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This week we conclude our study of Luke chapter 17 and commence Chapter 18. Please read verses 17:25-37 and 18:1-8 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 17:26-27 (New Living Translation)
‘“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: “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.’
As I’ve said in previous devotions, I don’t have too many memories of childhood. However, for those few instances, my maternal grandmother is involved in a reasonable number of them. She used to visit our house frequently and would always have something to say about my behaviour or attitude. My parents look back at my life with glasses that are significantly ‘rose tinted’ but I’m sure that if my grandmother were alive today, she’d be able to tell a very different story!
My grandmother was never shy in giving her opinion and I’m pretty sure that as far as I’m concerned, the things she said to me were generally correct. I was often ‘naughty’ and would rarely do what was being asked of me. I would always find a way to do what I wanted to do and go against what was being said. As a result, my grandmother would often talk about the day when Jesus would return and in no uncertain terms would remind me that He was not coming back for me! She would use a line from Scripture to highlight the immediacy of His return: “In the last days, people would be disobedient to parents, lovers of themselves and unthankful”. I knew what I was like and therefore believed that Jesus was coming back very soon!
It’s absolutely clear that our society is moving closer and closer toward the full meaning of that scripture from 2 Timothy: “People will be selfish and love money. They will brag, be arrogant, and use abusive language. They will curse their parents, show no gratitude, have no respect for what is holy.” These ‘traits’ are a signpost pointing the way to an imminent return of Jesus and we should be aware of that.
However, in Luke’s gospel and our verse today, Jesus gives a balance to that ‘pointer’ and some people (including me) completely miss it. I tended to think that Jesus was going to return for His church when things got so bad that it was obvious that He was coming back. Until then, I was ‘safe’ to do whatever I felt like. Part of the problem for me was that I didn’t fully understand the words in the main version of Scripture I was using at the time. Add to that the fact that the Lord’s return was being preached regularly and the Timothy verses were being used over and over again to stress how bad things were becoming.
The whole point of what Jesus is saying here is that His return will be a surprise. Jesus is not telling us how bad things were in Noah’s day. He could have but He chose not to. He simply says that things were going on ‘as normal’ before the flood came. If you don’t see the world as bad as other people view it, Jesus’ words are for you. He’s coming back to a world that will be behaving ‘as normal’. To coin a phrase: “They won’t see it coming.” May we keep our hearts pure and ready for His return!
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