Luke 17:20–21

Context

During the journey to Jerusalem, the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God will come. Jesus answers that the kingdom of God does not come "with observation" (that is, with observable signs), and that no one will say it is here or there: "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20–21). Immediately afterward, beginning in verse 22, he speaks to his disciples about the day when the Son of Man will appear like lightning. The passage is therefore read as treating the kingdom that has already come and the kingdom that is yet to come side by side.

Interpretation

The key expression is the Greek entos hymōn. The basic meaning of entos is "within," but with the plural "you" it can also be rendered "among you" or "within your reach."

• The kingdom as inward: This reading understands the kingdom of God as God's rule in the human heart. It has long been used in devotional literature and preaching. Among Korean Bible translations, the rendering "within you" in the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version suggests this reading.
• The kingdom as present among you: Some point out that because Jesus was addressing the Pharisees, who did not believe in him, his words are unlikely to refer to their hearts. This reading therefore takes the verse to mean that the kingdom of God had already come into their midst through Jesus himself and his ministry (Luke 11:20). The Korean New Standard Version renders the phrase "among you."
• The kingdom as within reach: Another view takes the verse to mean that the kingdom of God is near enough to be responded to now.

Debates and Issues

This verse is frequently cited in eschatological discussions of whether the kingdom of God is a present reality or a future event. Critics note that nineteenth-century liberal theology, which understood the kingdom of God solely as an inward moral influence, made frequent use of the verse. Conversely, against views that emphasize only the future Second Coming, others point out that the verse calls attention to a kingdom that has already arrived. Today the theology of many denominations holds both aspects together within an "already but not yet" framework.

It is also widely known that the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy took this verse as the title of a book emphasizing nonviolence and inward faith.

Related Passages

• Luke 11:20
• Luke 17:22–24
• Matthew 6:10
• Romans 14:17