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

 

Christ Pantocrator (Almighty) icon, 6th century.  St. Catherine's monastery, Sinai, Egypt

 

 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 it happened as He went to Jerusalem that 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."    My study Bible explains that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality present within the Christian believer and within the community of the Church.  Within you can also be translated "among you" or "in your midst."  The varied shades of meaning in the words of the Gospel are important; they are to be held and considered at the same time.  

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."    The coming of Christ will not be something that is hidden, or divulged only to a few.  It will be as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven; that is, it will be known to all immediately.  But first Christ's Passion must take place, His suffering and rejection on the Cross.

"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 comments on this passage that the 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."  My study Bible notes that Christ's second coming will entail a sudden revelation of judgment.  It says that one will be taken to heaven and the other left for eternal condemnation.  The separation of the saints from the wicked will happen on "the day when the Son of Man is revealed" 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."  My study Bible says that the body refers to Christ, while the eagles refer to the angels and the saints.  

 

Today's reading begins with the theme of the kingdom of God, with the Pharisees asking when it would come.  Christ's gospel has been the gospel of the Kingdom, His preaching saying that the kingdom of God has come near.   But the nature of this Kingdom is significant, and Jesus teaches the Pharisees that it is within (or among) people.  Note that this works on both a communal and individual level.  But then Jesus takes that question to a new perspective when He addresses the disciples, and begins to speak about what we call "end times."  This is important, in that it is at that time that the fullness of the Kingdom, even the fullness of the present age, occurs.  That time, that fulfillment of the present age, comes when Christ returns, at His Second Coming, and in that time -- importantly -- will also occur a sudden revelation of judgment, in the words of my study Bible.  It is for that sudden revelation that He wants us, His disciples, to be prepared at all times.  From the picture Christ gives of the fullness of this time, it is understood that we are in "end times" now; this is the era initiated by the Incarnation.  As we await Christ's return -- even in that sudden sense which He describes as a flash of lightning which shines from one end of the sky to the other -- we await the fullness of this age of the "end times."   This happens at the return of the Son of Man, and that is truly when His authority will be clear to all.   It is most telling that He says then, "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation."  For what this does is set the Cross at the very center of the history of the world, in between all that has come before, and all that will come until this fullness of the end, when judgment will be revealed and life in this world as we know it will shift absolutely to a different type of life altogether.  The way that Jesus adds this assertion is not only to warn the disciples about the shocking events to come, but to place the Cross fully at the center of everything.  It tells us how absolutely necessary Christ's Cross -- His Passion, death, and Resurrection -- is to all the fullness of time and of life in this world.  Also, it tells of the necessity of these events for judgment, for without them He will not be given the fullness of the throne which is His.  In Greek, this position on His throne in the Kingdom is that of the Pantocrator, the "Almighty."  (See the icon above, and the two sides of Christ's face, reflecting His human life and divine.)  And the Cross is also at the very center of that identity, the requirement that in His obedience to the Father, Jesus, our Lord and divine Son, will also experience everything there is of human life, and even human death.  He will be all in all.  In the Creed, we declare that we "look to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come."  Let us understand all that we have been given, the love that drives Christ to the fullness of His Incarnation for us, and the judgment that is to come as He brings to us the Holy Spirit at work in the world until His return.  For the kingdom of God is within us, among us, the Holy Spirit everywhere present and filling all things. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it

 

 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 as 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."  Here my study Bible comments that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality present within the Christian believer and within the community of the Church.  Within you can also be translated "among you" or "in your midst."  This double meaning is important.  In John 1:5, we read, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."  In Greek, as in English, the word translated as "comprehend" means both to understand, and to take in.  Both meanings are implied and important to our understanding. So it is also here in this teaching.  Jesus implies both understandings about the kingdom of God.  It is at once "within" believers, and also "among" them and "in [their] 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."  Here Jesus clearly teaches the disciples that they should not be dissuaded or distracted by those who preach another Messiah.  This is made clear when He says that "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."  In other words, the return of Christ will be obvious to all, and immediate as a lightning flash.  But first, they must know that in their lifetimes, 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 as 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 notes that the warning not to be preoccupied with worldly matters applies both to believers and to parishes.  Additionally, it reinforces the idea that the Second Coming will be sudden and unexpected when it occurs.

"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 comments 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" (see the verse previous to this section), and not, as some speculate, 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."  My study Bible explains that the body refers to Christ, while the eagles refer to the angels and the saints.  

Jesus gives us a certainty that He will return, and He also gives us other certainties about that return.  One thing of which we are to be certain is that it will happen suddenly, and all at once.  It will be unmistakable to all.  Both St. Peter and St. Paul tell us that that "day of the Lord" will come upon us as "a thief in the night" (2 Peter 3:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8).  There is an intriguing statement in today's reading, in which Jesus tells us in the middle of this teaching, "Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it."  This seems to be a message to us not to resist this process of judgment that will come, not to look back.  We are meant to keep in mind the kingdom of God that is within us and among us, and that we carry this kingdom within us and in our communities.  We don't want to look back on the things that we are meant to leave behind, but forward to the life worth saving -- the new life in Christ.  It is parallel teaching to that in which Christ tells us to take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23), and the teaching of St. Paul when he writes, "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31).  Perhaps relevant to these warnings is the understanding of precisely where the kingdom of God is to be found.  I recently heard a saying by St. Jerome:  "The graves of the martyrs are altars to Christ."   This speaks at once to looking forward toward the way of the kingdom of God, remembering Lot's wife, and to the way in which we do not seek to save our lives but instead to lose them to Christ.  This is symbolically found in the vision and prophecy of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37), in which Ezekiel is told to prophecy to the "breath of life."  Dry bones appeared to him, as symbols of the deadened state of Israel, and the Lord said to Israel, "I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live."  It may all seem like paradoxical language, but it is directly related to the understanding that the kingdom of God both within us and among us.  For if the kingdom of God is where the Holy Spirit dwells, then we have an understanding of St. Jerome's statement, in addition to the ancient practice of the relics of saints in the earliest Christian churches and specifically in altars.  This is because they are where the Holy Spirit has dwelt, particularly in those who have been martyred for their faith, following the example of the Lord.  It is the Holy Spirit who dwelt in the tabernacle with Israel, the Holy Spirit in the faith of the martyrs and their sacrifice, the Holy Spirit that makes the statement possible that the kingdom of God is both within us and among us.  Without the Holy Spirit, Ezekiel's Israel had no life.  And indeed, it is the Holy Spirit, given to us through the saving mission of Christ, whose ongoing work in this world lead us to that day of His return and revelation.  Just as the Holy Spirit made possible Christ's birth to the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26-38), and the Holy Spirit who led Christ into the wilderness to be tempted on the eve of His public ministry (Luke 4:1-2), so it is the Holy Spirit that brings the kingdom of God within and among us.  We, like the tabernacle of Israel in the wilderness, like the saints before us, carry that Kingdom through our faith, and today's reading teaches us what to go forward to, and also what not to cling to even as we go forward in faith.  For, just as Jesus speaks of that day to come, so we accept this truth.  The world, Jesus implies, continues and will continue just as it always has -- with so many people completely unaware of this reality.  And so it is today.  Let us, however, be those who don't look back but accept this mission of the Kingdom within us and among us, and trust in His promise.

 

 

 

 

Remember Lot's wife

 

 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; now 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 within the community of the Church.  Within you, it says, can also be translated "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."   Jesus emphasizes the suddenness and completeness of the day of His return, even as He is warning the disciples of His coming Passion and rejection.

"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 comments 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."  This latter statement is one which we read many times from Christ in various forms.  In teaching about who will enter the Kingdom, He said, "There are last who will be first and first who will be last" (Luke 13:30).  When He taught that each must take up one's own cross, Jesus said, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it" (see Luke 9:23-26 for context).  Here, His teaching reflects this similar idea that our lives must be led by our faith in God, and a willingness to let go of what stands in the way of where our faith would lead us, even to our ideas of who we are or who we must be.  Hence, the example of Lot's wife (see Genesis 19:15-26), which is tied to the judgment of God.

"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 comments 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, above) and not, as some speculate, at an event that occurs before this 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 tells us that the body refers to Christ, while the eagles refer to the angels and the saints.

Christ uses this memorable phrase in today's reading, "Remember Lot's wife" (referring to the story of Lot's wife who looked back, and became a pillar of salt; see Genesis 19:15-26).  According to St. Cyril of Alexandria, "To resist the temptation to look back is what it means to lose your life in order to save it."  There's another phrase to which St. Cyril refers us in commentary on this passage, asking us to remember that Christ also said, "No one that puts his hand to the plough and turns back is fit also for the kingdom of heaven" (Luke 9:62).  St. Cyril comments, "It is our duty to maintain our religious exertions without wavering and to persevere in them with undaunted wills or else we may suffer the kind of fate that befell the woman at Sodom."   St. Cyril was Patriarch of Alexandria in the fifth century (from 412 to 444), a time when the city was at its height and power of influence within the Roman Empire.  He played a decisive role in many controversies of the time, which continue to be studied.  But it seems to me that it is important that we look at his commentary and think about how it applies to us today.  What does it mean to put our hand to the plow, and not to look back?  What are the ways in which we might place our faith and trust in Christ, but then be tempted to turn away, to look back, to see things in our earlier lives which we have discarded in following the path of Christ and wistfully turn to what we left behind?  Some early commentators suggest that what is left behind and looked back upon are possessions we may have given away in the spirit of charity, for example.  Perhaps, in terms of today's phrases and concerns, we might have left a particular element of a "lifestyle" behind us.  Perhaps we seek to be less materialistic than we used to be, or we've changed our goals in life to reflect less of a concern with what everybody is doing, or what everybody else thinks of us, and more of a concern with where God seems to want us to go instead.  It seems to be clear that in the midst of all of this discussion of the end times, of Christ's second coming and sudden judgment, Christ is asking us once again to be prepared to pay the price, but with a deeper sense of conviction than before.  He seems to be suggesting that for every generation and every believer, these questions and challenges will come upon us, but we must be prepared to stay the course, and to remember how important that is, and how much depends upon it for our lives and our salvation.  There's another interesting commentary on this passage by St. Ambrose, in which he points out that Christ says He will return at night:  "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."  St. Ambrose explains this by suggesting that Christ's return will happen "at night" as it will be the time of darkness because of the Antichrist.  We contrast with the various times Jesus refers to His return as "the day."  This is particularly true of Christ's statement, "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." The brilliance of this flash of lightning shining out of one part under heaven to the other part is a sign of the illumination which Christ brings, and that He is, in fact, the Light (see John 1:5, 9).   In this perspective, just as John has written that Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness but the darkness did not comprehend it, so Christ's return will be the sudden illumination and flashing of that light shining in the darkness for all, at once, and for the fullness of time.  But for now, we must again return to our present circumstances:  where we are, what our own lives are about, where we find our current struggle for faith.  As we once again keep in mind that, at this stage in Luke's Gospel, Christ is now firmly on His way to the Cross, bound toward Jerusalem.  With that understanding, these issues take on even starker juxtaposition.  Christ will be judge of all; He is in fact the Light, that true light that will shine for all -- but for now we may find the darkness at times daunts us and shakes our faith, and so we need to remember and to consider His words.  Whether we are St. Cyril in Alexandria of the fifth century, or St. Ambrose in the smaller and less influential Milan of the fourth, or we find ourselves in our own particular kind of struggle with the darkness we find in our own times and places, let us remember Who is the true light, and Who tells us -- warns us -- to remember Lots' wife, and not to look back but forward, despite the struggle.  Let us remember who we are, and Whose we are.

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.

Remember Lot's wife

 

 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "This 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 not there 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, "This 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 here that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality, which is present within the Christian believer, and within the community of the Church.  It is important to know that the words translated as within you can also mean "among you" and "in your midst."  Every meaning is important:  it is necessary to keep in mind the latter two, while not losing the sense of the first.

 

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."   The warning not to be preoccupied with worldly matters is applicable both to individuals believers, and to parishes, my study bible reminds us.  This is an illustration of our focus in every day life.  Christ is teaching us that it is important to keep in our consciousness His promise of return.  Christ illustrates that His return (or second coming) will entail a sudden revelation of judgment.  One will be taken to heaven and the other left for eternal condemnation.  My study bible bible says that the separation of the saints from the wicked will occur on "the day when the Son of Man is revealed" and not, as some speculate, at a time that occurs before Christ's 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 elaborates here that the body refers to Christ, while the eagles refer to the angels and the saints. 

Jesus gives two different perspectives here on the kingdom of God; one is to the Pharisees who ask Him about it, and the other to His disciples.  First of all, the question from the Pharisees reminds us as well that the Jews were also looking to the coming of the Kingdom.  The Messiah was seen as a figure who would usher in this reality into the world, and popular expectations looked to that kingdom as a material one in which the kingdom of Israel would triumph over her enemies (especially over the Roman Empire of the period), and reign supreme in the world.   Seen in that context, Jesus' answer become a poignant one for all of us, because it reminds us profoundly that His gospel is one in which we bear the Kingdom into the world.  This is the good news of Christ's ministry.  Then He turns to His disciples, and He begins to speak about the Second Coming, His return to the world after His Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension.  We remind ourselves, as does the Gospel at this point, that Jesus is headed toward Jerusalem and toward His Passion.  The disciples seem entirely unknowing despite His warnings of what is to come.  It might be unthinkable to them at this point that He could die, just as the future destruction of the temple and the Siege of Jerusalem was no doubt unthinkable to the Pharisees.  While His answer to the Pharisees was no doubt incomprehensible, we as disciples are called to understand what it means that the Kingdom is both within us and among us.  But His Second Coming remains something in which many are mired in speculation.  Most telling, in terms of the historical and traditional perspective of the Church, is that which is noted by my study bible:  that when it does come, it will come as a powerful unmistakable force for everyone in the world.  As Jesus describes it, His return will occur "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."  Moreover, with total swiftness of the moment, some will be taken and some will remain.  There will be no preparation for this time, save the signs Jesus has named in His discussions with the disciples in the various places in the Gospels when He also speaks of the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem.  In Luke's Gospel, see Luke 21:5-28.  When Jesus speaks of the destruction of the temple (which would occur in 70 AD), it is intermingled also with prophecy of end times, meaning that we are never given clear timelines for His return.  Also, in a true historical and traditional perspective of the Church, "end times" include the whole of the period in which we await Christ's return.  So, the most essential information we take with us is the suddenness and unexpected quality of Christ's return.  He gives us a picture of people going along with their daily lives, entirely unaware of the moment of His return and the judgment that instantaneously occurs.  But this is a picture for us of the times of today.  It is we, as disciples, who must understand that we carry the Kingdom with us into the world, just as the earliest disciples were told by Jesus to tell people that "the kingdom of God has come near to you" (Luke 10:9-11).  Whether He is addressing the Pharisees or His disciples, Jesus' message is clear in today's reading.  We the faithful are those who must bear this living Kingdom into the world, within us and among us -- even as we await His return, of which He asks us to be ever-mindful.  In a rather stunning and slightly cryptic manner, He warns the disciples, "Remember Lot's wife."  She is the one who turned to a pillar of salt, as she looked back at the destruction of the "cities of the plain" (Genesis 19:26).  Jesus seems to be indicating that judgment can come this swiftly and powerfully, and that we are to be mindful always of what it is we are about, and the choice we make to bear this Kingdom within us and into the world.  Elsewhere, Jesus tells a would-be disciple who wants first to go back home to bid others good-bye, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:61-62).  Jesus' powerful reminder is a kind of explanation to us of the importance of our choices, our calling to be a part of this Kingdom.  Let us note that He calls both the Pharisees and His disciples to understanding, even as He is on His way to Jerusalem.  Let us remember where our focus needs to be in our own journey of faith.

 

 

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.

Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it

 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 the 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

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that 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."    My study bible notes that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality that is present within the Christian believer and also within the community of the Church.  Within you can be also translated as "among you" or "in your midst."  Let us remember that the community of the Church extends mysteriously through the work of God the Spirit, creating the Body of Christ.  As a spiritual reality, we may be surprised "among whom" we will find this Kingdom (9:50).

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."  Here is a warning about those who claim to have special knowledge about the return of Christ.  When He does return, it will be obvious to all, complete, powerful, and sudden.  And clearly, there is a plan at work here; nothing proceeds before Jesus' Passion, death, and Resurrection.

"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 warning not to be preoccupied with worldly matters, says my study bible, applies both to individual believers and to parishes.  We are to remember what we're supposed to be about.

"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 the 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' return will entail a sudden revelation of judgment.  One will be taken to heaven, and the other left.  My study bible notes that the separation of the saints from the wicked will occur on "the day when the Son of Man is revealed" (verse 30, above), and not 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."  My study bible tells us that the body refers to Christ, while the eagles refer to the angels and the saints. 

 The end of life as we know it in our world will come at Christ's second coming.  Jesus teaches the disciples several truths about that time.  First of all, He must pass through Jerusalem.  The central importance of His Passion, crucifixion, death, and Resurrection can't be avoided -- it is absolutely vital to the whole plan of the world, of the cosmos.  This event is central to the life of Creation, because it is the necessary central piece that must take place before His return and before Judgment.  Secondly, whatever is going to happen at the time of the end is going to happen in a way that is sudden and clear to all.  There is no one who is going to be left in the dark, so to speak.  There is no hidden place where He will return and others will not know of it.  Finally, and probably the most important piece of information we have, as Jesus places so much repeated emphasis on this point, is that we are in this time in which we await His return in order to focus on the here and the now.  That is, in order to be profitable servants.  The reason why our knowledge of His return and the Judgment that accompanies it is important is precisely because we need to focus on what we are to be about, to remember who we are and how we need to live our lives from moment to moment.  That is, our focus isn't on the time of His return at all.  We're not to make all kinds of calculations and estimates because that's not what our focus is supposed to be.  That's up to Him.  His return will come "like a thief in the night" and "at an hour you don't expect."  Our faith teaches us a kind of focus that is meant to be alert, vigilant, and aware at all times of how we are to live our lives.  Every moment counts.  We're to invest our vigilance in what our lives are called to be like, what opportunity is right in front of us, how God is asking us to remember God and to live life by participation in God's life for us.  We're invested with a kind of grace that we shouldn't think of as merely benign or somehow ethereal as if it may or may not make a difference to us.  Rather, grace is energy -- God at work in the world.  And that energy must be allowed to be at work through us and in us and within our lives, at all times.  Jesus tells us about His return so that we may remember this livening, quickening energy that is always within us and among us -- so that we may be truly alive to all that is present with us and live that fullness.  Is there something we need to do?  Do we have someone to thank, or to ask pardon of?  Is there something we need to change about ourselves or our way of thinking?  Do we need to pray?  How can we serve God, right now?  We have an energy in which we participate as good servants.  "Remember Lot's wife," Jesus tells us.  We are always moving forward.  The time for remembering is always right now.

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 it will 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."   My study bible tells us that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality that is present within both Christian believers and within the community of the Church.  It is essential for our understanding to know that within you here can also be translated as "among you" or "in your midst."  The various meanings reflect a true grasp of Christ's teaching.

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."  Jesus' return will not be kept secret nor hidden; it will be immediately understood by all.  Used in various contexts, the term this generation does not necessarily mean only those living at the time of His Incarnation.  It may extend also to the full time of the present age.  The clear focus Jesus teaches here is on being mindful of one's own work for the Kingdom, following the commands He's left us.

"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 it will be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed."  My study bible suggests that this warning not to be preoccupied with worldly matters applies to both believers and 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."    Christ describes a sudden revelation of judgment.  Some commentators suggest that to remember Lot's wife is speaking of material mindedness; she looked back at her possessions. 

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 refers to Christ, while the eagles refer to angels and the saints.

Jesus says, "The kingdom of God is within you."  And in today's reading, this statement is tied to Judgment, the Second Coming.  Clement of Alexandria writes that Jesus "says only what is for the benefit of all people: that the kingdom of God does not come by watching. . . . He says, 'Do not ask about the times in which the season of the kingdom of heaven will again arise and come. Rather, be eager that you may be found worthy of it. It is within you. That is, it depends on your own wills and is in your own power, whether or not you receive it.'"  This is how the statement about the location of the kingdom of God is linked to Judgment.  Clement of Alexandria comments that the kingdom of God is within you "through the truth of grace and not through the slavery of guilt. Let those that would be free be servants in the Lord. As we share in service, we also share in the kingdom."  The gift, then, is within us.  It is also among us, in community.  The choice that is on offer to us is already present and awaiting our own opening up of its gifts and blessings, what it has to confer upon our lives and our communities and relationships with one another.  The preoccupation with "worldly" life to an exclusion of this Kingdom becomes such a great loss that it shapes Christ's warning about Judgment.  What is it we focus on?  What is it we exclude?  He tells His disciples to remember Lot's wife.  When it is time to take up the work of this Kingdom within us, there is no looking back -- it is the way of life that awaits, the true life that pervades all reality, all the things that make life a true treasure.  In the microcosm of our own lives, we may find a sudden revelation of a truth that was hidden, or what we thought was our reality may break apart and disappear.  It is at this crucial warning that Jesus tells us, "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it."  Repentance is the act of constant change to adapt to the energies of God, the Kingdom within.   Everything is in the way we turn to the presence of the Kingdom at that time, a hidden reflection of His warning about what falls away.

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 it happened as He went to Jerusalem that 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 says that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality that is present both within the believer and also within the community of the Church.  Within you here, it suggests, 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."    Jesus gives us a kind of narrative or grand scenario about what is to come.  He warns the disciples first that in their lifetimes, they will highly long to see Him again.  But the warning is clearly expressed as one against "secrets" or secret locations.  He says very starkly that when He returns it will be apparent as the lightning that flashes out of one part of the sky and shines to the other.  It will be something known, not hidden.  But before that time, He will suffer and be rejected by the people, their contemporaries.  My study bible says that the 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."    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' (v. 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, says a note, refers to Christ, while the eagles refer to the angels and the saints.

There are many different interpretations given as to what Jesus means by the "eagles" here.  But clearly in my study bible's view on this passage, the center of everything is Christ.  He is the body.  And then we must also give pause to think about what the Body of Christ also means to us.  This turns us back to the beginning words in today's reading, "the kingdom of God is within you."  It's interesting how the things He points out to the Pharisees today "match up" with the events of the Second Coming.  The kingdom doesn't come with ordinary perception of our senses:  nobody is going to say, "Look over here!" or "Look over there!"  The teaching that the kingdom is within you (and you is plural here, as He speaks to many people) is vague, just as it seems in interpretation, and, I suppose, deliberately so.  It's read both "in you" as addressing each individual present, and also "within you" as in addressing a crowd.  Whatever the meaning, there is no doubt that what Jesus teaches here is all about the voluntary nature of choosing and remembering this Kingdom.  He will leave and we will be left, our daily lives now as then occupying our time and our thoughts.  Just as the kingdom itself won't come by some sort of physical warning or indication in the same way we perceive worldly events, so also His return will not be apparent to us until the moment it happens.   Then it will be seemingly known to all, from the description Jesus leaves us with -- the lightning that shines from one part of the sky and illumines the "other part."  So the implication here is, we will be, more or less, on our own, so to speak, just as worldly conditions before His human presence seemed to them.  And that's the key.  We'll all be absorbed with our daily lives, the things we need to do, the every day life of making a living, trying to keep a household together, the stuff of our daily needs as we see them.  But nevertheless, this will happen -- even as possibly we least expect it.  Elsewhere (Acts 1:7) Jesus tells the disciples that it is not for them to know the dates and times God sets for such events.  In other words, the warning is clear to all of us:  it's up to us to remember "what time it is."  This is a choice we make, a voluntary effort that requires vigilance and awareness, a mindfulness of just who we are and what our real circumstances are.  It's up to us to continually "remember God."  And this is a spiritual matter; it's about a kind of counterpart present to our worldly lives and perceptions, this is a kingdom within us and among us.  You need a particular kind of understanding and awareness to know it, and this takes desire on our part.  It is something we choose, and value, and pray to be a part of.  That takes awareness and it takes effort and discipline.  So, what do you know, what do you feel, what do you see?  Are you prepared for a life without His physical presence, but conscious of His kingdom?  Let us think about what it means to be aware of that kind of presence.  My study bible suggests that "the eagles" that gather are the angels and the saints.  Let us remember what an image of an eagle gives us, something majestic but also self-mastered, disciplined -- a true image of a leader.  Let us remember that we are all called to aspire to this kind of leadership, the self-mastery of one who remembers God and the kingdom, who is capable of practicing such awareness even when He is away from us, not present in the flesh.  This is who He calls us to become, what He gives us as an image to be "like."