What is the meaning of Luke 17:37? “Where, Lord?” • The disciples have just heard Jesus describe the sudden division that will occur at His return—“one will be taken and the other left” (Luke 17:34-36). • Their question springs from concern: Where will those taken—or perhaps those left—end up? • Jesus does not give a geographic answer. Instead, He directs their attention to the certainty and visibility of divine judgment (compare Acts 1:6-7; Luke 17:20-21). “Wherever there is a carcass” • A carcass pictures lifelessness and corruption, a fitting image for people who have rejected the Son of Man (see Isaiah 66:24; Jeremiah 7:33). • In the days of Noah and Lot, widespread moral decay preceded sudden judgment (Luke 17:26-30). The carcass captures that same condition. • The phrase underscores inevitability: when spiritual death is present, judgment will follow just as surely as a body attracts scavengers. “there the vultures will gather.” • Vultures (or eagles, Matthew 24:28) circle unmistakably over death. No one needs a map to locate them. • Likewise, no one will miss the manifestation of Christ’s judgment. It will be public, obvious, and universal (Revelation 19:17-18; Ezekiel 39:17-20). • The gathering birds hint at final reckoning: – God’s enemies become a feast for birds of prey (Revelation 19:20-21). – Angels, portrayed elsewhere as reapers (Matthew 13:41-42), could be in view as agents of judgment. • For believers this warning motivates readiness; for the unrepentant it signals certain doom. summary The disciples asked “Where?” Jesus replied with an image, not a location. When moral and spiritual corruption (the carcass) is present, divine judgment (the vultures) gathers without delay and without ambiguity. His return will expose every heart, separate the righteous from the wicked, and make the scene of judgment obvious to all. Live watchfully, trusting the Lord who promises both justice and deliverance. |
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