The Nature of the Kingdom
Luke 17:20–37 NKJV
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.”
What comes into your mind when someone talks about a Kingdom? The first deduction is that there is a kingdom that there must also be a king (or queen) who rules over it. We don’t have many kings today, and many of today’s monarchs like Charles III of Great Britain serve mostly ceremonial roles. But we do use similar words like “dictator” and “dictatorship” to indicate the absolute rule of some person over a particular land or dominion. We also use the terms “empire” and “hegemony.” Such entities might claim to be democracies, but everyone knows that this is mostly fraudulent. So even if we don’t formally have kings and kingdoms or something which is called an empire, we know quite well the trappings of monarchy. There is a rules based order which is imposed upon the vassals whereas the rulers are above the law.
Things weren’t any different in the days of Jesus. Jesus lived in Palestine which was ruled by one of the Herods who was, in turn, a vassal client of Rome. Rome was an Empire ruled over by an Emperor, and the emperors of the Roman Empire imagined themselves to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Rome was in the opinion of many to be the “Eternal City.” So, Jesus of Nazareth in the flesh was subject to being ruled over along with His fellow Jews and many other subject people.
We would get the idea that many in Israel resented being ruled over by Gentile rulers, but not all. Being subject to the Romans could offer many benefits as well. The Sadducees profited mightily over their co-operation with Rome. So did the Herodians. They would have seen the claims of any rival king, even one coming up from a Son of David as being a threat. But these were a minority of the Jews who were trampled under by both the religious establishment of Israel as well as Caesar. The Pharisees were mostly of the small merchant class and were basically middle-class. These might want for better conditions but were content to have influence over the common people. They promised much and delivered little to the poor of the land who lived from day to day in poverty.
The conditions of that day led to a political movement in Israel called the “Zealots.” These were those who advocated revolution against the establishment. They were always looking for a charismatic leader to gain a following to lead the people in “stasis” or revolution. They looked to Scripture and believed that such a leader who would do exactly this was prophesied there. This person was described the term “Messiach” or “Messiah.” Barabbas was apparently one of these as he was arrested by Rome for the crime of “stasis” in which at least one person was murdered. There was Judas the Galilean and others who are mentioned as well. The fact that Jesus was a son of David and talked about the Kingdom of God stirred up much interest among these Zealots and to some degree the Pharisees as well.
The Zealots preyed upon the general misery of the local population to stir them up. They pointed out that they had to pay oppressive taxes to a foreign master. They could be compelled to carry the armor of a Roman soldier for a Roman mile, armor which was very heavy and could be compared to the idea of the ancient Israelites having to collect their own straw to make bricks for Pharaoh. and, although, there were some Roman Centurions mentioned in the Bible who were kind to the Jews, others were cruel. Pilate, the Roman governor of Judaea was well know for his cruelty, a cruelty which added fuel to the fire of revolution. The revolution would not happen in Jesus’ day, but within a generation the Jewish War against Rome in 66-70 AD would lead to the destruction of the Temple, the death of thousands, and being led into exile and slavery.
In this morning’s text we read that the Pharisees demanded when the Kingdom would come. They were looking for a visible manifestation of the Kingdom. The Pharisees were opportunists. If there was going to be an overthrow of Rome and the establishment of an Israeli Kingdom in Israel, it would be good to get in on the ground floor. Such a view is demonstrated by the petition of John and James’ mother that they be given the choice positions on the left and right hand. But Jesus did not give the expected answer. They had heard of Jesus’ miracles. Some had even seen them. They had heard of heard of His teaching. so, Jesus’ answer was puzzling. The Kingdom would not come in a visible manifestation in Jerusalem, at least not the visible manifestation they understood of earthly King and Kingdom. Yet it would be visible, but the manifestation would be the detestable and cursed cross Jesus would hang upon. He came not to set up an earthly visible kingdom like the kingdoms of the surrounding nations, at least not yet.
Jesus instead tells them that the Kingdom was within them. It is indeed a kingdom, even in the here and now. It is not visible in the pomp and splendor of earthly kingdoms. It does not grow through political intrigue, armies, warfare, and displays of power. It does not come through revolution and replacing the old boss with the new boss. It does not conquer like Joshua did the land of Canaan. But we are called to manifest this kingdom that is within us by the Holy Spirit, not by carnal weapons, but spiritual.
After Jesus tells the Pharisees and His disciples what the Kingdom of God He came to inaugurate would be, He expresses the ruin that their idea of the Kingdom of God would be. Luke tells us earlier that Jesus had set His face towards Jerusalem. But instead of receiving and earthly kingdom and receiving the accolades of the crowd and the noise of sycophants wanting to get a good position in the Kingdom, He would be rejected. He would suffer there. This isn’t the only time that He talks about His rejection and death in Jerusalem. He told the incredulous disciples at Caesarea Philippi that He would be crucified in Jerusalem. Jesus had to rebuke Peter when Peter said that there was no way this could happen in the strongest terms. Elijah and Moses talked with Jesus on the mount about his coming exodus (departure) in Jerusalem, an Exodus in which He would become the Passover Lamb. Jesus was constantly having to correct their misconceptions about the Kingdom of God.
Jesus then describes the end result of worldly Messianic hopes that the Jews held. It would end in ruin and destruction. This is not the only time that Jesus talks about the destruction of earthly Jerusalem. Much of the details we see here we normally associate to the return of Jesus at the end of the age. But much of it also prophesies the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem in the Jewish War 66-70 AD in which the Romans would conquer the nation and end the hope of the Jewish nation. The standard of the Roman army was the eagle (Egyptian Vulture), The legions would surround the city like vultures waiting to devour the kill. Jesus warned those who would listen to flee the city when they saw these things happen. There would not even be time to go into the house and gather belongings. Many Christians heeded the warning and fled to the city of Pella to escape the destruction.
The destruction was complete. Many Jews were killed. Others were taken as slaves to Rome. A few were allowed to stay for whatever reason. All this because they did not understand why Jesus had come. They had rejected His clear teaching that He had come to save and not destroy. He would set up a different Kingdom, one consisting of more than one particular nation or people but everyone who would come. People need more than political deliverance and freedom such as the world promises but falls short on providing. He came to save people from the awful and eternal consequences of sin.
Jesus does not just answer the Pharisees on the “when” of His Kingdom, He also tells them the signs when this world would end. It would end for the Jews in 70 AD, but this also points to the end of the age when all human kingdoms would be abolished and the fullness of the Kingdom with a pomp and circumstance far greater than any earthly kingdom would be manifest. We are warned to learn a lesson from the times of Noah. Noah spent 120 years building the Ark by which if any had listened to Noah would have believed, repented and been saved. Instead, they continued business as usual. There was still much violence. Even though the process of building the Ark continued for such a long time, the end came suddenly. the Ark was shut and the floods came. Only the eight people who were in the Ark were saved. Jesus also talks about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis tells us that the plains around Sodom and Gomorrah were well-watered. Archaeology confirms this and tells us the place was once lush and could grow tropical fruits which could grow nowhere else in the Middle East. They married and were given in marriage, for example Lot’s daughters were engaged to men from Sodom. But the place was very wicked also, not unlike what we see in many parts of America today. Peter tells us that Lot was vexed at this wickedness. He sat as one of the elders in the gate. He tried to shield the two men (angels) who came. He preached to them. There were wars and rumors of wars also. Abraham had to rescue Lot and the inhabitants from captivity not so much earlier. Yet the end came suddenly. The people were warned but did not listen. Nor did they repent. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah came to eternal ruin as well as the cities they ruled over. Their weapons and authority were of no use to them.
Jesus also warned them to remember what had happened to Lot’s wife. Lot’s wife was reluctant to leave and the angels had to use force to get her to leave. But she looked back. This serves as a warning to us to not look back and escape to Jesus while we can.
We claim in our creeds that we expect the resurrection from the dead and life everlasting. It is a comfort to the Christian who has decidedly put his hand to the plow that there is a day in which the Kingdom of God will come in its full glory. We shall see our glorious King in splendor far above that of any earthly kingdom. This is what motivates us to continue onward in the faith, despite the hardship, rejection and persecution we face. But I bring us back to remembrance that Jesus said that the Kingdom is already among us. The question I would ask is what we doing to manifest the Kingdom of God now. It isn’t the visible glory of earthly kingdoms, but it is to be demonstrated. The world senses that there is something different about us. We do not use deceit, psychology, force, and other demonstrations of power. Instead, the power of the Kingdom is displayed in our human weakness. We sow seeds of kindness, hope, and redemption. We warn the world that life can end very suddenly. there are those like the Pharisees we mentioned who wanted to play both kingdoms. It could be a grave mistake to try to time the Lord would return, thinking they can live their best life now and forever. Again, let us put our hands to the plough and work. Let us occupy until He comes. Blessed is the man whom the Lord finds engaged in the work He has called him to rather than getting drunk with the servants. Let us not bury talents in the sand waiting for the Lord to return, thinking we shall be commended. Instead let us make gain for the King and His Kingdom.
