Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 17 : 20-37 "THEN HE SAID TO THE DISCIPLES..." Luke 17:22"
Day 212 – Luke 17
Text: Luke 17 : 20-37
“THEN HE SAID TO THE DISCIPLES…” Luke 17:22
Jesus knew that the Pharisees had feigned interest in what He taught. They were merely asking questions for their own ends. After answering the Pharisees briefly, He turned to His Disciples.
They had many things to learn. They were still not fully instructed. There was so little time left. Jesus’ life and ministry would soon come to an end.
Jesus had to give attention to the instruction of His Disciples. He did not allow the questions of the Pharisees to distract Him from instructing His Disciples. They must master these lessons, or else face the danger of being led astray by false teachers!
“THE (ESCHATOLOGICAL) SON OF MAN…” Luke 17:22
The phrase “The Son of Man” was used in the Book of Daniel to describe the Messiah. This phrase became a theological term to describe the Messiah not just in His humanity, but also in its eschatological significance.
Let us take a look at a passage in Daniel 7, where the Son of Man was described with direct reference to the Kingdom of God.
“I was watching in the night visions,
and behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given dominion
And glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages
Should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.”
Daniel 7:13-14
The Son of Man had come to earth. If the Pharisees had really known the Scriptures, they would have been able to recognize Jesus for who He really was. Jesus was correct when He described the Pharisees as “hypocrites”. They were play-acting as far as religion was concerned. They did not know much about true religion. What they had was their own man-made religion that utilized Biblical language to give their “faith” an air of authenticity!
“THE DAYS OF THE SON OF MAN”
What were the days of the Son of Man like? These days were well recorded in the Gospels. Luke and others had taken the trouble to record the days of the Son of Man. The Gospels well record the teachings of Jesus. They also recorded His sign-miracles that authenticated the fact that He was indeed the Messiah.
Those days were not meant to last. Nor were His miracles meant to be repeated ad infinitum. There would come a cessation of those days.
“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.”
Luke 17:22
Nobody could substitute the life and ministry of Jesus. The Disciples may be sent out fully empowered, and yet the fact still remains that they could never fill the shoes of Jesus! They could represent Him. They could prove that they were indeed His Disciples, but they could never fully replicate Him!
The cessation of the days of the Son of Man was already predicted. The multitudes would be sorely disappointed if they thought that the ministry of Jesus would go on forever! If they did not know how to appreciate who Jesus was and the significance of what He was doing, then they would have missed a great deal. There would be no replay of the days of Jesus.
THE PROBLEM OF DECEPTION
The danger of Deception was very real. Jesus had to warn His Disciples that they must be on their guard. He painted a scenario that they must watch out for,
“And they will say to you,
‘Look here!’ Or ‘Look there!’
Do not go after them
Or follow them.”
Luke 17:23
Jesus was teaching His Disciples that after He had left for Heaven, there would come people who would point to “signs and wonders”. The word, “Look” has obvious connotations to things visible. There would be people who would point to special signs and wonders, and they would argue that they were replicating the works of Jesus! The signs could be quite convincing too.
Nevertheless, Jesus warned His Disciples that they were not to go after them, not even out of curiosity. They were certainly not to follow them at all. There must be no doubt in the mind of the Disciples that the days of the Son of Man were not to be duplicated! They were only for a season.
A GRAVE WARNING THAT STILL HAS RELEVANCE TODAY
The truth of the words of Jesus was not confined to the days of the Disciples. His words of truth continue to be applicable. There is still a great need for us to study and think through what Jesus said. We are not to be caught up with people who promote themselves as Apostles of Jesus Christ today! May knowledge of the Truth protect us from deception!