The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, "See here!" or "See there!" For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you

 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."

Then 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.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."  And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

- Luke 17:20-37

Yesterday we read that as Jesus went to Jerusalem He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."  As is so frequently true in Scripture, the Greek words in the original text give us a full sense of Christ's meaning.  My study bible says that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality that is present within the Christian believer and within the community of the Church.  The words translated as within you can also mean "among you" or "in your midst."  Both senses, in the fullness of the language here, are true.

 Then 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.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed."  This is yet another warning in Luke, couched in the language of His second coming, in which Jesus tells the disciples that first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  But the teaching is on the coming of the Kingdom.  Jesus makes it clear that daily life will go on just as it has been, without any awareness of what is about to happen.  But this second coming of Christ will take place suddenly, as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven.  By including the warning again about His suffering and rejection, Jesus keeps their focus on the pragmatic reality of what is to come, and the life of the Church and awareness its mission before His return.  My study bible says that this warning not to be preoccupied with worldly matters applies both to believers and to parishes.

"In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."  Jesus teaches that His second coming will entail a sudden revelation of judgment.  One will be taken to heaven, my study bible tells us, and the other will be left for eternal condemnation.  This separation of the saints and the wicked will occur on the day when the Son of Man is revealed, as Christ's words indicate here, and not at an earlier event before His return.

And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."  My study bible says that the body is Christ, while the eagles refer to the angels and the saints.

What does all this mysterious and rather perturbing talk of the Second Coming mean?  Jesus stirs up disturbing images of a sudden and great cosmic shift in the reality of life.  One will be taken while the other will be left are words that are rather shocking to hear, and surely Jesus is aware of this when He speaks them to His audience.  He raises the image of Noah and the suddenness of the flood, of which the world was unaware before it happened (see Genesis 6-8).  He tells His disciples about Lot and Sodom, a sudden disaster that came without warning on those who were heedless of the understanding of God.  Moreover, He tells them they must "remember Lot's wife," who was told not to look back at the devastation in Sodom -- and when she did she was turned into a pillar of salt (see Genesis 19:1-29).  These are both accounts in Scripture of times when God executed judgment in the world, well-known to His Jewish disciples.  We note also that they are both accounts of judgment that comes amidst a world which has given itself over to violence and brutality, and therefore is far away from the teachings of God.  In Genesis 6:13, God says to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth."  But Jesus' teaching here is not simply to make a prediction about what is to come in the world; it is to teach the disciples what they are to be about as His servants.  While the world remains unaware of judgment, they must carry out His mission and be aware that there is a time when He will return, and indeed a time when judgment will take place.  He repeats to them something that has been taught already in the context of taking up one's cross daily, and following Him:  "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life will preserve it."  In other words, our job, as faithful disciples, is to remember His commands, to continue in His word.  He warns the disciples not to be swayed by those who say that He has returned, in the times when they will long to see Him after His death, Resurrection, and Ascension.  Like the times of Noah and Lot, His return will come at a time when the world is unaware of what is about to happen.  They must not focus on predictions and warnings, but rather on living the life of faith and following the Gospel He has given them.  The world will go on as it has gone, but they must remember His commands and what they are to be about, especially in the time when He is no longer with them as the Incarnate Jesus.  We are left together with the disciples, in this place where the world, forgetful of the God who teaches us love, may live in a violence born of selfishness, in which exploitation and corruption and its brutal expression may grow unchecked.  But we remember that we are servants to Christ, and that His Kingdom is both with us and within us.  It is within that living Kingdom that we find our true lives, and that for which we are truly grateful.