Free at Last

Segment Three: Luke 17:20-37 There is a television program called Winter Wipeout in which contestants are challenged to make their way through a treacherous obstacle course. The path from beginning to end is strewn with moving objects designed to knock the contestant off his or her path and dump each into the icy waters below. Everyone gets thrown into the frigid waters multiple times and all are seen climbing back onto the course to suffer the same violent fate again and again. Despite the multiple blows that pound away at each challenger, several eventually make it to the finish line to the praise and applause of all.

Is this not a lot like our spiritual journey? We innocently tread along the path of life– but often we do not prepare for the multiple obstacles that are headed straight for us. So BANG -- we are knocked into the icy waters below! Some of us are so shocked we remain there and forget to climb back onto the course. Others climb back up but are discouraged after the third or fourth dump into the freezing waters. But a faithful remnant persists to the end. One pastor I know has said that toward the end of his life, he expects his boat to be a bit leaky and his sails tattered, but that his ship will certainly sail onto heaven’s shores.

Our primary text in this segment concerns the end times. Jesus has some important words. for us to prepare us for the obstacles headed our way. And he challenges us to be prepared. Let’s stop and listen to his words.

18. Read Luke 17:20-37. Circle the phrases Kingdom of God and Son of Man. ‎‎‎Lk 17:20 One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” ‎‎‎Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. 21 You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.” ‎‎‎22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won’t see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes. 25 But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation. ‎‎‎26 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 27 In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all. ‎‎‎28 “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. 32 Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! 33 If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. 34 That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.” ‎‎‎37 “Where will this happen, Lord?” the disciples asked. Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.”

19. Who is asking Jesus a question in verse 20?

20. What do they want to know?

21. What is his answer to them in verse 21?

Theologians have puzzled over the translation of the last sentence in verse 21 for years. While the NLT renders the final sentence in verse 21 “For the Kingdom of God is already among you,” older versions used the preposition “within” instead of “among.” Serious Bible students cannot ignore this textual translation issue. Of course the question many scholars wondered about was how Jesus could have been telling the Pharisees that the Kingdom was “within” them. This is probably one reason why the translation has changed. Several commentary selections below should help to clarify this important issue for you.

‎‎The statement “the kingdom of God is within you” has challenged Bible translators and interpreters for centuries, and many explanations have been given. One thing we can be sure of is that He was not telling the unbelieving Pharisees that they had the kingdom of God in their hearts!

‎‎The Greek preposition can mean “within,” “among,” or “in the midst of.” Jesus was saying, “Don’t look for the kingdom ‘out there’ unless it is first in your own heart.” ‎‎‎The NIV “within you” (for entos hymōn, v. 21) is a questionable translation. Jesus would hardly tell Pharisees, most of whom (especially those who interrogated him) were unbelievers, that the kingdom was within them (cf. Marshall, Gospel of Luke, p. 655, who considers the word “you” to be indefinite, though he also rejects the translation “within”). The NIV margin (“among you”) is surely right.

22. Look up Romans 14:17. What does the Apostle Paul say about the Kingdom?

23. In verse 22, the audience changes. Who is Jesus speaking to now?

24. What is the topic Jesus is discussing with his followers in verses 22-25?

25. This same topic continues in verse 26. Jesus provides two Biblical analogies in order to answer the question. Who are they?

26. Read Genesis 19:17 and 26. What do you learn about the character and values of Lot’s wife?

27. Both Noah and Lot are stories of men who lived in wicked and evil generations, yet God saved them. How do you think these stories translate to today’s primary text? Why do you think Jesus used them as illustrations of his point about the Kingdom?

28. Down through the ages both theologians and crackpots have tried to determine the “where” and “when” of Christ’s return to earth. Using the Biblical text as a source for your answer, why is this a fruitless exercise?

29. Several personal applications can be gleaned from this passage concerning the coming of Christ. Based on the stories of Noah and Lot’s wife, what do you discern is the primary lesson of this passage for you? (The proper footnotes for this section were not transferred to this page but I have them.)