Breaking the Word

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, a person who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise a person in the field must not return to what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left.And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left." They said to him in reply, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather."  (Lk17:26-37)

The vultures here seem to refer to the Romans who were invading the nation. And the Romans had eagle as their imperial badge. Vultures were considered to be a kind of eagle by the ancient writers. Roman army was fast approaching and they destroyed the land and the people of the land had no choice to make and they had no time even to think of their basic necessities.

The people at the time of Noah (pre-historic times) and the people of Lot (in historic times) were not worried about what was happening around. They were only concerned about their enjoyment and pleasure. They were all perished because their lack of interest in the happenings.

The day of the Son of Man will also be like those. In the midst of normal life ruin breaks in on those who have not heeded God’s call. This passage is an invitation to those who are anxious about the future. People who read the scriptures (about Noah and Lot) anf the people who experience the present (arrival of Roman army) should think for themselves about the future. But the promise about the kingdom remains. 

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he said in reply, "The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.' For behold, the kingdom of God is among you." Then he said to his disciples, "The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, 'Look, there he is,' (or) 'Look, here he is.' Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be (in his day). But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation. (Lk 17:20-25)

Jesus was speaking about the kingdom of God. He was preaching about it through parables and stories. Pharisees and other leaders could not get the idea about the kingdom. They could not understand what he meant by this and so they asked for signs and when and from where it would come etc. They wanted to see it and observe it. It was becoming more and more a mystery for them.

Jesus’ answer was more confusing them. He said do not go around here and there for the kingdom. It is not localized (in space) and it is not fixed in time (when). Kingdom is not conditioned by time and space. Kingdom is like the son of man who appears like the lightning and disappears the next moment. In a sense do not look for it out side . It is a presence.

Jesus never uses God’s kingdom in the sense of purely spiritual, private and interior relationship (within you). It may be closer to saying that the kingdom is present but secret, hidden, waiting to be discovered (in your midst). But the real meaning is more active. It is not that the kingdom is present for you to just observe rather you have got to do something about it. It is within your grasp. It is confronting you with a decision, the decision is to believe, to trust and to follow Jesus.