Today's gospel reading 11/11--can you explain it?

[whatevergirl]

Hello…can you explain the bolded part, in particular to me? My question is…what does He mean by…not to run in pursuit? I don’t follow. Thanks in advance.

Lk 17:20-25Gospel
Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply,
“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

Then he said to his disciples,
“The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
There will be those who will say to you,
**‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.**For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.
But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”

 

[JM3]

Luke 17:23 - “And they will say to you, ‘Behold, there!’ or ‘Behold, here!’. Do not go, do not follow them.” RSV-2CE

 

[whatevergirl]

Um…was that supposed to help me? It didn’t.

 

[incense]

I believe it refers to the 40 days after His resurrection, but before His ascension. People had seen or heard of His crucifixion, they’re heartbroken, but there are rumors about His resurrection. People would be told to go to a certain place, but they would hear of Jesus appearing to someone in another place, so they would disobey and rush off to the rumored place. So they will miss His appearance.

I don’t know where I read that, or I would post the source for you.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

My private thought is that He is referring to all the false prophets who keep telling us the date of His return. I have no citation for that, but it always comes to mind when I hear one of these Televangelists get going on the end times.

 

[ryanoneil]

Jesus is forewarning his disciples of the downfall of Jerusalem. They will not see his return at the end of time but they will see it’s prefigurement within their generation. They will long to see the vindication of Jesus as he avenges the city that condemned him to a violent death. They will not see it first hand though, because Jesus warns them to evacuate Jerusalem and flee from Judea before the onset of judgment. The connection to the “days” of the Son of man is to the later reference of “day” when foreign armies will besiege the city and the Temple. To stress the importance of fleeing without hesitation, Jesus reminds them of how Lot escaped from Sodom before its demise but his wife perished for turning back.

**For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. (Luke 19:43)

“All that you see here–the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! (Luke 21:6-8)**

"When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is at hand. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside not enter the city (Luke 21:20-21)