Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together

 

 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 He went to Jerusalem, Jesus 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."  My study Bible comments that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality which is present within the Christian believer, and also within the community of the Church  Within you can be translated also as "among you" or "in your midst."

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."  My study Bible says that the warning not to e preoccupied with worldly matters applies both to believers and to parishes.  There's a warning here first for His disciples that they must be patient after He is gone, and not follow false messiahs or false promises -- for His return will be sudden, and happen in such a way that no one will miss it.  He also gives another warning about the suffering and rejection He Himself will endure.

"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."   My study Bible says that Christ's second coming will entail a sudden revelation of judgment.  One will be taken to heaven and the other left for eternal condemnation.  The separation of the saints from the wicked will occur on "the day when the Son of Man is revealed" (verse 30) and not, as some speculate today, at an event that occurs 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."  The body, my study Bible tells us, refers to Christ, while the eagles refer to the angels and the saints.  

It is interesting to think about that last verse in today's reading.  What is the body?  Why does Christ speak of Himself this way?  That is, if the understanding conveyed in my study Bible is correct.  Now I personally cannot possibly say that I have an authoritative voice regarding these matters.  I trust to my study Bible as it is composed of notes made by patristic scholars who cite the commentary of the Church Fathers.  That is, those most authoritative in the history of the Church, and particularly the early history of the Church.  Their authority comes from the consensus of the early Church, and they are figures not only of religious and spiritual understanding but also the finest educated minds of their centuries.  This is why I cite them and look to them as authoritative.  My personal commentary comes from my own reading and especially the experience of my faith over a long period of time.  So, with that in mind, let us look at the word for "body."  Ordinarily, when Scripture refers to the body as opposed to spirit or soul, there is another word used, often translated as "flesh."  That word is σάρξ/sarx, and it is distinct from the entirety of the human person.  But the word in today's reading is σῶμα/soma, a word that, according to Strong's definitions, is also used for the "body of Christ," the Church.  There is another sense in which we can understand the use of σῶμα/soma in this passage, and that is possibly the important knowledge of Christ's Ascension.  One key facet of the Incarnation is what happens when Christ leaves the apostles for the last time, as He ascends to heaven.   He is still in His glorified human body, as is made clear in His Resurrection appearances to the disciples.  In Luke 23:39, Jesus says to the disciples, "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."  Then, as if to confirm the point, He eats in their presence.  The Gospel continues:  "When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, 'Have you any food here?' So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.  And He took it and ate in their presence (Luke 24:40-42).  It is this body that ascends to heaven, and that He does so is essential to our understanding of the Incarnation, and is linked to the information regarding His second coming.  This is because we are to understand that in the Ascension, the human body was glorified, and that the completion of Christ's mission into the world includes this important message about the future of human beings.  Our sense of Christ's "body" -- including the body of the Church -- is only full when we understand that His mission into the world as Jesus was made for us, and for this particular and important end in which He shares our humanity even with heaven itself, and not simply as the Man, Jesus of Nazareth.  Christ's humanity ascends with Him in His place as the Almighty, the One who will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead (Creed).   The word for "eagle" (ἀετός/aitos) is sometimes translated as "vulture" in modern texts.  But in my opinion this is a mistake, stemming from the misunderstanding of the use of the word for "body."  The historical use of this word indicates "eagle" as does modern Greek.  It seems a kind of hint as to the potential future of human beings, who have been glorified through the Incarnation -- this tremendous, unfathomable, and infinite gift of our Savior.  Let us not forget He has given us the kingdom of God, which dwells within us and among us.