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Luke 17:33–37
“Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it” (v. 33).
Leading up to the coming of the Son of Man described in Luke 17:22–37, life will be mostly normal. Jesus says as much in verses 27–30, giving us a picture of His coming when people do not expect it. Whether He means His final coming at the end of history, the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, or both, people should expect that Jesus will come while the ordinary rhythms of life continue. In other words, His return will be unexpected from a human perspective because everything will seem otherwise normal. This serves as a caution for those who think that we must be looking carefully at how events in the world foretell Christ’s return. Life will be going on as usual when Jesus comes back, so we should not take any particular war, election, disaster, pandemic, or technological advancement as a sign that we have finally entered the last of the last days.
Jesus notes that at His revelation, people on the roofs of their houses or in the field should not come down or look back (v. 31). There will not be time to get our belongings, so we should leave them behind. Jesus then calls us to remember Lot’s wife (v. 32). Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back as Sodom was destroyed, suffering judgment for having her heart set on that wicked city and not on the way of escape that God provided (Gen. 19:1–26). Those with hearts set on their possessions and not on the Lord will likewise be judged when the Son of Man comes. Interestingly, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70, most Christians were spared because they had fled the city. Even if today’s passage refers to Jesus’ final coming, many early Christians believed that it was also about their day.
In keeping with the warning about Lot’s wife, Jesus warns that we will lose our lives if we seek to preserve them, but we will save our lives if we lose them (Luke 17:33). While warning about judgment, Jesus encourages faithfulness and consoles us with the reminder that death is not the last word for the believer. Christians who are being persecuted in the days leading up to His appearing, whether in AD 70 or at history’s end, must love Him more than their own lives. We must confess Him even if it means death, for we will inherit eternal life.
Verse 37 concludes this section by referencing vultures gathering. The word for “vultures” here is probably better translated “eagles.” This likely refers to the destruction of Jerusalem, since Roman military legions had images of eagles on their standards.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Human beings instinctively seek to preserve their own lives at almost any cost. It is normally good to seek to preserve our own lives, but if we must deny Jesus to do so, then we are to be faithful unto death. Let us pray that God would give us the strength to remain faithful even during trying times.
for further study
- Esther 4:12–17
- Daniel 3
- Mark 8:35
- Revelation 2:8–11
the bible in a year
- Psalms 145–147
- 1 Corinthians 11:2–16