Luke 17:28-30
Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse highlights that the people of Lot's time were deeply engrossed in building and commerce, not just basic living. This detail shows a society advanced enough to have significant investments and business dealings, underscoring their complete absorption in worldly pursuits right up until judgment fell.
Jesus is describing the suddenness and unexpectedness of His second coming, comparing it to the destruction of Sodom. Just as people were going about their normal daily lives without any fear or foreknowledge of the impending disaster, so too will the world be caught off guard when Jesus returns. This vivid imagery emphasizes the need for constant vigilance and readiness.
Jesus paints a picture of everyday life right before utter destruction. What does this teach us about our own daily routines?
In Luke 17:28, Jesus highlights the ordinary activities of life in the days of Lot: 'they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.' This wasn't a time of obvious chaos or impending doom. Instead, life was carrying on as usual. People were focused on their daily tasks, their businesses, and their future plans.
This normalcy was precisely what made the destruction so surprising and complete. The inhabitants of Sodom were so engrossed in their worldly affairs that they were blindsided when divine judgment fell. Jesus uses this to warn that His return, or the judgment that accompanies it, will also catch many off guard, precisely because they are immersed in the 'normal' routines of life.
It wasn't just what they were doing, but how they were doing it. What was the underlying issue Jesus was pointing to?
While the activities listed in Luke 17:28 are neutral in themselves – eating, buying, planting – the context in which Jesus uses them reveals a deeper problem. The commentary notes that this 'normalcy' represented a 'higher advance in social life' but also a profound indifference to spiritual realities.
These weren't just people going about their day; they were people 'living in security, peace, and tranquillity,' so much so that they 'despised the threatenings of God' and 'awaited with indifference their awful destruction.' Their focus on the present, on building and acquiring, meant they were 'as fully occupied with the conveniences and enjoyments of the present life, as if there had been no reason to dread any change.' The danger isn't in the activities, but in allowing them to breed an oblivious, unrepentant heart that ignores God's warnings.
Understand the original words
Lot · Hebrew Proper Noun
A person of moral and righteous character living in the midst of a notoriously wicked city, whose deliverance serves as a testament to God's care for the righteous while punishing the ungodly.
Sedom · Hebrew Proper Noun
An ancient city known in the Bible as a symbol of extreme moral depravity and rebellion against God, resulting in catastrophic divine judgment.
pyr kai theion · Greek Noun Phrase
A frequent Old Testament motif representing divine judgment and the manifestation of God’s holiness and wrath against sin and impurity.
apokalyptetai · Greek Verb
Literally an 'unveiling' or 'apocalypse'; it refers to the climactic point when Christ will no longer be hidden from the world but will be made manifest in His power, glory, and judicial authority.
The reference to Lot's time highlights how ordinary life—eating, drinking, buying, selling—can mask a deep spiritual unreadiness for God's judgment.
~2000 BC— this verse
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
God destroys the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone due to their extreme sinfulness, sparing only Lot and his family.
c. 1400 BC
Abraham and Lot Separate
Abraham and his nephew Lot separate their households due to conflict over resources in the land of Canaan, with Lot choosing to settle near Sodom.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus Teaches Disciples
Jesus instructs his disciples about the signs of the end times and the unexpected nature of his return, using the destruction of Sodom as a warning.
This passage directly describes the everyday activities of buying, selling, planting, and building that were happening in Sodom just before its destruction, mirroring the verse in Luke.
Matthew 24:38Jesus uses the same comparison to the days of Noah and Lot to illustrate the unsuspecting nature of people before His coming, emphasizing the mundane activities that masked impending judgment.
2 Peter 2:7Peter references the righteous Lot being distressed by the lawless conduct of the people in his day, highlighting the deep-seated wickedness that characterized the society Jesus compares to the time of His return.
Ezekiel 16:49This prophetic passage describes Sodom's sin as pride, excess, and a lack of concern for the poor, providing context for the 'eating, drinking, buying, selling' that masked their spiritual decay.
Luke 21:34Jesus warns His followers not to let their hearts be 'overcharged with ... the cares of this life,' which directly relates to the everyday concerns mentioned in Luke 17:28 that can distract from spiritual readiness.
calvinLuke 17:26-37: "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man."
- But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38. For as in the days that came before the deluge, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, till the day when Noah entered into the ark, 39. And knew not until the deluge came, [160] and took them all away: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40. Two men shall then be in the field…
gillLuke 17:28: "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;"
Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot,.... When he lived in Sodom, and before, and at the time of the destruction of that city with other neighbouring ones: they did eat, they drank; See Gill on Luke 17:27, and Ezekiel 16:49. This is to be understood of the inhabitants of Sodom, and the other cities that perished with it: they bought, they sold: they trade…
The verse highlights that the people of Lot's time were deeply engrossed in building and commerce, not just basic living. This detail shows a society advanced enough to have significant investments and business dealings, underscoring their complete absorption in worldly pursuits right up until judgment fell.
Jesus is describing the suddenness and unexpectedness of His second coming, comparing it to the destruction of Sodom. Just as people were going about their normal daily lives without any fear or foreknowledge of the impending disaster, so too will the world be caught off guard when Jesus returns. This vivid imagery emphasizes the need for constant vigilance and readiness.
Jesus is describing the suddenness and unexpectedness of His second coming, comparing it to the destruction of Sodom. Just as people were going about their normal daily lives without any fear or foreknowledge of the impending disaster, so too will the world be caught off guard when Jesus returns. This vivid imagery emphasizes the need for constant vigilance and readiness.
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"Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on…" — The verse highlights that the people of Lot's time were deeply engrossed in building and commerce, not just basic living. This detail shows a society advanced enough to have significant investments a…
