Luke 17:31
On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus isn't just warning about physical danger, but about how our deepest attachments can become snares. He urges us to leave everything behind, even things inside our own homes or fields, because the priority isn't rescuing possessions, but escaping to new life. This radical command challenges us to discern what we truly value, and what we're willing to let go of when God calls us to move.
Jesus is teaching his disciples about the suddenness of his coming and the judgment that will fall, drawing parallels to the days of Noah and Lot. He warns them against being caught off guard by worldly distractions, emphasizing that on that day, clinging to possessions or turning back will lead to ruin. This call for decisive action and detachment is immediately followed by the stark reminder to "Remember Lot's wife," highlighting the grave danger of looking back with longing.
Imagine a sudden, irreversible catastrophe unfolding. Would you pause to gather your belongings, or flee for your life?
Jesus uses vivid imagery in Luke 17:31 to describe an urgent moment of crisis. The instruction to 'not come down' from the housetop or 'not return back' from the field isn't about being caught off guard. It’s a directive for immediate, radical action.
The Nature of the Crisis
This isn't a drill or a delayed threat. The context, drawing parallels to Noah's flood and Lot's destruction, points to a sudden, total judgment. In such moments, ordinary life is instantly obliterated.
Abandoning for the Sake of Life
The command to leave possessions behind is stark. It emphasizes that the value of life—both earthly and eternal—far outweighs any material treasure. This isn't about recklessness, but about recognizing that some moments demand a complete letting go of the familiar and the material for the sake of escaping utter destruction.
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Lot’s wife became a monument to regret. Why did a simple glance backward prove so fatal?
The instruction to not look back is powerfully underscored by the reminder to 'Remember Lot's wife.' This isn't a side note; it’s central to understanding the urgency and the attitude required.
A Lethal Nostalgia
Lot's wife’s destruction stemmed from her attachment to the life she was leaving behind. Her glance back was an act of rebellion against God's command and a testament to her unwillingness to fully abandon Sodom.
The Peril of Divided Hearts
Jesus uses this example to warn against divided loyalties. Trying to hold onto worldly possessions, comfort, or familiarity while fleeing toward God’s deliverance is impossible. It’s a dangerous form of spiritual double-mindedness that leads to ruin. True discipleship in moments of crisis means a complete break from the past and an unwavering focus on the future God provides.
Jesus uses the destruction of Jerusalem, the Great Flood, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to emphasize that His coming will be sudden. Believers are called to detach from worldly possessions and not look back, just as those escaping these historical calamities were urged to flee without hesitation.
c. 70 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem
The Roman armies besieged and ultimately destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, a devastating event for Jewish people that mirrors the suddenness and totality described by Jesus.
c. 1900 BC
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
God destroyed the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone, serving as a stark warning against clinging to sinful ways and worldly attachments when facing divine judgment.
c. 2350 BC
The Great Flood
God sent a great flood to destroy the wicked world, sparing only Noah and his family in the ark. This event highlights how judgment can come suddenly upon a world engrossed in its own affairs.
This passage provides the parallel teaching from Matthew, directly stating the same command to leave belongings behind during a time of crisis.
Genesis 19:26Luke explicitly references Lot's wife, whose disobedience in looking back highlights the danger of attachment to worldly possessions during an escape from judgment.
Luke 21:34-36This passage warns against being weighed down by the cares of this life, reinforcing the urgency and need for readiness that Luke 17:31 implies.
Matthew 24:37-39Jesus compares the coming judgment to the days of Noah, emphasizing the suddenness and the unpreparedness of the world, which underscores the radical abandonment urged in Luke 17:31.
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 17:31: "In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back."
In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop,.... Either for diversion or devotion, when he shall hear that the Roman armies are approaching to Jerusalem, to besiege it: and his stuff in the house; or "his vessels", his goods and furniture; or his utensils, and instruments of trade and business: let…
Jesus isn't just warning about physical danger, but about how our deepest attachments can become snares. He urges us to leave everything behind, even things inside our own homes or fields, because the priority isn't rescuing possessions, but escaping to new life. This radical command challenges us to discern what we truly value, and what we're willing to let go of when God calls us to move.
Jesus is teaching his disciples about the suddenness of his coming and the judgment that will fall, drawing parallels to the days of Noah and Lot. He warns them against being caught off guard by worldly distractions, emphasizing that on that day, clinging to possessions or turning back will lead to ruin. This call for decisive action and detachment is immediately followed by the stark reminder to "Remember Lot's wife," highlighting the grave danger of looking back with longing.
Jesus is teaching his disciples about the suddenness of his coming and the judgment that will fall, drawing parallels to the days of Noah and Lot. He warns them against being caught off guard by worldly distractions, emphasizing that on that day, clinging to possessions or turning back will lead to ruin. This call for decisive action and detachment is immediately followed by the stark reminder to "Remember Lot's wife," highlighting the grave danger of looking back with longing.
"On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back." — Jesus isn't just warning about physical danger, but about how our deepest attachments can become snares. He urges us to leave everything behind, even things inside our own homes or fields, because th…
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