20 Being asked by the Pharisees when God’s Kingdom would come, Jesus answered them, “God’s Kingdom doesn’t come with observation; 21 neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, God’s Kingdom is within you.”

22 He said to the disciples, “The days will come, when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Don’t go away, nor follow after them, 24 for as the lightning, when it flashes out of the one part under the sky, shines to the other part under the sky; so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25 But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”

Luke 17:20-25 - World English Bible

Everyone looks for a sign, an omen of bad times coming or a shining light that gives hope to the glory ahead. They seek the EVENT that changes everything. Of course, most of the time, people muddle through. The only sign they see is the obvious situation they find themselves in.

Pharisees challenged Jesus for a sign, for that event of God's power that would validate his message. “When will the Kingdom come?” they asked, almost sneering. But he placed the Kingdom right back in their lap. “God is present, so there's your sign,” he implied with the same tag line that the talented and funny comedian Bill Engvall used as a punchline when the ridiculous became the obvious. Of course, his opponents missed the point.

Among his disciples, Jesus took up the human urge to seek a sign of coming events. On the one hand, he insisted that, after his suffering and death, the Son of Man would return, but not in a way people could anticipate. On the other hand, he would come again, in an instant, in the blink of an eye. The person who based his faith on seeking sign would only find disappointment. The true disciple did not actively pursue such omens; they lived their lives confident the Lord would return in glory, but, until then, showed charity to others.

How have you ignored the urge to seek signs?