17:20-21
The Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come (20) The kingdom was a hot topic at that time. Israel lived under Roman occupation. The Jews longed for restoration of their fortunes, to have a king of their own who would establish God’s righteous rule like king David. They looked for a Messiah who would drive out the Romans and rule on the Davidic throne.
Given how Jesus responded, they must have expected cosmic signs to accompany the coming the kingdom. But Jesus said the kingdom is not coming with sings that can be observed. People will not come and say look, here it is.
The reason for this, Jesus said, is that the kingdom is in the midst of you. (21) The NIV says “within you”. I take that to mean within the presence of those there, or “among” you. It cannot mean the kingdom was inside the Pharisees, because they were not believers.
The kingdom came with the arrival of the king. The king is Jesus. He preached the good news of the kingdom. (Luke 4:43) The first words of Jesus recorded by Mark are “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel”. (Mark 1:15)
Jesus brought men and women into the kingdom as they believed in him. As he told Nicodemus, unless you are born again you cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)They were delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of Jesus, in whom they had redemption and the forgiveness of sin. (Colossians 1:13)
Jesus expanded his kingdom and demonstrated its power when he cast out demons and destroyed the work of the devil. He had already told the Pharisees that his casting out of demons shows\ed the kingdom of God had come upon them. (Luke 11:20)
The Pharisees expected cosmic signs and so missed the real signs. Men and women repenting of their sins and following Jesus, his healing the sick and casting out demons were the signs the kingdom had come. But the Pharisees looked for a different kind of Messiah and different kind of signs.
So Jesus was teaching them that he had brought the kingdom. It was not fully realized, but it had begun.
Jesus Foretells His Departure
17:22-23
Jesus turned from speaking to the Pharisees to teaching his disciples. He foretold the events that would occur next, that is, his suffering and death.
Jesus said the days were coming when they would desire to see even one of the days of the Son of Man. (22) After his death and resurrection, they would not see him. They would long for his return.
And, he warned them, people would say look, for the Messiah is here. (23) Jesus said do not go out to see them, because that is not the way my return will occur. I will not just appear and start walking around.
This happened. There have been many who claimed to be the Messiah returned.
This type of thing still happens today. There have been many false messiahs. There have also been a multitude of false prophets who claimed to know when Jesus would return. Others have claimed that cataclysmic events mean the time of his coming is near. Natural disasters and wars set off many predictions. So do normal, natural events, such as an eclipse, a red colored moon or a comet.
My adult life has been full of these predictions. Many otherwise good ministers and speakers would say they knew they could not know the time, but this has to be it because of the signs we see. Yet, they were always wrong. And, one result of this wrong-headed false prophesy is that it takes away from the real truth and its importance.
What Jesus’ Return Will Look Like
17:24-37
But Jesus said, when he comes back, we will clearly know it. He said “as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day”. (24) The phrase “in his day” refers to his return. His return will be visible and dramatic, not secret.
Before any of this can happen, though, Jesus had to complete his mission. He had to do what he came to do in his first coming, to accomplish salvation. Therefore, he said he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. (25) He had to be rejected by his people. He had to die to redeem those he would save, the subjects of his kingdom.
In verse 26, Jesus describes life at the time of his coming. First, he said, it would be just like the days of Noah. People in Noah’s time ate and and drink and married until the rain began and the time of destruction arrived. (27) They probably scorned Noah for building the ark when there was no flood. This is what non-believers do. But believers should not fuel their lack of concern by continually issuing false predictions.
Jesus also used the story of Lot as an example. Non-believers ate and drank, bought and sold, planted and built, right up to the time God destroyed the city of Sodom, raining down fire and suffer until they were destroyed. (29)
Jesus said it will be the same on the day when he is revealed, when he returns. (30) People who do not believe in Jesus will carry on their daily lives, not believing in a day of judgment, until the day he actually comes to judge. For believers, Jesus’ return is the best day ever. For non-believers, though, it will be a bad day of judgment. Notice that both of Jesus’ examples ended with destruction.
Once the time comes, there will be no way to prepare. There will be no way to recover. Jesus said the one who is on is roof cannot go back in the house and save his stuff. (31) It will be too late. One will be taken because he or she is a believer. One will be left to face the judgment because he is not a believer.
This is why we should preach the full gospel now. We do not need to say the hurricane is a sign that Jesus will return soon. What we do need to say is there will be a day of judgment and, when it comes, there is no more time to repent and believe.
The time to be saved is now. Repent of your sin, believe in Jesus as the Son of God who died for your sins, who rose from the dead, and who waits in heaven until the day comes for his return. I do not know when that day will be. It might be today. It might be later. The point is not to predict the day, but to be ready for it.
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