The phrase “remember Lot’s wife” in Luke 17:32 is a warning given by Jesus Christ to His followers to not look back or turn back from following Him. It refers to the story in Genesis 19 about Lot’s wife who was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Here is the full verse in Luke 17:
“Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.” (Luke 17:32-33 ESV)
To understand the meaning of this warning, we need to look at the context and the Old Testament story it is referring to.
The Context of Luke 17:32
In Luke 17, Jesus is teaching His disciples about the coming of the kingdom of God and the end times. He talks about how the Son of Man (Jesus Himself) will return unexpectedly and emphasizes the need for readiness and faithfulness.
In verse 22, He tells the disciples that they will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man but won’t see it. He then compares the coming of the Son of Man to lightning flashing across the sky (v. 24). The point is that just like lightning is visible to everyone, the return of Christ will be obvious to all.
But before that return, Jesus says “But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” (v.25). This is a prophecy about His coming suffering and death on the cross which would happen before His second coming.
Jesus then draws parallels between the time of His return and the days of Noah and Lot (v.26-30). He highlights that people will be going about their daily lives without any concern even amidst the warnings of impending judgment. The Son of Man’s coming will catch them unexpectedly.
After this context, Jesus gives the warning in verse 32 – “Remember Lot’s wife”. The story of Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt is found in Genesis 19.
The Story of Lot’s Wife (Genesis 19)
Lot was Abraham’s nephew who lived with his wife and two daughters in the city of Sodom. Genesis 18 records how the Lord told Abraham He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their grave sinfulness (Gen 18:20).
But Abraham interceded for Lot, so God sent two angels to warn Lot and his family to leave the city before its destruction. The angels urged them strongly to flee and not look back (Gen 19:15-17).
Lot hesitated at first but the angels seized him, his wife and two daughters, and brought them out of the city before God rained burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 24-25). The angels had warned them to flee for the mountains and not stop or look back anywhere in the valley (v.17).
But as they were fleeing, Lot’s wife disobeyed the command and looked back, and she immediately turned into a pillar of salt (v. 26). Meanwhile, Lot and his daughters made it safely to the town of Zoar.
Why did she look back? The text doesn’t specify the reason. Perhaps she longed for her life back in Sodom or she thought the destruction wasn’t real. Regardless, her looking back demonstrated her heart was still set on the place God was judging.
Lessons from the Story
Lot’s wife was attached to the wicked city of Sodom even though she was warned about its coming destruction. Instead of fleeing without looking back, she lingered, disobeyed God’s command and faced severe consequences.
Her story serves as a sobering lesson about the danger of clinging to sin and disobeying God’s clear commands. When God pronounces coming judgment and warns us to flee from it, we must obey without delay or hesitation. Lingering or looking back can lead to disaster.
Some key lessons from this account are:
- God’s judgment and wrath on unrepentant sinners is real. Don’t sit back presuming on God’s mercy.
- God is patient but His judgment will come unexpectedly. Now is the time to flee from sin.
- Clinging to sin can lead to judgment and disaster. Flee immediately when God warns you.
- Don’t look back or long for the past life of sin. Be resolute in following God’s commands.
- Disobeying God’s clear commands has consequences. Obey God fully as He leads you out of sin.
This story served as a sobering warning to the Israelites against longing for their past slavery in Egypt when God delivered them into the Promised Land.
How the Warning Applies Today
In the same way, Jesus uses Lot’s wife as an example of the dangers of “looking back” in our spiritual walk with God:
- Don’t Look Back at Your Old Life of Sin
- Be Willing to Forsake All to Follow Christ
- Endure to the End to be Saved
- There is No Middle Ground
- God’s Judgment is Certain
- Flee and Take Refuge in Christ
When we come to true faith in Christ, we are to repent and turn our backs on our old sinful lifestyles. There must be no lingering affection or longing for those things God delivered us from.
Just like Lot’s wife, we can get easily entangled if we keep looking back with longing at the world’s sinful pleasures and our past bondages (2 Peter 2:20-22). Jesus wants His followers to be radically committed, not compromised.
Following Jesus requires forsaking the world and our own lives. He said “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
We must count the cost and be willing to forsake all – our comforts, ambitions, relationships, possessions – for Christ’s sake. He must have the supreme place in our lives.
Lot’s wife was attached to the comforts of Sodom. We must flee from love of the world and not turn back, like her.
Jesus emphasized that enduring life’s trials and persevering to the end is essential to ultimate salvation (Matt 24:13). The temptation to look back comes when we lose vision of eternity and get overwhelmed by current sufferings.
Like the Israelites who grumbled to go back to Egypt when faced with the wilderness journey, believers can also get discouraged and be tempted to give up in their walk with God.
But we must press on by fixing our eyes on Jesus, the heavenly reward set before us, and not shrinking back (Heb 12:1-3). The rewards are infinite for those endure to the end without looking back.
Jesus said we can’t serve both God and money and that we reap what we sow (Luke 16:13, Gal 6:7). When judgment comes, there is no middle ground between salvation and destruction.
Lot’s wife seemed to think she could have one foot in Sodom and another towards Zoar. But her divided loyalty led to her literal downfall. We must flee sin and follow Christ wholly, not vacillating between two opinions (1 Kings 18:21).
Jesus repeatedly warned about the coming judgment on unrepentant sinners who refuse His offer of salvation. No one knows when it will come, but the Bible is clear it will be unexpected and terrifying (2 Pet 3:10).
Just as certainly as God judged Sodom, He will judge the world again. Only those who have fled to Christ and continue following Him will be saved from it.
God promised to destroy Sodom but provided an escape from it. In the same way, while all face the coming judgment, God has made full provision for our escape through Christ (1 Thess 1:10).
Jesus is our refuge from the judgment we all deserve. His blood covers the sins of all who repent and believe in Him. We must flee to Christ and take hold of His salvation by faith alone.
So in summary, Jesus uses Lot’s wife as a warning not to look back or turn back from following Him. We must flee sin and the world to find refuge in Christ and not turn back even in the face of trials or persecution. Our loyalty must be to Jesus alone.
Other Bible Passages on Not Turning Back
This theme of not turning back from following the Lord is found in several other passages as well:
Luke 9:61-62
“Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
This emphasizes that following Christ requires undivided dedication. We cannot keep looking back but must be resolute in commitment.
Hebrews 10:38-39
“But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.
Shrinking back due to unbelief can lead to being destroyed. Believers must persevere in faith to experience final salvation.
2 Peter 2:20-22
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”
Those who turn back to sin after knowing Christ demonstrate they were never truly saved. We must continue enduring in obedience to confirm our salvation.
Revelation 2:4-5
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Jesus rebuked the Ephesian church for losing their first love for Him. All believers must heed this warning and repent of backsliding.
1 Kings 19:19-21
So Elijah went from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.
Elisha demonstrated his complete commitment to follow Elijah by burning his plow and sacrificing his oxen. He did not even look back but fully obeyed the call to follow.
Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul models the attitude believers should have of forgetting the past and straining toward the heavenly call in Christ. There is no place for looking back.
Practical Application
Here are some practical ways we can apply this lesson from Lot’s wife to our lives today:
- Examine your heart and repent of any lurking love for sin, worldliness and fleshly desires.
- Daily reaffirm your commitment to follow Christ no matter the cost.
- Focus on eternity and your reward in heaven so you don’t get discouraged by earthly trials.
- Pursue total obedience to Christ in every area of life – don’t compromise.
- Avoid things that could entangle you again with sin – be ruthless if needed.
- Cultivate undivided loyalty to Christ – lay down everything for His sake.
- Ask God for grace to persevere until the end.
- Encourage other believers with this warning and to run the race to obtain the prize.
- Make fleeing to Christ your only refuge from the coming judgment.
Conclusion
Jesus’ sober warning to “Remember Lot’s Wife” reminds us to wholeheartedly follow Him without looking back to our former lives of sin. Clinging to this world and disobeying God leads only to judgment and destruction.
May we have an unwavering commitment to Christ, forsaking everything for the surpassing worth of following Him. Our eyes must be fixed on the eternal reward ahead of us so that we finish our race strong and receive our full inheritance in Christ.