Luke 17:22-37: a reflection

22He 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. 23They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Don’t go away or follow after them, 24for as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part under the sky, shines to another part under the sky, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26As it was in the days of Noah, even so it will also be in the days of the Son of Man. 27They ate, they drank, they married, and they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ship, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28Likewise, even as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from the sky and destroyed them all. 30It will be the same way in the day that the Son of Man is revealed. 31In that day, he who will be on the housetop and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away. Let him who is in the field likewise not turn back. 32Remember Lot’s wife! 33Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it. 34I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken and the other will be left. 35There will be two grinding grain together. One will be taken and the other will be left.” 37They, answering, asked him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there the vultures will also be gathered together.”

When Jesus speaks of the day of the Son of Man, he warns his disciples not to be caught unaware, absorbed in ordinary life as though it would go on undisturbed forever. As it was in the days of Noah, he says, and in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they married, they bought and sold and planted and built, until the day the judgment fell. It was not that they were doing wickedly in all this; they were doing the ordinary things of life. But they were absorbed in them, unready, taking no thought of what was coming, and so they were caught unaware. Jesus warns his disciples to live ready, not so absorbed in the ordinary business of life that they are caught unprepared for the Lord's coming. The danger is not ordinary life itself, but being so lost in it that we forget to be ready.

Notice the warning: not to be so absorbed in ordinary life that we are caught unready. The people in Noah's and Lot's day were not necessarily doing great evil; they were eating, drinking, marrying, buying, building, the ordinary things. But they were absorbed in these things, taking no thought of what was coming, unready when the day fell; and so it caught them unaware. Jesus does not say the ordinary things of life are wrong; he warns against being so lost in them that we forget to be ready for his coming. The danger is a heart so absorbed in the business of life that it takes no thought of the Lord, and is caught unprepared. To live ready is not to abandon ordinary life, but to hold it with an awareness that the Lord is coming, not to be so absorbed that we are caught unaware. Readiness, not absorption, is the calling.

That is worth taking to heart, for we are called to live ready for the Lord's coming, not so absorbed in ordinary life that we are caught unaware. We can become so absorbed in the ordinary business of life, eating, working, buying, building, that we take no thought of the Lord's coming and are caught unready, as the people of Noah's and Lot's day were absorbed and caught unaware. The ordinary things are not wrong; but being so lost in them that we forget to be ready is the danger. Do not be so absorbed in the ordinary business of life that you are caught unready for the Lord; live ready, holding your daily life with an awareness of him. Live ready for the Lord's coming rather than being so absorbed in the ordinary business of life that you are caught unaware, as the people of Noah's and Lot's day ate and drank and built until the day the judgment fell on them unprepared; for the danger is not ordinary life itself but being so lost in it that we take no thought of the Lord and are caught unready, and we are called to hold our daily life with an awareness that he is coming.

Lord Jesus, when you speak of the day of the Son of Man, you warn your disciples not to be caught unaware, absorbed in ordinary life as though it would go on undisturbed forever. As it was in the days of Noah, you say, and in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they married, they bought and sold and planted and built, until the day the judgment fell. It was not that they were doing wickedly in all this; they were doing the ordinary things of life. But they were absorbed in them, unready, taking no thought of what was coming, and so they were caught unaware. You warn your disciples to live ready. Show me the warning: not to be so absorbed in ordinary life that I am caught unready. The people in Noah's and Lot's day were not necessarily doing great evil; they were eating, drinking, marrying, buying, building. But they were absorbed in these things, taking no thought of what was coming, unready when the day fell. You do not say the ordinary things of life are wrong; you warn against being so lost in them that I forget to be ready for your coming. To live ready is not to abandon ordinary life, but to hold it with an awareness that you are coming. Take that to my heart, for I am called to live ready for your coming, not so absorbed in ordinary life that I am caught unaware. I can become so absorbed in the ordinary business of life that I take no thought of your coming and am caught unready, as the people of Noah's and Lot's day were. The ordinary things are not wrong; but being so lost in them that I forget to be ready is the danger. Keep me from being so absorbed in the ordinary business of life that I am caught unready for you; help me live ready, Lord, holding my daily life with an awareness that you are coming.