But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
πρωτον δε δει αυτον πολλα παθειν και αποδοκιμασθηναι απο της γενεας ταυτης
9 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 12 commentaries
For their life was then without trouble, for Christ took care of them and protected them. But the time was coming when Christ should be taken away, and they should be exposed to perils, being brought before kings and princes, and then they should long for the first time and its tranquillity.
When our Lord said, The kingdom of God is within you, He would fain prepare His disciples for suffering, that being made strong they might be able to enter the kingdom of God; He therefore foretells to them, that before His coming from heaven at the end of the world, persecution will break out upon them. Hence it follows, And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, &c. meaning that so terrible will be the persecution, that they would desire to see one of His days, that is, of that time when they yet walked with Christ.
Truly the Jews ofttimes beset Christ with reproaches and insults, and sought to stone Him, and ofttimes would have hurled Him down from the mountain; but even these seem to be looked upon as slight in comparison of greater evils that are to come.
Now His disciples supposed that He would go to Jerusalem, and would at once make a manifestation of the kingdom of God. To rid them therefore of this belief, He informs them that it became Him first to suffer the Life-giving Passion, then to ascend to the Father and shine forth from above, that He might judge the world in righteousness. Hence He adds, But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
cast aside by this generation, specifically by the unrighteous Jews.
As if he said, If at the coming of Antichrist, his fame shall be spread abroad, as though Christ had appeared, go not out, nor follow him. For it cannot be that He who was once seen on earth, shall any more dwell in the corners of the earth. It will therefore be he of whom we speak, not the true Christ. For this is the clear sign of the second coming of our Saviour, that suddenly the lustre of His coming shall fill the whole world; and so it follows, For as the lightning that lighteneth, &c. For He will not appear walking upon the earth, as any common man, but will illuminate our whole universe, manifesting to all men the radiance of His divinity.
Or, by the day of Christ He signifies His kingdom, which we hope will come, and He rightly says, one day, because there shall no darkness disturb the glory of that blessed time. It is right then to long for the day of Christ, yet from the earnestness of our longing, let us not vision to ourselves as though the day were at hand. Hence it follows, And they shall say to you, Lo here! and, Lo there!
And he well says, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, because the judgment will be given under the heaven, that is, in the midst of the air, as the Apostle says, We shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. (1 Thess. 4:17.) But if the Lord shall appear at the Judgment like lightning, then shall no one remain hidden in the deep of his heart, for the very brightness of the Judge pierces through him; we may also take this answer of our Lord to refer to His coming, whereby He comes daily into His Church.
For ofttimes have heretics so vexed the Church, by saying that the faith of Christ stands in their own dogma, that the faithful in those times longed that the Lord would if it were possible even for one day return to the earth, and Himself make known what was the true faith. And you shall not see it, because it need not that the Lord should again testify by a bodily presence that which has been spiritually declared by the light of the Gospel, once scattered and diffused throughout the whole world.
He means the generation not only of the Jews, but also of all wicked men, by whom even now in His own body, that is, His Church, the Son of man suffers many things, and is rejected. But while He spake many things of His coming in glory, He inserts something also concerning His Passion, that when men saw Him dying, whom they had heard would be glorified, they might both soothe their sorrow for His sufferings by the hope of the promised glory, and at the same time prepare themselves, if they love the glories of His kingdom, to look without alarm upon the horrors of death.
Simultaneously, He conveyed to His disciples His impending appearance in the judgment of the unfaithful, which would occur following His rejection by that generation. These will be challenging times for those who follow Christ, as they will yearn for the days spent in the presence of the Son of Man to return. They will be disturbed by deceptive claims: Christ is here, Christ is there. Yet, at that moment, His manifestation will differ significantly from His current presence. He will be revealed like lightning, not in a human form but through divine judgment, illuminating from one end of heaven to the other—wherever the rebellious are found, destined for judgment.
This day of reckoning will catch people off guard, akin to the days of Noah and Lot: those who value their salvation must forsake everything and flee from the company of the condemned. No one can guarantee their security if they stay among them. (Whoever is on the roof or in the field, or two lying in one bed...). The disciples inquired about the location of this event. The Lord responded: where the dead body is, there the eagles will gather; meaning, wherever individuals are subject to such judgment.
Much of what Luke conveys here is also present in the significant prophetic discourse of Christ regarding the destruction of Jerusalem and the culmination of the age, which He delivered before His apostles prior to His suffering. It seems probable that Jesus addressed this topic twice, repeating certain statements; additionally, the evangelists may have included remarks from different occasions and contexts as well.
(For further details, consult § 105.)
The apostles had to be fortified in their faith and prepared for the impending trials, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Thus, once they acknowledged Him as the authentic Messiah, He promptly began to clarify that He would not be the kind of king the Jews envisioned. His reign was not of this earthly realm and lacked any external grandeur; instead, it was characterized by profound spiritual greatness and holiness. This true Messiah would not subjugate the nations or dominate them but would serve all humankind while undergoing suffering to liberate them from their bondage to sin—foretelling that He would be crucified, perish, and rise again on the third day.
After briefly but powerfully announcing the commencement of His kingdom on earth to the Pharisees, the Lord provided the disciples with deeper insights into the divine mysteries. He highlighted the judgment He would bring upon the Jewish people for rejecting their Messiah and spoke of His second arrival, making the parallels between the destruction of Jerusalem and the end times evident. The revelation of His glory will not be revealed to those who seek Him physically after His departure during times of great tribulation and sorrow, nor will it satisfy the false prophets and dreamers anticipating an earthly reign of the Messiah. Days will come when you will yearn to see the Son of Man but will not be able to.
They will say to you, “Look here!” or “Look there!” Yet you will not go out or marry. The Lord illustrated the forthcoming revelation of His glory as a magnificent event in nature, noticeable for its abruptness, speed, and wide-reaching impact: just as the lightning that flashes from one end of heaven to the other, so shall the Son of Man be revealed on His day. However, prior to this display of majesty and might, the Son of Man must endure profound humiliation, facing the cross and death; indeed, it is necessary for Him to suffer greatly and be tested by this generation before His glory is unveiled.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 12 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS