In Luke 17:20–37, Jesus reminds us that the kingdom of God isn’t something we wait to see appear “out there” — it’s already here among us. The Pharisees wanted to know when it would come, but Jesus shifts the focus from when to where— and the answer is right in the midst of God’s people. The kingdom is breaking in now through grace, mercy, and love lived out in everyday acts of faithfulness. But Jesus also points ahead to the day when the Son of Man will return — suddenly and unmistakably — calling us to live ready, not fearful. We live in the “now but not yet” of God’s kingdom: it’s already begun, but it’s not yet complete. So while we wait for all things to be made new, we live faithfully, doing good, loving others, and letting God’s light shine through small acts of kindness. The kingdom is now — and it’s coming in fullness.

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Good morning, friends!
It’s good to be with you on this cold Tuesday morning. I don’t know about you, but I am over winter. I think we should just skip straight to summer. It’s too cold for my liking! Thankfully, I’ve got some nice thick sweaters to keep me warm, because the older I get, the thinner my blood seems to get.

I was talking with someone at church yesterday about how I just can’t handle this cold. I live in the South for a reason—if I wanted to freeze, I’d move up north! I always think of that line from Lewis Grizzard, the old Southern writer, who said, “No matter what you say about the South, nobody retires and moves north.” Ain’t that the truth?

So, I’ve got my heater running, my pullover on, and I’m ready to complain loudly until spring gets here. Y’all can just suffer through it with me—we’ll make it together!

Today we’re finishing out Luke 17, reading verses 20 through 37.

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Luke 17:20–37

Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered,

“The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”

Then Jesus told his disciples that days were coming when they would long to see the Son of Man’s day, but they wouldn’t see it. He warned them not to go chasing after signs or rumors—because just as lightning flashes across the sky, the coming of the Son of Man will be unmistakable.

Jesus compared those days to the times of Noah and Lot—people were living life as usual, eating, drinking, building, and marrying—until judgment suddenly came. He warned them not to look back, saying, “Remember Lot’s wife.”

Then he said, “Those who try to hold on to their life will lose it, and those who lose their life will keep it.”

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This passage is often connected with what we think of as the end of the world—the second coming of Jesus. But notice how it starts. The conversation doesn’t begin with the end times. It begins with a question from the Pharisees:

“When is the kingdom of God coming?”

And Jesus replies, “It’s already here. The kingdom of God is among you.”

That’s powerful, isn’t it?

For years I used to hear people say, “Don’t be so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good.” And I get what they mean—we can’t just sit around waiting for heaven and forget to live faithfully right now. But I’ll tell you what—the older I get, the better heaven sounds.

This world can be cruel and cold, and our hearts know deep down that there’s something better, something beyond what we see. So, yes—being heavenly minded is good. But Jesus reminds us that God’s kingdom isn’t only a future hope—it’s a present reality.

The kingdom of God is among us right now.

That means we don’t just sit around waiting for God to make things right someday—we live and work as though His kingdom is breaking in today. Every act of kindness, every bit of grace, every small deed of love—it all pushes back the darkness.

I love that line from The Hobbit, when Gandalf says it’s not great power that keeps the darkness at bay, but “small acts of kindness.” That’s how the kingdom works—quietly, faithfully, right here and right now.

Of course, Jesus also reminds us that one day the Son of Man will return—and it’ll come suddenly, when we least expect it. I’ve lived through a lot of “rapture dates” in my lifetime—people setting times, making predictions, and none of them ever being right.

But Scripture tells us plainly: No one knows the day or the hour—only the Father.

So instead of trying to predict the timing, we’re called to live ready—to live with hope, with joy, and with faith. We work for good now, but we also long for that day when all things will be made right.

One of my old professors used to say, “The kingdom of God is now, but not yet.”
It’s already breaking into our world—but it’s not yet complete.

So we live in that tension. We live as people of hope. We work for good while the day is long. We love God, we love our neighbor, and we trust that in God’s time, everything will be made new.

So, friends—the kingdom is now, but not yet.
Let’s live faithfully in the “now,” trusting that God will bring the “not yet” in His perfect time.

Have a great day, stay warm, and I’ll see you tomorrow when we start chapter 18.