In our passage from Dr. Luke’s gospel this morning (Luke 17:11-37) ten lepers are healed as evidence that the Kingdom of God has been manifested with the coming of Jesus Christ. One of these ten lepers comes back to thank Christ and finds not only a healing of his body, but also his soul (v. 19). This “foreigner” (v. 18) to the covenant promises in Israel finds hope, salvation and the Kingdom of God in Christ.
In contrast to this, the Pharisees cannot see the Kingdom of God manifested in Christ (v. 20). Rather, they hopelessly and helplessly grope in the dark seeking in news events, and watching political and social movements in order to determine the time and coming of the Kingdom (vv.20-21). They are looking everywhere but to Christ for the Kingdom.
In light of this, Jesus teaches about the Kingdom of God that is manifested in him to all those who have ears to hear. This Kingdom has come in Jesus, is coming in Jesus, and will come again when Christ returns to judge the world (v. 26). But as the Pharisees could not see and enter the Kingdom of God because of worldly preoccupations (cf. John 3:3ff), so will many throughout the world be unable to see and enter when the Kingdom is fully manifested in the days of the Son of Man. In fact, like the days of Noah and Lot when the judgment of God came upon the world for sinful disobedience, so will be the days of the coming of the Son of Man in his Kingdom.
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Rev. Charles R. Biggs, Th.M. is the Regional Home Missionary of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in the Presbytery of the Mid Atlantic (Virginia and Maryland). His website: www.joiningtheharvest.org. He was pastor of Ketoctin Covenant Presbyterian Church in Purcellville, VA. for...
