Commentary - Luke 17:20-21

Bird's-eye view

In this brief but potent exchange, Jesus confronts a fundamental misunderstanding of His kingdom. The Pharisees, operating under the assumption that the Messianic kingdom would arrive with political upheaval and spectacular, observable phenomena, ask for a timetable. They wanted to know when the fireworks would start. Jesus flatly contradicts their entire framework. The kingdom, He says, does not come with the kind of signs they are looking for, the sort of thing you can track with a telescope or plot on a map. It is not a geopolitical event that you can point to and say, "Aha, there it is!" Rather, Jesus makes the startling claim that the kingdom of God is already present, "in your midst." This is a thoroughly Christological statement. The King was standing right in front of them, and because they were blind to the King, they were necessarily blind to His kingdom. This passage teaches us that the kingdom's initial arrival was not with outward pomp and circumstance, but in the person of the Incarnate Word. Its advance is not through political revolution but through the internal regeneration of the heart, which then works its way out into every corner of human existence, like leaven in a lump of dough.

This is the doctrine of inaugurated eschatology. The kingdom is here, but not yet in its fullness. It arrived quietly in the manger and decisively at the empty tomb. Its power was unleashed at Pentecost. It is a spiritual reality with tangible, earthly consequences. The Pharisees were looking for a sign, but the Sign was speaking to them. They wanted a political program, and the Program was offering them living water. This passage is a crucial corrective to every generation that wants to reduce the kingdom of God to a political party, a social agenda, or a set of future apocalyptic events, rather than recognizing it as the active reign of King Jesus in the here and now.

Outline

Context In Luke

This passage comes in the latter part of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem, a section of Luke's Gospel filled with teachings on discipleship, wealth, and the nature of the kingdom. Jesus has just healed ten lepers, with only one, a Samaritan, returning to give thanks (Luke 17:11-19). This healing serves as a living parable of the kingdom's nature: it brings cleansing and restoration, and its true recipients are those who respond with faith and gratitude, often from unexpected quarters. The Pharisees' question about the kingdom's coming flows from their complete failure to grasp what Jesus has been doing and teaching. They see the miracles, but they do not see the kingdom. Immediately following our passage, Jesus turns to His disciples and elaborates on the "days of the Son of Man," contrasting the suddenness of His future coming in judgment with the present, hidden reality of His reign. Thus, Luke 17:20-21 acts as a pivot point, correcting the false expectations of the outsiders (Pharisees) before giving the insiders (disciples) a fuller picture of how the kingdom, already present, will one day be consummated.

Key Issues

The Observable Sign Was Standing Right There

The irony in this passage is thick enough to cut with a knife. The Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God is coming, and in doing so, they reveal their utter blindness. They are like men standing in the middle of a forest asking when the trees are going to be planted. They wanted a sign, something they could observe, measure, and verify. The Greek word for "observed" here is paratereseos, which carries the idea of hostile scrutiny, of watching and waiting for something to happen. They were looking for a military campaign, a rebellion against Rome, a glorious political restoration of Israel. They wanted a kingdom that would arrive with the fanfare and observable data of any other earthly empire.

But Jesus tells them this is precisely the wrong way to look for it. The kingdom of God does not operate according to the world's metrics. Its arrival is not like the D-Day landings. It is more like the germination of a seed underground, or the spreading of leaven through a lump of dough. The greatest sign of the kingdom's arrival was the King Himself, and they were observing Him with hostile scrutiny, entirely missing the point. He was the sign, and they were demanding a different one.

Verse by Verse Commentary

20 Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed,

The Pharisees' question is dripping with skepticism. They are not earnest seekers; they are opponents looking to trap Jesus. Their conception of the "kingdom of God" was thoroughly political and nationalistic. They were expecting a Davidic king who would throw off the Roman yoke and restore Israel to earthly glory. So their question, "When is it coming?" is a challenge. "If you are the Messiah, where is the kingdom you are supposed to bring?" Jesus' answer cuts the legs out from under their entire theological system. He denies the premise of their question. You are looking for the wrong thing in the wrong way. The kingdom does not come with paratereseos, with observable signs that can be tracked by hostile auditors. He is not saying there are no signs whatsoever; His miracles were signs for those with eyes to see. But He is saying it will not conform to their checklist of political and military triumphs.

21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘There!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Jesus continues to dismantle their materialistic expectations. Because the kingdom does not arrive like a political revolution, you will not be able to locate it geographically. It will not be a case of someone spotting the Messianic army massing on a particular hill, prompting the cry, "Look, here it is!" Nor will it be a rumor from a distant province, "I hear the kingdom has started over there!" It is not a localized phenomenon. Then comes the punchline, the great revelation: "For behold, the kingdom of God is entos hymon."

This Greek phrase has been translated either as "within you" or "in your midst." While the kingdom certainly has an internal reality in the hearts of believers, the context here makes "in your midst" the far better rendering. Jesus is speaking to a hostile crowd of Pharisees. It would be nonsensical for Him to tell these unbelieving, white-washed tombs that the kingdom of God was "within" them. No, the point is far more direct and confrontational. The kingdom of God is present right here, in this gathering, because the King is present. He is the kingdom in person. It is as if He said, "You are asking about the kingdom's location? It is standing two feet in front of you, answering your foolish question." The kingdom was as near to them as Jesus was, and in rejecting Him, they were rejecting the kingdom itself.

Application

This passage is a potent corrective for the Church in every generation, because the Pharisaical temptation to look for the kingdom in all the wrong places is ever-present. We are always tempted to trade the subtle, pervasive power of the gospel for something more spectacular and politically impressive. One faction of the church wants to locate the kingdom in a set of social justice initiatives and political activism, as though we could build the New Jerusalem with the right legislation. Another faction wants to locate it in a detailed apocalyptic timeline, constantly scanning the headlines for signs of the end, effectively placing the kingdom's real action entirely in the future. Both are errors. Both are looking for a kingdom that can be pointed to, saying, "Look, here!" or "Look, there!"

Jesus calls us to a different way. The kingdom of God is in our midst because Christ, by His Spirit, is in our midst. The kingdom advances every time the gospel is preached and a sinner repents. It advances every time a Christian husband loves his wife as Christ loved the church. It advances every time a Christian businessman conducts his affairs with honesty and integrity. It advances when we worship faithfully on the Lord's Day, partaking of the bread and wine. It is the steady, quiet, inexorable work of leaven in the dough. It is the mustard seed growing into a great tree. We are not to be anxiously scanning the horizon for signs. We are to be faithfully planting and watering, knowing that it is God who gives the growth. The King has come. The King is reigning. Our job is not to find His kingdom, but to live as loyal citizens of it, right where we are.