in the gospels of Matthew and Luke Jesus makes the cryptic statement where there is a dead body there the vultures will gather this saying has puzzled readers for centuries what did Jesus mean by comparing something to vultures gathering around a corpse was he speaking literally or figuratively a closer look at the context and historical background sheds light on the meaning and significance of this statement far from being a mere random analogy Jesus's words here convey an important message about the coming judgment on Israel and the need for his followers to be ready by unpacking the
biblical and cultural references in this saying we can gain a deeper understanding of Jesus's teaching and how it applies to us today the context in Luke let's start by looking at the saying in its original context in the Gospel of Luke it comes at the end of an extended discourse by Jesus about the coming of the son of man and the end times Luke 17: 20-37 some Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God will come in response Jesus tells them that God's kingdom is not coming in a way that can be observed externally rather
he says the kingdom of God is in your midst verse 21 he then addresses his disciples telling them about a future time of Great Tribulation and judgment that will come suddenly like the flood in the days of Noah or the destu destruction of Sodom in the days of lot at that time Jesus says the son of man will be revealed verse 30 life will be going on as usual with people eating drinking buying selling planting and building not realizing judgment is at hand verse 26 to 29 Jesus warns that on that day people need to
flee without delay or looking back remembering Lot's wife who was killed because she turned back verse 32 this leads to Jesus's statement that seems to baffle his disciples I tell you on that night there will be two people in one bed one will be taken and the other left there will be two women grinding meal together one will be taken and the other left verse 34-35 perplexed the disciples ask Jesus where Lord in other words where will these people be taken Jesus replies with the saying in question where the corpse is there the vultures will
gather verse 37 the context in Matthew Matthew records the same saying but places it in a slightly different context as part of Jesus's discourse on the Mount of Olives about the destruction of the temple and his second coming Matthew 24 after warning about the appearance of false Messiah and false prophets Jesus suddenly says wherever the corpse is there the vultures will gather vers 28 he then describes his second coming in Vivid apocalyptic language comparing it to the sudden brightness of lightning flashing across the sky verse 27 the meaning of the metaphor so what does Jesus
mean by this morbid metaphor of vultures gathering around a dead body is he speaking literally or figuratively if we look at how these two elements function in biblical prophecy and Jesus's teaching elsewhere a clear meaning emerges first the corpse represents the spiritually dead people of Israel facing impending judgment throughout the Old Testament Israel is described as a corpse or carcass when under Divine judgment for its idolatry and Disobedience for example through the Prophet Jeremiah God says of the houses of Israel and Judah they have turned to me their back and not their face and though
I have taught them persistently they have not listened to receive instruction they set up their Abominations in the house that is called by my name to defile it therefore God says behold I will bring upon them a disaster they cannot Escape though they cry to me I will not listen to them and the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth and none will frighten them away Jeremiah 7 verse 24-33 similarly through the prophet Ezekiel God describes his apostate people as a dreadful
Valley full of dry bones the hand of the Lord was upon me and he brought me out in the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley it was full of Bones and he led me around among them and behold there were very many on the surface of the valley and behold they were very dry Ezekiel 37:1 to2 Jesus applies this same imagery to the Unfaithful religious leaders and people of Israel in his day day he pronounces his woe on the scribes and Pharisees calling them Hypocrites blind guides whitewashed
tombs and a brood of vipers destined for judgment Matthew 23: 13-36 their dead religion makes them like lifeless stinking corpses in God's sight secondly the vultures represent the Roman armies that will execute God's judgment on Israel in the Old Testament birds of prey like vultures are a regular symbol for foreign armies that God uses as agents of his judgment for instance through the Prophet Jeremiah God describes Babylon as a vulture as it comes in judgment on Edom behold one shall Mount up and fly swiftly like an eagle or vulture and spread his wings against bosra
and the Heart of the Mighty Men of Edom shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains Jeremiah 49:22 military forces are frequently compared to vultures or Eagles because of the way they swoop down swiftly upon their prey and devour the carcasses of the slain Roman military standards even bore the image of an eagle making Jesus metaphor A fitting one for armies that would come in judgment under the authority of Rome so when Jesus says where the corpse is there the vultures gather he is vividly depicting the coming destruction
and desolation of Jerusalem and the temple by Roman armies in ad70 as God's judgment on unbelieving Israel for rejecting their Messiah like a dead body that can do nothing but become food for carryon Birds the spiritually dead generation of Jews who refuse to accept Jesus will become prey for the Roman vultures when judgment Falls supporting evidence several lines of evidence support this interpretation first the parallel passage in Luke 21 clear connects the vulture's saying with Jerusalem's destruction right after the parable of the Fig Tree sprouting leaves and the statement that this generation will not pass
away until all has taken place Luke's account reads but when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies then know that its desolation has come near then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains for these are days of Vengeance to fulfill all that is written and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled Luke 21: 20-24 so the vultures Jesus speaks of are linked with the desolation of Jerusalem by invading Gentile armies fulfilled in the Roman army Siege and conquest of the city in ad70 secondly
eagle and vulture imagery and dead body language tie the saying to biblical Prophecies of judgment on Israel as noted above the Old Testament prophets repeatedly depict the wicked unrepentant people of Israel as a dead body or carcass ripe for devouring by birds of prey when judgment comes for example Deuteronomy 28:26 Jeremiah 7:33 Hezekiah 29:5 and birds of prey symbolize the foreign armies that God uses to execute that judgment Jesus applies this graphic imagery to the Israel of his day as a sign that judgment is near in fulfillment of old test prophecy he even quotes Isaiah's
prophecy of judgment as being fulfilled in the parable of the wedding Feast where the king sends his troops to destroy the city of those who refused his invitation and leaves their corpses for the birds the King was angry and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their City then he said to his servants the wedding Feast is ready but those invited were not worthy go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding Feast as many as you find but when the king came in to look at the guests he saw
there a man who had no wedding garment and he said to him friend how did you get in here without a wedding garment and he was speechless then the king said to the attendants bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer Darkness for many are called but few are chosen m Matthew 22: 7-14 this Parable aimed at the Jewish religious leaders who oppos Jesus CF Matthew 21: 45 clearly foreshadows the destruction of Jerusalem and removal of the unbelieving Jews while the Gentiles are welcomed into the kingdom The Man Without wedding clothes represents
those in Israel who refuse to be clothed in Christ's righteousness these are the corpses to be cast out and left for the vultures significance and application so what is the key takeaway from Jesus's rather shocking metaphor he is sounding an urgent warning to the people of Israel that judgment is coming soon on that generation because of their rejection of him as Messiah the nation will be left desolate like an unburied corpse with Roman army circling like vultures over the dead body of Jerusalem when that judgment Falls Jesus's followers need need to be ready to flee
without looking back but this message is not just for them it speaks to us as well in at least two ways first it warns us against dead religion that rejects the truth the scribes and Pharisees thought they were alive but were actually dead in their sins and hypocrisy because they did not accept their own Messiah Revelations 3:1 there is a sobering warning here for us not to have a merely formal or nominal religion based on external rituals or rule keeping rather than authentic heart faith in the gospel like the Jewish religious leaders our outward appearance
of righteousness means nothing to God if we have not been inwardly transformed by repentance and faith in Christ we must make sure we are actually born again by the spirit clothed in Christ's righteousness rather than our own and following him wholeheartedly lest we find ourselves on the wrong side of God's judgment secondly it reminds us that this world is passing away and to live for eternity Jesus's vivid language of corpses and vultures graphically illustrates the transitory nature of life in this Fallen World like the people of Noah's day it's easy to get caught up in
the normal routines of daily existence eating drinking marrying buying selling planting building and forget that this world is not our ultimate home judgment is coming one day Jesus will return suddenly like a flash of lightning then everything associated with this sin cursed Earth and Humanity's Rebellion against God will become like Carion for the vultures only What's Done For Christ will last so Jesus's words PR us not to become overly attached to the things of this life as if this world is all there is instead we must live with eternity constantly in view setting our hopes
fully on the grace to be revealed at Christ's appearing 1 Peter 1:13 we must invest our time talents and treasures in things that will endure beyond the grave and we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus ready to meet him at any moment conclusion when we dig a bit deeper then Jesus is saying about vultures gathering over a dead body turns out to be a sobering warning with important implications for how we live it is not some mysterious morbid proverb but a vivid apocalyptic metaphor that has been fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and will
be fulfilled again on a grander scale at Christ's final coming like the Jewish people of Jesus's day we must not ignore the signs that God's judgment is near we must make sure our faith is genuine and our lives are right with God and we must live each day in light of Eternity with our lamps trimmed and burning eagerly awaiting our blessed hope the Glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ Titus 2:13
