The Flight of Lot and His Family from Sodom (after Rubens), by Jacob Jordaens, c. 1620
“Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife.”
In this week’s Gospel reading, Yeshua recalls the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and, just before this, the flood of Noach. In both accounts, he highlights how people were carrying on with their daily lives: eating and drinking, marrying, buying and selling, planting and building. If he were speaking to us today, he might say, “People were scrolling on their phones, trading stocks, listening to music, going out to eat, and binging the latest Netflix series.”
These activities are not necessarily sinful in themselves. But Yeshua’s warning shows how easily we can become so preoccupied with the things of this world that we give little attention to the things of God, unaware that judgment is approaching.
But we are called to be spiritually ready.
In our parashah, the angels urge Lot to take his family and flee Sodom. Yet the Torah tells us, “But he lingered” (Genesis 19:16). What could make him hesitate when his life, and the lives of his family, were at stake?
I believe Yeshua’s words suggest an answer:
“Let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife.”
— Luke 17:31–32
The reference to Lot’s wife is explicit, but I believe Yeshua’s warning against going back for possessions also refers to Lot’s hesitation: he lingered because he wanted to save what he owned. Interestingly, about a thousand years later, Rashi explains Lot’s hesitation in the same way, saying that Lot delayed “in order to save his property” (Rashi on Genesis 19:16).
In this reading, even though destruction was imminent, Lot hesitated because escaping meant leaving his possessions behind. Yeshua’s warning asks us to consider whether what we own or value—the success we’re chasing, the status, the desire to be honored by others, or any other fleeting treasure of this world—is making us reluctant to choose life and obey HaShem.
Lot’s wife, whom Yeshua instructs us to remember, looked back at what she had left behind. Her example shows us a divided heart. She followed Lot and the angels out of the city, but inwardly she still longed for her former life. Her fate reminds us how much is at stake. When we cling to sin and hesitate to obey God, we risk losing the salvation he offers.
Yeshua uses the flood of Noach and the destruction of Sodom to show us what will occur “on the day the Son of Man is revealed,” at his Second Coming on the great and terrible Day of the LORD. It is a day “burning like an oven” (Malachi 4:1), when we must give account for what we have done in this life, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). On that day, it will not matter what wealth, possessions, and status we’ve acquired. What will matter is whether we have lived faithfully before God.
But this warning to “Remember Lot’s wife” is not just for when the storm clouds are gathering on the horizon and we sense the end is near. This is something we need to keep before us constantly, because none of us is guaranteed our next breath.
Yeshua told a parable recorded in Luke 12:16–21:
“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
We cannot assume that we will always have time to repent or make things right. We share this man’s foolishness when we say to ourselves, “After college, I’ll get serious about God.” Or, “When I get married, I’ll finally clean up my act.” Or, “Once I retire, I’ll finally have the time.” Our Master teaches us to use our time on this earth as wisely as we can, storing up treasures in heaven through repentance and good deeds.
How, then, do we prepare?
In his book Path of the Just, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto describes the quality of zehirut, or watchfulness. It means examining our conduct, “not walking through the course of habit like a blind man in darkness” (chapter 2).
It’s so easy to become accustomed to the way we live without stopping to consider where our choices are leading us. Even our sincere desire to serve HaShem needs this regular examination: Are we practicing what we believe? What do I spend the most time building up in my life? Wealth? Comfort? Entertainment? If my life and deeds were exposed before the throne of God tomorrow, what would I have to show for it?
This is why watchfulness matters. Our daily choices shape the people we are becoming. By taking time to examine them before HaShem, we give ourselves the opportunity to recognize what needs to change and respond while we still can.
Our Master teaches us to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, trusting our Father to care for our needs (Matthew 6:33–34). Working and providing for our families are part of living faithfully to HaShem, but earning a living is not the same thing as being rich toward God. We must also make time for prayer, repentance, serving others, study, and loving one another.
We do not know how much time we have. But we have been given this day to love HaShem, care for the people around us, and practice what Yeshua has taught us. May he find us doing so when he comes.
Father, thank you for your patience and mercy toward us. Help us to see where we hesitate to obey and what we are reluctant to leave behind. Teach us to examine our lives honestly, repent where we need to, and receive your help with grateful hearts. May our choices today reflect our love for you. Keep us faithful as we await the return of our Master Yeshua. Amen.
