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Luke 17:22–25
“The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it” (v. 22).
Many first-century Jews expected the kingdom of God to come all at once in a spectacular display of divine judgment wherein Israel would be set over all the nations. Jesus, however, made clear that the kingdom would not come that way. It would have humble beginnings and grow over time to permeate every corner of the earth (Luke 13:18–21). Christ inaugurated this kingdom in His ministry such that His kingdom was present during His earthly ministry and is present and growing today wherever He is received as Lord—namely, the church (17:20–21).
Once Jesus had told the Pharisees that the kingdom was present in His ministry, He turned to His disciples to give further teaching on the coming of the kingdom. This teaching, found in Luke 17:22–37, presents some interpretative difficulties, but we do know that it is about the kingdom, for Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man, a title associated with His reign (see Dan. 7:13–14). It is difficult, however, to discern whether Jesus was speaking about near-term events or His return to consummate His kingdom at the end of history.
Luke 17:22 quotes Jesus as telling the disciples that a day was coming when they would “desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and [they] will not see it.” The phrase “one of the days of the Son of Man” could be a way of saying that the kingdom comes over several days—an extended period of time—and the disciples would not see one of those days. This reading fits well with Jesus’ teaching on the slow growth of the kingdom. If this is correct, the “one of the days” would be the day of judgment or consummation, since the disciples died before it and could not see it in the sense that those who are alive at Christ’s coming will see it. The passage, then, is about the return of Jesus in glory to judge the living and the dead.
On the other hand, Dr. R.C. Sproul takes the phrase as referring to the disciples’ longing to see Jesus again after His ascension. In other words, a day was coming when Jesus would not be among them bodily and they would long for the days of His earthly ministry. If so, their not seeing the day means that their wish will not be granted, and Jesus referred to nearer-term events, particularly the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Much of our study will adopt this view.
Either way, the coming of the Son of Man is public, so no Christian should follow a teacher who claims to have secret insight or knowledge of where Jesus is (Luke 17:23–25).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
False teachers in the first century claimed to have special insight into Jesus’ hidden teachings, the day of His coming, and more. Today, false teachers also attempt to peddle the secret knowledge of things to would-be followers. Jesus’ ministry and His coming, however, are public. All people have access to His teaching through the Scriptures and the faithful preaching of those Scriptures in the visible church.
for further study
- Ezekiel 13
- Matthew 24:36
- Acts 7:56
- Revelation 1:7
the bible in a year
- Psalms 138–141
- 1 Corinthians 10:1–22