Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Then he said to his 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. People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”
(verses 20-25)
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Jesus has two separate conversations about the coming of the kingdom. Each has a distinct audience: the Pharisees on the one hand, and the disciples on the other. And the emphases are entirely different. The Pharisees are told they’re looking for the wrong thing. Meanwhile, the disciples are encouraged that their own yearning is right, that it will be wonderfully fulfilled, but that they must be patient for the timing.
Jesus’ whole calling, in fact, was about the kingdom of God. After inaugurating his ministry in the synagogue of Nazareth, then furthering it in Capernaum, he had declared, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent”(Luke 4:43).
The Pharisees, then, were right to question him about the kingdom. But their focus was entirely misdirected. It’s as if their heads were turning this way and that, looking for signs, looking for tangible structures of the kingdom, such that they could grab hold, and point, and say, “Here it is,” or “There it is.” But Jesus says it won’t be like that. Why not? “Because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” It’s right here, right now, in my very person, Jesus is saying. When he had said earlier, “if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20), he was telling them the kingdom was wrapped up in his very presence.
But the Pharisees couldn’t see it. They were looking for the kingdom apart from Jesus himself. He was staring them in the face – the kingdom had come – but they were looking for something else. You won’t find it, Jesus told them.
But the disciples were different. They had truly set their sights on Jesus – not always perfectly, but it was now the orientation of their lives. So, in a future day, though the disciples don’t yet know it, Jesus will be physically absent. They will yearn for the renewal of his presence. “You will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man.” The implication is that this is simply another way of framing a longing for the kingdom of God. It’s a good longing, for unlike the Pharisees, the disciples will focus this yearning in exactly the right place – on Jesus himself.
But wait patiently for the fulfilment, Jesus implies. His second coming will be obvious and undeniable, like lightning flashing across the sky. So, don’t go running off pursuing any cry that says, “There he is!” or “Here he is!” No. Wait.
And understand that before the kingdom comes in all its power and glory, there will be suffering, which will fall squarely on the Son of Man himself. He will “suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” Although the disciples couldn’t yet see it – and certainly the Pharisees never expected it – this suffering would in fact be the very thing that would open the way into the kingdom. It would happen through the cross. “By his wounds we are healed,” Isaiah had prophesied (Isaiah 53:5).
So, as you yearn for the kingdom, ensure that you focus the yearning directly on the Son of Man himself – Jesus, the very one who went to the cross to save us. He bore the suffering that makes entry to the kingdom possible. And the kingdom will certainly come in all its fullness. Our Lord Jesus will certainly return. His coming is guaranteed. It will be undeniable, like a lightning flash.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
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Lord Jesus, I look to the future, turning my eyes on you. You are my hope. It is your presence that fills my longing. I wait in eager expectation – for you. Come, Lord Jesus.
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Pause:
Take time to sit quietly. Reflect on the hope of Jesus’ return. Focus your eyes on him afresh. Remind yourself that his coming is sure.
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Photo by Brandon Morgan on Unsplash
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