Luke 17:20 - Meaning and Application

We have here Christ’s teaching about the kingdom of God, that is, the kingdom of the Messiah, which was soon to be established and was widely expected. The Pharisees asked when the kingdom of God would come, but they pictured it as a political kingdom that would lift the Jewish nation above all others. They were eager for news of its arrival, and they may have heard that Christ had taught his disciples to pray for it and that he had preached that it was near.

Christ’s answer was first for the Pharisees, and then for his own disciples, who understood such matters better (Luke 17:22). What he said to both groups is also for us. He showed, first, that the Messiah’s kingdom would be spiritual, not worldly or outward. They asked when it would come, but Christ tells them they did not understand their own question. It may come, and they may not even notice it.

It does not arrive with outward display, as earthly kingdoms do. The rise and changes of such kingdoms are noticed by the nations and spread everywhere by report, but this kingdom does not come that way. Christ says it comes quietly, without pomp or public show. He does not answer their curiosity about timing, but corrects their mistake about its nature. Its great truths are revealed, but the exact times belong to God.

When Messiah the Prince comes to set up his kingdom, people will not say, “Look here,” or “Look there,” as if a prince were making a public tour through his lands. Where the king is, there is the court, but Christ’s kingdom will not be fixed to one place in that way. Nor will it be tied to one nation, region, or party, as though being born in one place or living in another could bring a person closer to it. Those who limit Christianity and the church to one place or group are saying, in effect, “Look here,” or “Look there.” That is the opposite of true catholic Christianity, that is, the universal church. The same mistake is made by those who treat outward prosperity and display as signs of the true church.

The kingdom of God also has a spiritual power. “The kingdom of God is within you.” It is not of this world (John 18:36). Its glory does not mainly catch the eye, but it changes the soul. Its power works on the heart and conscience, and from there it receives honor, not from the body only. It does not chiefly change outward conditions, but hearts and lives. It comes when proud, vain, and worldly people are made humble, serious, and heavenly-minded, and when those who were attached to the world are weaned from it.

Some understand the words as, “The kingdom of God is among you.” In that sense, Christ is saying, “You ask when it will come, but it has already begun among you.” The gospel was being preached, confirmed by miracles, and embraced by many people. So it was already present in their nation, even if not in their hearts. Many people are foolishly curious about times to come, while missing what God has already placed before them.

Christ also warns that the setting up of this kingdom would bring much opposition and interruption (Luke 17:22). The disciples may have thought they would keep moving forward without much trouble, with steady success in their work. Christ tells them it would not be so. The days would come when they would wish for even one day like the days they now enjoyed, a day of the Son of man, that is, a day of Christ’s gracious presence and gospel success, and they would not see it.

At first they would indeed see great success, as when thousands were added to the church in a single day. But it would not always be like that. They would be persecuted, scattered, silenced, and imprisoned, so they would not always have the freedom to preach as they did then. People would also grow cold after they had enjoyed the gospel for a while. Then there would not be such large gatherings of souls to Christ, or such crowds coming to him as doves to their windows.

This points forward to later generations as well. Christ’s followers must expect disappointment at times, and the gospel will not always be preached with the same freedom or success. Ministers and churches may face outward restraints. Teachers may be driven into hidden places, and public worship may be broken up. Then people will long for the days they once had, sabbath days, Lord’s Supper days, preaching days, and prayer days, the days of the Son of man, when they heard from him and met with him.

The time may come when we will long in vain for such days. God teaches us how precious these mercies are by letting us feel their loss. While we still have them, we should make good use of them. In times of plenty, we should store up for times of famine.

Sometimes there are inward restraints as well. People may not have the same signs of Christ’s presence that they once had. The Spirit may seem withdrawn, signs are no longer seen, the waters are not stirred, and there is deep dullness among unbelievers and great lukewarmness among God’s own people. Then they will wish to see those victorious days of the Son of man, when he went forth conquering and to conquer, but they will not see them. We should not think Christ’s church and cause are lost because they are not always equally visible or successful.

Christ also teaches that he and his kingdom are not to be sought in one special place, but that his coming will be plain and general, seen everywhere at once (Luke 17:23, Luke 17:24). People will say, “Look here,” or “Look there.” Some will point to one leader who will save the Jews from the Romans, or another who will save Christians from the Jews. Some will point to the Messiah, or to his prophet. Some will claim that the true church is here in this mountain, or there in Jerusalem. Christ says not to go after them or follow them. Do not listen to such claims.

The kingdom of God was never meant to bring glory to one people only. It was also meant to bring light to the Gentiles, the nations outside Israel. As lightning flashes from one side of the sky to the other and cannot be stopped, so the Son of Man, Jesus, will be in his day.

This points to two things. First, the judgments that destroyed the Jewish nation and rescued the Christians would sweep through the land like lightning. Those marked for that destruction could no more escape it than they could stop a flash of lightning. Second, the gospel that established Christ’s kingdom would spread like lightning through the nations. The Messiah’s kingdom would not stay in one place, but would spread across the whole earth, beginning at Jerusalem and reaching far beyond it almost at once. In this way, the kingdoms of the world would be changed by the gospel before they even realized it.

Christ’s victories would be set up on the ruins of the devil’s kingdom, even in lands that had never come under Roman rule. The goal of Christ’s kingdom was not to make one nation great, but to make all nations good, at least some people from every nation. That purpose would succeed, even if the nations raged and the kings of the earth resisted with all their strength.

The Messiah must suffer before he reigns (Luke 17:25). He must suffer many hard things and be rejected by that generation. If he was treated that way, his disciples should expect the same kind of treatment for his sake. They expected an outward display of power and splendor, but Christ says the path to the crown goes through the cross. The Son of Man must face pain, shame, and death. He would be rejected by unbelieving Jews of that generation before he was received by believing Gentiles, so that his gospel would triumph over the strongest opposition from those who should have supported it most. Then God’s power, not man’s, would be clearly seen. Even if Israel is not gathered, he will still be glorious to the ends of the earth.

The setting up of the Messiah’s kingdom would also bring the destruction of the Jewish nation. That nation would be found in deep security and lost in sensual living, just like the world in Noah’s day and Sodom in Lot’s day (Luke 17:26). Look at how sinners acted before in those times, and how God’s warnings finally found them. In the old world, people had corrupted their way, and the earth was full of violence. In Sodom, the people were wicked and great sinners before the Lord.

Both groups had fair warning. Noah preached righteousness to the old world, and Lot warned the people of Sodom. They told them in good time what would come from their evil ways. But the warning was ignored. The people felt safe and went on with ordinary life as if nothing were wrong. They ate, drank, enjoyed themselves, and gave their minds to pleasure. They counted on their present success lasting forever, so they married and raised families, hoping to build up their houses. The people of Sodom were also busy, buying, selling, planting, and building. These were lawful activities, but the sin was that they were absorbed in them. Their hearts were entirely set on worldly things, and they had no heart to prepare for the judgment they had been warned about. While they should have been fasting, praying, repenting, and changing their ways, they kept eating and drinking when God was calling them to weeping and mourning (Isaiah 22:12-13).

They stayed in that state until the judgment came. Until the day Noah entered the ark, and Lot left Sodom, nothing they saw or heard shook them awake. The stupidity of sinners in a sinful path is shocking, but it is not new. It has happened before, and many have gone to ruin while half asleep, as if their judgment were sleeping too.

God also cared for those who were his. Those who believed and feared him took the warning seriously, and they were preserved. Noah entered the ark and was safe there. Lot left Sodom and escaped harm. If some run headlong into destruction, that does not keep others from being saved when they believe.

Then ruin came suddenly on those who would not fear it, and it overwhelmed them in terrible shock. The flood destroyed all the sinners of the old world. Fire and sulfur destroyed all the sinners of Sodom. God has many arrows in his quiver, and he can use whichever weapon he chooses against rebellious people. What matters here is the lesson that destruction will come as a dreadful surprise to those who are secure and living only for pleasure.

It will be the same in the day when the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17:30). When Christ comes to destroy the Jewish nation through the Roman armies, most of that nation will be found in this same kind of blind security. Christ is warning them now, and the apostles will warn them again later, just as Noah and Lot warned their own generations. But it will all be wasted. They will remain secure, continue neglecting Christ and opposing his gospel, until all the Christians are taken out from among them and brought to a place of safety. Then God will shelter his people across the Jordan, and after that a flood of judgments will come upon the unbelieving Jews.

One might have thought this public teaching of our Savior would awaken them, especially since it was not long afterward made known to the world. But it did not. Their hearts were hardened, and that hardness led to their destruction.

In the same way, when Jesus Christ comes at the end of time to judge the world, sinners will be found in the same safe and careless state. They will be completely unconcerned about the judgment that is coming, so it will come on them like a trap. This is how sinners in every age go on in their evil ways, not thinking about their last end or the account they must give. Woe to those who are at ease in Zion.

It should also be the concern of Christ’s disciples and followers to set themselves apart from the unbelieving Jews at that time. They were to leave them, along with their city and country, and flee when the signal was given, according to the directions they would receive. They were to retreat, as Noah went into the ark and Lot went to Zoar. Jerusalem had been offered help, as Babylon had been in old times, but she was not healed. So the command was, leave her, flee from the middle of her, and let each person save his own life (Jeremiah 51:6, 9).

This flight from Jerusalem had to be quick, and they were not to let their worldly business slow them down (Luke 17:31). If someone was on the roof when the alarm came, he was not to come down to get his belongings. He could not spare the time, and carrying off his things would only slow him down. At such a moment, it would be better to leave everything behind than to stay and perish with those who did not believe. Their proper response would be like Lot and his family were told: escape for your life. Save yourselves from this crooked generation.

After they had escaped, they were not to think about going back (Luke 17:32). They were to remember Lot’s wife and learn from her. They were to flee from this Sodom, as Jerusalem had become like Sodom (Isaiah 1:10), and keep fleeing. They were not to look back, as she did. They were not to be unwilling to leave a place marked for destruction, no matter who or what they left behind, even if it was dear to them. Those who have left the Sodom of their old life should keep going forward and not even cast a loving look back. If they look back, they may be tempted to return. Worse, that backward look may show that their heart never really left. Lot’s wife became a pillar of salt as a lasting warning of God’s anger against those who turn away after beginning in the Spirit and ending in the flesh.

There would be no other way to save their lives than by leaving the Jews. If they tried to save themselves by joining with them, they would be mistaken (Luke 17:33). Whoever tries to save his life by giving up his Christianity and going along with the Jews will lose it with them and perish in the same disaster. But whoever is willing to risk his life with the Christians, standing with them on the same ground and taking his place with them in life and death, will save his life. In fact, he will make sure of eternal life, and he will be in a better position to save his life than those who choose the Jewish side for safety. Those do best who trust God and obey him.

All true Christians would certainly escape, though many would do so very narrowly from that destruction (Luke 17:34-36). When God’s judgments sweep everything away, he will still take effective steps to preserve his own people. He will use remarkable providences to separate them from others, even from those closest to them. Two people may be in one bed, and one will be taken while the other is left. One may be rescued from the fire and brought to safety, while the other is left to perish in the common ruin. Though the sword seems to destroy one person as well as another, and everything appears to happen alike, it will still be shown in time that the Lord knows who are his and who are not, and that he knows how to take the precious out from among the worthless. We can be sure that the Judge of all the earth will do right. So when he sends judgment to avenge the death of his Son on those who crucified him, he will also make sure that none of those who honored him and boasted in his cross are taken away in that judgment.

This separating, dividing work will be done everywhere, as far as the kingdom of God extends (Luke 17:37). They had asked, “Where, Lord?” They had first asked about the time, but he would not satisfy their curiosity on that point. So they asked another question: Where will those be safe who are taken, and where will those perish who are left? The answer is a proverb: “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will gather.”

Wherever the wicked are, those marked for destruction, God’s judgments will find them. Just as vultures or birds of prey quickly find a dead body and feed on it, so God’s judgments will fasten on the unbelieving Jews wherever they are. They have made themselves like a dead and rotten carcass, hateful to God’s holiness and exposed to his justice. So his hand will find out all his enemies (Psalm 21:8), even if they set their nests among the stars (Obadiah 1:4). The Roman soldiers will hunt the Jews out of every hiding place, and none will escape.

Wherever the godly are, those marked for preservation, they will be found safe in the enjoyment of Christ. As the breaking apart of the Jewish church will reach every place, so will the forming of the Christian church. Wherever Christ is, believers will gather to him, as eagles gather around prey, without needing to be directed or shown the way. The new nature within them draws them there.

Christ is where his gospel, his ordinances, and his church are. Where two or three are gathered in his name, there he is in the middle of them, and others will be gathered to him there as well. The Messiah’s kingdom is not to have one single capital city like Jerusalem was for the Jewish church, where all Jews had to go. Instead, wherever the body is, wherever the gospel is preached and God’s ordinances are given, there godly souls will gather. There they will find Christ, and by faith they will feast on him. Wherever Christ has placed his name, there he will meet his people and bless them (John 4:21, etc.; 1 Timothy 2:8).

Many good interpreters understand this as speaking of the gathering of the saints to Christ in the kingdom of glory. Do not ask where the carcass will be, or how they will find their way to it. They will be led there with perfect certainty, to him who is their living, life-giving Head and the center of their unity, to whom the gathering of the people will be.