Gospel LK 17:20-25
 
Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply,
“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”
 
Then he said to his disciples,
“The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
There will be those who will say to you,
‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.
For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.
But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”
 
Reflection:
 
Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed….”
The “coming of the Kingdom of God” can be compared to the maturing of a giant oak tree: It doesn’t happen overnight.
When we are young, the oak tree casts its cooling shadow over the front porch. But, by the time we are old, the mighty tree casts its comforting shade over the entire house. Yet, we never actually “observed” it growing.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.”
In our suffering, we too may long to see the coming of the Lord.
But, Jesus cautions us. When someone says, “Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is,” we should “not go off, do not run in pursuit.”
Jesus tells us that when He comes, He will come suddenly, like a flash of lightening.
“For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.”
“But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”
Jesus’ prediction came true. He did suffer greatly and He was rejected by His own generation. But, not by all.
For His Apostles and followers carried on, spreading His message of God’s love and forgiveness.
Like the giant oak, the Spirit of Jesus continues to grow on earth. The day is coming when the peace and comfort of Jesus Christ will cast its soothing shadow over the troubled hearts of all mankind.
 
“When you walk with Jesus, defeat turns into victory.”                                                                                                                                     —-  Beth Moore