5. Coming of the Kingdom

Question 1

1. Context

Answer 1

• Passage is similar to one in Matthew that is an extended apocalyptic discourse
- Luke includes part of discourse here and rest appears in the ‘Little Apocalypse’

Question 2

2. Meaning

Answer 2

• Jesus starts with Jesus saying that “the Kingdom of God is in your midst”
• This could be interpreted in two ways:
• Symbolically: The Kingdom of God is a spiritual state in hearts and minds, not a physical reality
• Immediate: Kingdom of God is happening in the present moment, (Specifically, it might represent Jesus who is literally standing in the midst of the crowd)

• The text is a warning against interpreting eschatological statements as imminent events
- JC warns that people claim the Apocalypse is happening, but his Disciples should not believe the rumours

• When Apocalypse does happen, will be like lightening (Sudden and obvious)
- This reinforced that the Kingdom of God isn’t appearing right away

• Jesus makes two links to the OT: stories of Noah and Lot
• Noah: was warned by God that a flood would wipe out all life on Earth
- Right up until the moment of the Flood, ordinary life was going on, then the disaster hit.
• Lot: was the only good man living in the evil city of Sodom.
- He was warned by God that the city would be destroyed and then fled
- The citizens were getting on with ordinary life when God destroyed them.
- Lot’s wife looked back and was turned into a ‘pillar of salt’

• Point of these stories is that they were ‘mini-apocalypses’ that took humans by surprise.
- Jesus warns that the arrival of the Kingdom of God will be just as surprising.

Question 3

3. Implications

Answer 3

• Although this discourse contains a lot of apocalyptic imagery, it’s a warning against believing people who say the Apocalypse is happening or about to happen.
• The REAL Apocalypse will happen so quickly there will be no time to speculate
• 1st Century Audience: Many 1st century Christians still believed in the Parousia but though it had been delayed
• Risk that they would become complacent and commitment would slip
• This passage encourages readers to carry on living as if the Apocalypse could happen at any moment

• It fits both Conzelmann’s idea of us living through the ‘long haul’ of history and Marshall’s idea that Luke’s church believed in an imminent Apocalypse