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This week we conclude our study of Luke chapter 17. Please read verses 20-25 every day this week and, if possible, use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
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Luke 17:22-25 (NLT)
‘Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won’t see it. People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes. But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation.’
There are many, many people in this world with phobias and there are thousands of fears that have been diagnosed as being legitimate. It’s getting to the point now where you can name almost any subject and there is an associated phobia. In a recent sermon at Oasis Community Church, we mentioned that people who are afraid of heights are only like that because they don’t’ want to fall.
That seems perfectly logical to me and I understand the fear. I’m not too keen on snakes. I don’t think it’s really a phobia but I just don’t fancy the idea of being crushed to death or bitten by the things. Other phobias affect the mind in very real ways. For example, claustrophobia affects so many people and really debilitates them in certain circumstances.
I remember once when I was having an MRI scan. If you’ve had one of these then I think you’ll have some understanding of what it’s like. If you haven’t, then I’ll briefly explain. The process involves you laying perfectly still face up on a bed that moves into a tunnel. When you’re inside this tunnel, your face is only a few inches below the roof of the tunnel and the noise inside can be very loud.
This can be quite uncomfortable for anyone, but for those with any kind of phobia of enclosed places, it can be a nightmare. As I said, I had one of these once and my back was troubling me so I was in pain, I needed to go to the toilet and with a bad headache, the noise was just incessant. I struggled to keep absolutely still and was just desperate for the whole ordeal to be over. I just wanted to get to the end as soon as possible and make my escape from the terrible experience.
In our verses today, Jesus is talking about the time when He will return to earth. Notice firstly, that He has now shifted His attention directly to the disciples. He is talking to His followers and I believe this doesn’t only apply to those people who heard the message directly. I believe that it applies even today.
I know it’s a weak illustration, but in my MRI scan, I was ‘longing’ to get out of the tunnel. I really didn’t want to stay there and was desperate to be released from my restriction. Jesus says that there will come a time when we as disciples will ‘long’ for His return. As the days are unfolding, and as culture is continually changing to be more and more Godless, I find my longing for His return intensifying.
His return is guaranteed but the timing of the event is unknown. We will be looking at His return in more detail later in Luke, and in Chapter 21, Jesus says “When these things begin to happen, look up…”. Years ago, we seemed to talk more about His return and believed that it was imminent. As a result, I think we lived in a less materialistic society. We can be so absorbed in our possessions that we ‘forget’ that this world is not our home. My prayer today is that we endeavour to leave behind the things that can tie us to this world and genuinely ‘Look for His appearing’.
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