When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. 21Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.d”
22Then He said to the disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23People will tell you, ‘Look, there He is!’ or ‘Look, here He is!’ Do not go out or chase after them. 24For just as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so will be the Son of Man in His day. 25But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man: 27People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
28It was the same in the days of Lot: People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30It will be just like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day, let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve his possessions. Likewise, let no one in the field return for anything he has left behind. 32Remember Lot’s wife! 33Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed: One will be taken and the other left. 35Two women will be grinding grain together: One will be taken and the other left.”e
37“Where, Lord?” they asked. Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”
Well that was easy to understand wasn't it! I'm beginning to think Luke was affected by the time he spent with Paul: Peter's words could well apply to this passage as well ("difficult to understand"). I'm no NT Greek expert but "in your midst" seems to fit better here.
The consensus view seems to be that this passage (from v24 onwards) is eschatological. Yet the practical advice in v31 is similar to Lk 21:20-24 which seems to be about the AD 70 siege of Jerusalem by the Romans. No matter how unencumbered by possessions you're not going to be able to outrun the angel of death.
So maybe it's better not to think that v31 here is meant to be too practical else it would seem to be contradicted by v33. (Just like the hotel advice in case of fire leaving your goods behind is good advice if you want to save your life). Whoever tries to save one's life (by leaving your goods behind and making a quick exit by the fire escape) will save it, which is the opposite of v33.
So I think it's better to think of v31 as being about your attitude to your possessions - do you live for your possessions or the Lord? Which makes this passage similar to Lk 9:23-27 on the requirements of being a disciple of Jesus. Lot's wife's heart was still in Sodom - maybe thinking of her friends she used to wash clothes with etc. Yet v31 seems so definite and practical so I am not at all sure about this.
One interesting last point - the disciples ask "where" rather than when - seems counterintuitive.
22Then He said to the disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23People will tell you, ‘Look, there He is!’ or ‘Look, here He is!’ Do not go out or chase after them. 24For just as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so will be the Son of Man in His day. 25But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man: 27People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
28It was the same in the days of Lot: People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30It will be just like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day, let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve his possessions. Likewise, let no one in the field return for anything he has left behind. 32Remember Lot’s wife! 33Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed: One will be taken and the other left. 35Two women will be grinding grain together: One will be taken and the other left.”e
37“Where, Lord?” they asked. Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”
Well that was easy to understand wasn't it! I'm beginning to think Luke was affected by the time he spent with Paul: Peter's words could well apply to this passage as well ("difficult to understand"). I'm no NT Greek expert but "in your midst" seems to fit better here.
The consensus view seems to be that this passage (from v24 onwards) is eschatological. Yet the practical advice in v31 is similar to Lk 21:20-24 which seems to be about the AD 70 siege of Jerusalem by the Romans. No matter how unencumbered by possessions you're not going to be able to outrun the angel of death.
So maybe it's better not to think that v31 here is meant to be too practical else it would seem to be contradicted by v33. (Just like the hotel advice in case of fire leaving your goods behind is good advice if you want to save your life). Whoever tries to save one's life (by leaving your goods behind and making a quick exit by the fire escape) will save it, which is the opposite of v33.
So I think it's better to think of v31 as being about your attitude to your possessions - do you live for your possessions or the Lord? Which makes this passage similar to Lk 9:23-27 on the requirements of being a disciple of Jesus. Lot's wife's heart was still in Sodom - maybe thinking of her friends she used to wash clothes with etc. Yet v31 seems so definite and practical so I am not at all sure about this.
One interesting last point - the disciples ask "where" rather than when - seems counterintuitive.
