May 06 2025

Tuesday May 06

Luke 17:22-30 – Will You Be Prepared?

22 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. 23 And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!' Do not go after them or follow them. 24 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. 25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 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. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

In Luke 17, Jesus, on His way to Jerusalem, has been especially teaching His disciples about forgiveness (vv. 1-6), faithfulness (vv. 7-10), and thankfulness (vv. 11-19). In verse 20, the Pharisees brought up the subject of the coming of the “Kingdom of God”, referring to the time when the Messiah would set up His kingdom on earth. Jesus reminded them to quit looking for a physical, political, and material kingdom and to look for a spiritual one (v. 21).

Then in Luke 17:22-30, Jesus turns and speaks to His disciples about His return, the day of the Son of Man. Today, this passage challenges us to live with readiness, not distracted by the world’s noise or lulled into complacency. Jesus uses vivid Old Testament examples to show how sudden and certain His coming will be, urging us to stay faithful and alert.

Jesus warns His disciples that a time will come when they’ll long for His presence, but it won’t be as they expect. False voices will cry out, “He’s here! He’s there!” but Jesus says not to chase them. His return will be unmistakable, like lightning flashing across the sky. It will be sudden, visible to all, and impossible to miss (Read Revelation 1:7; and 19:11-16). Yet, before that day, He must suffer and be rejected, a reminder that the path to glory goes through the cross (v. 25).

To drive home the urgency, Jesus points to two Old Testament events: the days of Noah and the days of Lot. In both, people were consumed with everyday life—eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, building. There’s nothing wrong with these activities, but the problem was their focus. They were so wrapped up in the ordinary that they ignored the warnings of coming judgment. Both Noah and Lot lived in days of religious compromise and moral declension, not unlike our present time. During "the days of Noah," population growth was significant (Gen. 6:1), lawlessness was on the increase (Gen. 6:5), and the earth was given over to violence (Gen. 6:11, 13). In Lot's day, the unnatural lusts of Sodom and Gomorrah were so abhorrent to God that He completely destroyed the cities. Only Lot, two of his daughters, and his wife (who later was destroyed) were saved from the terrible judgment.

Jesus says it will be the same when He returns. The world will be caught off guard, living as if life will go on forever. But for those who follow Him, the call is clear: stay awake, stay faithful, and don’t get lulled into spiritual sleep. This isn’t about obsessing over dates or signs but about living each day with purpose, doing God’s work, and keeping our hearts fixed on Him. The suddenness of His coming isn’t meant to scare us but to spur us to live differently. To be ready, expectant, and aligned with His kingdom.

So, here’s the challenge for us this week: Live ready. Take a moment each morning to ask yourself, “If Jesus returned today, would I be found displaying the reality of Jesus Christ in my life. Living a life of forgiveness, faithfulness, and thankfulness because of my faith and love for the Lord?”  Today, identify one area where you’re tempted to drift into complacency—maybe it’s neglecting prayer, chasing distractions, or ignoring a call to serve. Commit to one intentional action to counter that drift.

May the Lord help us to be prepared for His coming living with eternity in view and not be caught off guard like the world was in Noah’s or Lot’s day. Will you be ready when He comes?

God bless!