comfortable, easy, and luxurious lives, these are godless lives. Though they have heard the word of God’s judgment, they live as if they never heard it intentionally. The world was evil in Noah’s day; it was evil in Lot’s day; it was evil in Jesus’ day; And it will be evil in the day the Son of Man appears – eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. Then, how we can live in times to evil?
Look at verses 31-37. Jesus tells us how to prepare for his coming. When Jesus comes again, there will be no time to go down or up to get something to take with him. So we should not be too attached to the things of this world. We should be ready to leave them in an instant, at any time, when Jesus comes again.
Jesus warned, “Remember Lot’s wife” (32). In the time of judgment, God’s favor was upon Lot’s wife. All she had to do was not look back, and she would be saved. But she was so attached to her jewelry and treasures, hidden in a special safe. She unconsciously looked back and became a pillar of salt. This teaches us that we should overcome attachment to the things in this world.
In verse 33, Jesus gave life principle for the disciples. The disciples should not follow the pattern of the world – eating and drinking. Look at verse 33. “Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.” Jesus wants the disciples to live sacrificially for him, not only in how they use material things, but in every area of life.
Jesus taught his disciples not only with words, but also through examples. The best way to prepare for his coming is to follow Jesus’ life – the life of serving and the life of giving. Mark 10:45 Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This is the principle of Jesus’ life as a servant for all. Living such life of giving and serving, we can be free from worldly attachment and be ready for Jesus’ coming again. This is Jesus’ teaching and also example for the disciples how to live in the end times.
One thing more we should prepare for his coming is our personal faith. Even though two people are in the same bed, one will be taken and the other left (34). At that moment, we cannot rely on someone else’s faith. Even though two women will be baking bread together, one will be taken and the other left. (35). We should be serious about living by our own faith in Jesus. We will be taken because of our faith in Jesus.
The disciples wanted to know where these things would happen. Jesus answered, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather” (37). Jesus meant that just as you see vultures from afar and know what they are up to, so you will see the coming of the Son of Man and know what is happening.
“The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!” Let us repent of our sins and accept Jesus as the Lord, so we may taste the kingdom of God. We may struggle to have personal faith and live the life of giving and the life of serving.