November 14, 2024

Luke 17:20-25

Where is the Kingdom of God?  In this passage, the Pharisees ask Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come.  Jesus’ answer is that the coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed or pointed out, because it “is among you.” This means that the Kingdom of God is not future, but present now in the world.  It means that the Kingdom of God is not somewhere else, but here.  And what is the Kingdom of God? It is having Jesus’ heart and mind as our own heart and mind – to love God and our fellow human beings, to follow the teachings he has been giving.

Then turning to his disciples, he tells them about what is about to come.  Jesus will not be on the earth anymore, so don’t run around looking for him.  Referring to himself as “the Son of Man,” he says he will light up the whole world “just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other.” Like lightning, he appears in a flash, suddenly, taking no time at all.  His energy is transformative, beyond conception, and incontrovertible. Lightning courses through the world, instantly reordering all phenomena in its direction.  That is all.