“Remember Lot’s Wife”: The Lord Solemnly Warns, Through a Historical Event, of the Danger of “Spiritual Double-Mindedness” (Lingering Attachment to the World) into Which Believers Living in the Last Days Can Easily Fall

 

“Remember Lot’s Wife”:

The Lord Solemnly Warns, Through a Historical Event, of the Danger of “Spiritual Double-Mindedness” (Lingering Attachment to the World) into Which Believers Living in the Last Days Can Easily Fall

 

 

 

 

“On that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will keep it alive. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding together; one will be taken and the other left. And they answered and said to Him, ‘Lord, where?’ And He said to them, ‘Where the body is, there the vultures will be gathered.’” (Luke 17:31–37)

 

 

(1)    After reading today’s passage, Luke 17:31–37, first in the Korean Bible and then in the Greek New Testament, I became curious about the meanings of two Greek expressions found in Jesus’ words concerning “the day when the Son of Man is revealed” (v. 30): “If a man is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. Likewise, let the one who is in the field not turn back” (v. 31).  The two Greek expressions are: “τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ” (ta skeuē autou) — “his goods” (KRV/KJV-style translations: “his household possessions”) and “τὰ ὀπίσω” (ta opisō) — “behind” or “back” (“do not turn back”).

(a)    “τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ” (ta skeuē autou): “His goods” or “his possessions”

 

Here, ‘his goods (possessions)’ symbolize the material wealth and attachment to worldly possessions to which people are so easily attached in this world.  The command not to come down from the rooftop to retrieve the things inside the house is a powerful warning not to become so preoccupied with earthly wealth in the last days that one misses the moment of salvation (Internet).

 

(b)    “τὰ ὀπίσω” (ta opisō): “Behind” / “the things behind”

 

The definite article ‘τὰ’ combined with the adverb ‘ὀπίσω’ forms a substantival expression meaning ‘the things behind.’  In this passage, together with the preceding preposition, it is translated as ‘toward what is behind’ or simply ‘back’ (Internet).

 

The warning that the person in the field must not turn toward ‘τὰ ὀπίσω’ (the things behind) means that in the moment of judgment and salvation, one’s heart must not be directed toward one’s former life or lingering attachment to the world (Internet).

 

(i)         An interesting observation is that the Apostle Paul uses the same expression in Philippians 3:13: “Forgetting what lies behind (τὰ μὲν ὀπίσω ἐπιλανθανόμενος) and reaching forward to what lies ahead,” he says that he presses on toward the goal (Internet).

 

·         The expression Paul uses in Philippians 3:13, ‘forgetting what lies behind (τὰ μὲν ὀπίσω ἐπιλανθανόμενος),’ compares the attitude a believer should have in the spiritual race to that of an athlete competing in an ancient Greek sprint.  Its specific Greek meaning and spiritual application are as follows (Internet).

 

1.       The Specific Meaning of the Greek Text

 

“τὰ ὀπίσω” (ta opisō) — “the things behind”

 

This refers to Paul’s entire past.  It includes not only the credentials in which he once took pride in the world—being a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, a disciple of Gamaliel—but also his grievous sins, including persecuting the church and approving the death of Stephen.

“ἐπιλανθανόμενος” (epilanthanomenos) — “forgetting”

 

This word does not simply mean that something has vanished from one’s memory.  Rather, it means to deliberately refuse to dwell on something any longer, to render it powerless in one’s life. It implies an active and decisive choice.

 

In ancient Greek races, a runner who looked back would lose speed or even stumble. Thus, the word portrays a conscious decision to ignore what lies behind.

 

2.       What Specifically Were the “Things Behind” That Paul Spoke Of?

 

The “things behind” that Paul deliberately chose to forget have a twofold aspect.

 

Past Successes and Grounds for Boasting (Preventing Spiritual Pride): In the opening part of Philippians 3, Paul recounts his impressive lineage, education, and religious zeal, declaring that he considered them “rubbish” for the sake of Christ.  The moment a believer becomes satisfied with past glory or previous spiritual achievements, he loses the motivation to keep running toward the present goal.

 

Past Failures and Guilt (Preventing Spiritual Discouragement): Paul had once been a persecutor who arrested and put to death those who believed in Jesus.  Satan undoubtedly sought to condemn him continually by reminding him of his past, saying, “And you call yourself an apostle?”  When Paul says he “forgot” these things, he means that by trusting in the forgiveness secured through the cross, he decisively broke free from the bondage of past wounds and guilt.

 

3.       Practical Application for Christians Today

 

Do Not Be Bound by Past Glory (Escaping a Past-Tense Faith): This means refusing to live on memories such as: “I used to pray so much in the old days,” “I served in this ministry years ago.”  The race of faith is not something completed in the past. It is a present and ongoing race that requires us to run with renewed commitment every day.

 

Be Free from Failure and Condemnation: We must break free from the self-condemnation that says, “I’m no good,” because of past mistakes, spiritual failures, or painful experiences.  God has removed our transgressions “as far as the east is from the west” (Ps. 103:12).  We must not stop running the race by continually digging up sins that God Himself has already forgiven in Christ.

 

Fix Your Eyes Only on What Is Ahead—the Goal: The Greek athlete ran while focusing only on the judge waiting beyond the finish line with the prize in hand.  Likewise, we are to fix our eyes solely on Jesus Christ, who is our goal, and on the heavenly reward He will give.  The central application of this passage is to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the race of faith that has been set before us today (Internet).

 

(2)    Second, I would like to think more specifically about the lesson that Jesus’ words, “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32), teach us as modern Christians.

 

(a)    First of all, why did Jesus say, “Remember Lot’s wife” [μνημονεύετε τῆς γυναικὸς Λώτ (mnēmoneuete tēs gynaikos Lōt)]?

 

The reason Jesus gave one of the shortest yet most powerful commands in Scripture, ‘Remember Lot’s wife,’ was to solemnly warn believers living in the last days about the danger of ‘spiritual double-mindedness’ (lingering attachment to the world), a trap into which they can easily fall.  The specific reasons may be summarized in the following three points (Internet).

 

1.       Because her body was rescued, but her heart remained in Sodom (A warning against spiritual hypocrisy)

 

Lot’s wife joined the outward procession of salvation as she was led by the angels out of the city of Sodom.  However, her heart remained bound to Sodom’s material prosperity and the place of her comfortable and prosperous life (τὰ σκεύη, possessions or household goods).

Jesus warns that in the last days it is not enough merely to attend church or maintain an outward religious appearance.

 

Although her body had left the world (Sodom), her heart still longed for it.  Through her example, Jesus shows that a “half-hearted faith” that continues to desire the world cannot ultimately escape judgment.

 

2.       Because “looking back” is itself an act of unbelief (The direction of one’s gaze)

 

Through the angels, God clearly commanded: “Do not look back or stop anywhere in the plain” (Gen. 19:17).  Therefore, Lot’s wife’s act of looking back was not mere curiosity.  Rather, it was disobedience and unbelief, demonstrating that she valued the worldly possessions she had left behind more than God’s solemn command.

 

Likewise, in the immediately preceding verse (Lk. 17:31), Jesus said that the one in the field must not turn “back” (εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω).

 

On the journey of salvation, believers must look only forward toward the Kingdom of God.  The moment they turn their gaze toward their former life or worldly attachments, their spiritual progress stops, and they become hardened like a pillar of salt.  Jesus was reminding His disciples of this reality.

 

3.       Because the final judgment will come suddenly and without warning (A sense of urgency)

 

The context of Luke 17 describes how, just as in the days of Noah and Lot, people will be eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building right up until the moment judgment suddenly arrives (vv. 28–30).

 

When the day of judgment comes, the situation will be so urgent that there will not even be time for a person on the rooftop to come down and gather possessions from the house.

 

By calling attention to Lot’s wife, Jesus wanted to impress upon His disciples a sense of spiritual urgency: “When the final moment arrives, there will be no time to hesitate or linger because of attachment to the world.”

Summary and Contemporary Application

 

Jesus’ command to remember Lot’s wife is essentially asking us: “What are you looking at right now?”  As the Apostle Paul confessed, believers must deliberately and decisively forget “the things behind”—whether worldly success, lingering attachments, or even past failures (ἐπιλανθανόμενος)—and press forward with their eyes fixed only on what lies ahead.  This is the Lord’s earnest exhortation to us (Internet).

 

(3)    Third, when I reread Jesus’ words in Luke 17:33 in the Greek New Testament—“Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will keep it alive”—I became interested in the words “περιποιήσασθαι” (peripoiēsasthai, to acquire/preserve) and “ζωογονήσει” (zōogonēsei, to make alive/preserve life).  Why did Jesus use these two different words?

 

(a)    The reason Jesus intentionally contrasted these two different words when speaking of ‘preserving life’ and ‘giving life’ was to expose the fundamental difference between humanity’s self-directed attempts to save life and God’s supernatural preservation of life.  The specific distinction and Jesus’ purpose are as follows (Internet).

 

1.       Humanity’s Artificial Grasping: περιποιέω (peripoiēsasthai)

 

Etymological Meaning: This word is formed from: περί (peri) = around + ποιέω (poieō) = to make.  Literally, it means: “to build a fence around something and gather it for oneself,” that is, “to make it one’s own,” “to secure it for oneself,” “to preserve it as personal possession.”

 

Nuance: The subject of this action is the human being himself.  It describes a person trying desperately to construct a secure zone around his life through his own strength, wisdom, and possessions.

 

Jesus’ Purpose: Jesus used this word to expose the selfish and artificial obsession that says: “I will protect my possessions and my life by my own power.”  This is the same attitude displayed by: the person who would come down from the rooftop to gather household possessions (σκεύη) during the final judgment, and Lot’s wife, who looked back because she could not bear to lose Sodom’s wealth.  Those who build such protective fences around themselves will ultimately perish (ἀπολέσει) together with those fences.

 

2.       God’s Supernatural Act of Giving Life: ζωογονέω (zōogonēsei)

 

Etymological Meaning: This word combines: ζωός (zōos) = life, living + γίνομαι (ginomai) = to become, to bring forth.  Literally, it means: “to bring forth life,” “to give life,” “to keep alive.”

 

Nuance: This word is related to childbirth and generation.  It suggests that the sovereignty over life belongs not to human beings but to God.  Human beings do not preserve themselves; rather, God Himself brings forth life anew and sustains it to the end.

 

Jesus’ Purpose: Jesus used this word to emphasize that those who willingly surrender their possessions and even their lives for the Lord will experience a supernatural power of life from God—far greater than any human-made security.  This divine power, manifested ultimately in resurrection and eternal life, will preserve them and make them truly alive.

 

Summary: Why Did Jesus Use Two Different Words?

 

Through this contrast, Jesus proclaimed the principle of true salvation. 

 

When human beings become the central actors and attempt to fence in and preserve their own lives and possessions (περιποιήσασθαι), they ultimately fail.

 

But when they acknowledge God as the true Lord and willingly surrender their lives for Christ, God Himself brings forth new life and preserves it forever (ζωογονήσει).

 

In other words, Jesus uses the nuance of these two words to present a perfect contrast of this eschatological paradox: “If I cling to my life, I lose it; if I entrust it to God, I live.”  That is the powerful spiritual truth Jesus intended to communicate (Internet).

 

(4)    Fourth, when I reread Jesus’ words in the Greek New Testament: “I tell you, on that night two people will be lying in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left (Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left) (Lk. 17:34–36).  I became interested in the sentence that is repeated three times: “ὁ εἷς παραλημφθήσεται καὶ ὁ ἕτερος ἀφεθήσεται” (ho heis paralēmphthēsetai kai ho heteros aphethēsetai) (“One will be taken and the other will be left”).  What is the specific meaning of this statement?

 

(a)    The reason Jesus repeated this solemn statement (‘One will be taken and the other will be left’) three times in different settings was to impress upon His listeners both the urgency of the end times and the thoroughly individual nature of salvation, transcending gender, location, and social status.  In Scripture, the number ‘three’ signifies completeness, certainty, and strong emphasis.  Specifically, the spiritual purpose behind this threefold repetition may be summarized as follows (Internet).

 

1.       A Comprehensive Inclusion of Every Human Situation (An End Time with No Exceptions)

 

Jesus presented three different everyday settings, declaring that no human being on earth will be exempt from the coming of the Son of Man (the end times).

 

The Simultaneity of Night and Day: By mentioning both the bed (nighttime) and the millstone and field (daytime), Jesus shows that the end will come instantaneously on a global scale.

 

Transcending Gender and Social Status: Jesus emphasizes that everyone—from men working in the field, who were often regarded as socially prominent, to women grinding grain, who were often overlooked—will stand before the same standard of divine judgment and salvation.

 

2.       The Complete Shattering of the Illusion of External Solidarity

 

Even the closest and seemingly inseparable relationships will be divided at the moment of the end.

 

The Closest Relationship (The Bed): This refers to relationships such as husband and wife or family members who share physical and emotional intimacy.

Economic Partnership (Grinding at the Mill): Two people sit facing one another and labor together to turn a heavy millstone in order to earn a living.

 

Social and Occupational Partnership (The Field): This represents coworkers who sweat together in pursuit of a common goal.

 

Jesus repeatedly warns that no matter how close people may be in this world, “The fact that the person beside you is saved does not automatically mean that you are saved.”  He drives this truth home through a rhythmic threefold repetition.

 

3.       The Certainty and Irreversibility of the End (A Warning)

 

In Hebrew modes of expression, repeating the same structure three times signifies: “This will certainly happen, without exception, exactly as stated.”

 

Immediately after referring to Noah’s Flood and the judgment of Sodom, Jesus repeats this statement three times to warn that the coming judgment is neither a metaphor nor an empty threat, but the most tangible reality humanity will ever face.

 

4.       A Call to Spiritual Vigilance as an Individual Before God

 

The threefold repetition compels each listener to ask himself three times: “Will I be among those who are taken (παραλημφθήσεται), or among those who are left (ἀφεθήσεται)?”  Jesus strongly urges His hearers not to hide behind the faith of others or behind the security of belonging to a church community, but to stand before God as individuals and remain spiritually awake right now (Internet).

 

(i)    This statement is a very solemn declaration of the universal and complete spiritual separation that will occur at the end of the age. The specific meaning of the words and Jesus’ purpose in repeating them three times are as follows” (Internet).

 

a.       Detailed Meaning and Nuance of Each Word

 

“παραλημφθήσεται” (paralēmphthēsetai):“Will be taken”

Grammar: Its root is παραλαμβάνω (paralambanō), a compound of: παρά (para) = beside, alongside + λαμβάνω (lambanō) = to take, receive.  The form here is the future passive.

 

Nuance: It carries the sense of receiving, welcoming, or taking someone into close companionship.  This is the same word Jesus used in John 14:3: “I will come again and receive you to Myself” (παραλήμψομαι).  It signifies being brought by the Lord’s sovereign grace into the place of salvation—the banquet of the Kingdom of God.

 

“ὁ ἕτερος” (ho heteros): “The other”

 

In the Gospels, this word often refers not merely to another person, but to someone of a fundamentally different kind, nature, or direction.  Thus it points to a person whose destiny is essentially different from that of the one who is saved.

 

“ἀφεθήσεται” (aphethēsetai): “Will be left”

 

Grammar: Its root is ἀφίημι (aphiēmi), a compound of: ἀπό (apo) = away from + ἵημι (hiēmi) = to send.  The form here is the future passive.

 

Nuance: It means to leave behind, abandon, let go, or reject.  It describes being separated from the Lord’s presence and saving grace, left in place to face judgment, just as people were left to perish in Noah’s Flood or in the fiery judgment upon Sodom.

 

b.       The Specific Spiritual Meaning of the Three Repetitions (The Bed, the Millstone, and the Field)

 

Jesus repeated this statement three times against the backdrop of ordinary life—nighttime (the bed) and daytime activities (grinding grain and working in the field).  The message conveyed is as follows:

 

①      Outward Conditions Are Not the Standard of Salvation

 

The husband and wife lying in one bed, the neighbors grinding grain together, and the coworkers laboring side by side in the field appear outwardly identical.  To human eyes, their lifestyle, occupation, environment, and social standing seem exactly the same.  Yet according to the condition of their hearts—whether they are like Lot’s wife, clinging to the world, or like Paul, pressing forward toward Christ—their destinies will be separated as completely as light from darkness.

 

②      Salvation Is Entirely Personal

 

Even within the closest relationship imaginable—a family sharing one bed—no one can be saved by virtue of another person’s faith.  Salvation is a profoundly personal relationship between God and the individual.  At the final moment, no human bond in this world will be able to prevent eternal separation.

 

③      Judgment and Salvation Arrive Unexpectedly in the Midst of Everyday Life

 

People will be sleeping, grinding grain to prepare food, and working in the fields to earn their living when the Day of the Son of Man arrives.  Jesus warns against a faith that continually postpones readiness while waiting for extraordinary signs.  Instead, believers must remain spiritually awake in the ordinary routines of daily life.

 

Summary and Conclusion:

Jesus repeated this statement three times because He wanted to say: “Do not feel secure simply because outward appearances look the same.”

 

This becomes even clearer when connected with the context of verses 31–33.  Those who turn back (ὀπίσω) in order to cling to worldly possessions (σκεύη) will be “left behind” (ἀφεθήσεται).  Those who forget their attachment to the world and entrust their lives to the Lord will be “taken” (παραλημφθήσεται) to be with Him.

 

(5)    Fifth and last, when the disciples asked Jesus, “Where, Lord?” (Modern Korean Bible: “Lord, where will such things happen?”)  Jesus answered, “Where the body is, there the vultures (or eagles) will gather” (Modern Korean Bible: “Where there is a corpse, there the vultures will naturally gather”) (Lk. 17:37).  What does this mean? Why did Jesus respond in this way?

 

(a)    The statement in Luke 17:37, which concludes this entire discourse, ‘Where the body is, there the vultures (eagles) will gather,’ is one of the most difficult passages in all the Gospels.  When the disciples’ question and Jesus’ answer are analyzed in light of the Greek text and the historical background, the following solemn meanings emerge” (Internet).

 

1.       The disciples’ question: “Where, Lord?” (Ποῦ, Κύριε)

 

The disciples had just heard Jesus say that: “One will be taken and the other left.”  They were shocked by this statement and therefore asked where (Ποῦ, pou) this would happen. 

 

Their question reflected a geographical curiosity. They wanted to know either: Where the saved would be taken, Or where those left behind would experience judgment.  In other words, they were asking for a specific location on earth where these events would occur.

 

2.       Jesus’ answer and the nuances of the Greek words

 

Instead of naming a place, Jesus responded with a proverb based on a common natural phenomenon in the ancient Near East: “Ὅπου τὸ σῶμα, ἐκεῖ καὶ οἱ ἀετοὶ ἐπισυναχθήσονται” (Hopou to sōma, ekei kai hoi aetoi episynachthēsontai) (“Where the body is, there also the vultures (eagles) will be gathered together”).

 

“τὸ σῶμα” (to sōma): In the parallel passage of Matthew 24:28, the word πτῶμα (ptōma), meaning “corpse,” is used.  Luke instead uses σῶμα (sōma), meaning “body” or “dead body.”  The term points to a condition of spiritual death and corruption.

 

“οἱ ἀετοὶ” (hoi aetoi): This word can refer to: Eagles, or Vultures and other carrion-eating birds.

 

“ἐπισυναχθήσονται” (episynachthēsontai): This means: “They will gather together.” Interestingly, the noun form of this word is ἐπισυναγωγή (episynagōgē), which refers to a gathering or assembly, and is sometimes associated with the final gathering of believers.

 

3.       Why did Jesus answer this way?  Three central meanings:

 

Jesus used this proverb to redirect the disciples away from misplaced curiosity and to teach them the spiritual principles of judgment.

 

①      The certainty and inevitability of judgment (An unchanging law of nature)

 

Birds of prey can detect a carcass from great distances and quickly descend upon it in groups.  Where there is a dead body, vultures inevitably gather.  It is a natural and unavoidable reality.

 

Jesus’ point is: “There is no need to search for the location where judgment will occur. Wherever spiritual death and corruption exist, God’s judgment will arrive there as surely and as accurately as vultures find a corpse.”

 

②      Universal and comprehensive judgment (Breaking the limitation of a specific location)

 

The disciples may have wondered: “Will it be in Judea? In Jerusalem?”  But Jesus removed all geographical limitations.  Judgment is not confined to one city or one nation.  Just as the Flood in Noah’s day and the destruction of Sodom affected entire societies, God's judgment comes wherever spiritual corruption reaches its fullness.  His warning is that judgment can come anywhere in the world where such conditions exist.

 

③      A prophecy of Jerusalem’s judgment through the Roman army (Historical background)

 

To first-century Jews, this imagery carried a striking historical significance.  The military standard of the Roman legions bore the image of an eagle (Aquila).

 

 Many interpreters therefore understand Jesus’ words as containing a secondary prophetic reference: Jerusalem and its religious establishment had become spiritually dead like a corpse.  The Roman armies (the “eagles”) would gather against it.  This would culminate in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.  Thus, the saying can be understood as both a general principle of divine judgment and a specific historical prophecy.

 

The Spiritual Conclusion of Luke 17:31–37

 

From verses 31 through 37, a remarkable progression unfolds:

 

In the last days, one must not turn back to retrieve worldly possessions (σκεύη, possessions) from the house (v. 31).

 

One must remember Lot’s wife, who escaped physically but whose heart remained attached to the world and therefore looked back (v. 32).

 

Those who try to preserve their lives by their own efforts (περιποιήσασθαι) will lose them, but those who entrust themselves to the Lord will be supernaturally preserved by God (ζωογονήσει) (v. 33).

 

Although people may appear to live identical lives, one will be taken into the Lord’s presence (παραλημφθήσεται) while another will be left behind (ἀφεθήσεται) because of attachment to the world (vv. 34–36).

 

Rather than being preoccupied with where these events will occur, the essential question is whether one's soul is presently in the condition of a spiritually dead corpse that invites judgment, or in a spiritually living condition prepared to welcome the Lord (v. 37).

 

Ultimately, Jesus delivered a single, powerful message: do not be preoccupied with specific places or times, but rather cast aside worldly attachments and remain spiritually awake in your daily life today (Internet).