And he said to the disciples, The days will come, when you shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you shall not see it.
when.
Luke 5:35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
Luke 13:35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
The time is coming
This phrase indicates a prophetic statement, pointing to future events. It suggests an inevitable period that is part of God's divine plan. The anticipation of future fulfillment is a common theme in biblical prophecy, often calling for readiness and vigilance among believers.
when you will long to see
This longing reflects a deep desire and anticipation for the return of Christ. It suggests a period of trial or absence where the presence of Jesus, as experienced during His earthly ministry, will be missed. This longing is echoed in other scriptures, such as Romans 8:23, where believers groan inwardly as they await redemption.
one of the days of the Son of Man,
The "days of the Son of Man" refers to the time of Jesus' earthly ministry and His future return. The title "Son of Man" is a messianic term rooted in Daniel 7:13-14, emphasizing both Jesus' humanity and His divine authority. It connects to the eschatological hope of His second coming, when He will establish His kingdom fully.
but you will not see it.
This indicates a period of waiting and unfulfilled desire, suggesting that the disciples will not witness the return of Christ in their lifetime. It serves as a reminder of the already-but-not-yet tension in Christian eschatology, where the Kingdom of God is present but not fully realized. This also calls believers to live in faith and hope, trusting in God's timing.
Jesus directs this word specifically to His followers, those who have already committed to Him. By doing so, He anchors the promise—and the warning—inside the circle of faith, not outside it. In Luke 12:32 He reassures them, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom,” yet here He balances that comfort with sober realism. Similar classroom-style moments appear in John 13:14–15, where He both instructs and prepares them for what lies ahead.
This phrase is prophetic and definite. Christ is not guessing about the future; He is stating it with certainty. In John 4:23 He uses the same wording—“A time is coming and has now come”—to predict true worship in Spirit and truth. Likewise, Acts 1:7 reminds us that “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.” These verses together affirm that God’s timeline is pre-set, trustworthy, and literal.
“The days of the Son of Man” point to seasons when Jesus is openly, bodily present and reigning. The disciples would crave:
• the visible fellowship they once enjoyed (Luke 24:36–40)
• the vindication of Christ’s authority (Matthew 24:27)
• relief from persecution (John 16:2)
• the full establishment of His kingdom (Acts 1:6)
This longing is echoed later by Paul, who speaks of “all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8), and by John in Revelation 22:20, “Come, Lord Jesus!” The yearning itself is healthy, revealing hearts set on Christ’s return rather than earthbound comforts.
The delay is real. Most of these first-generation disciples would taste martyrdom before the Second Coming (see 2 Peter 3:4, “Where is the promise of His coming?”). Yet the absence of immediate fulfillment is not failure; it is God’s deliberate patience (2 Peter 3:9). Believers therefore learn to:
• walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)
• rejoice even when unseen (1 Peter 1:8)
• serve faithfully in the interim (Luke 19:13)
Christ bluntly acknowledges that desire may go unmet in their earthly lifetime, yet He still calls them to steadfastness.
Luke 17:22 offers a candid, comforting realism. Jesus tells His disciples that while a literal, glorious future day of His visible reign is certain, there will be an intervening season of absence in which they will ache for His return. That longing refines faith, anchors hope, and fuels obedience until the moment the sky finally splits and “every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7).
(22) When ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man.--The words express both the backward glance of regret, and the forward look of yearning expectation. The former feeling had been described before, when the disciples were told that the children of the bride-chamber should fast when the Bridegroom should be taken from them (Luke 5:34; Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19). The latter was expressed by-one of those who were now listening, when he spoke of men as "looking for and eagerly hasting" the coming of the day of God (2Peter 3:12); by another, when he recorded the cry of the souls beneath the altar, "How long, O Lord?" (Revelation 6:10). It is, we must re member, the disciples, and not the Pharisees, who are now addressed. In the long, weary years of conflict that lay before them, they would often wish that they could be back again in the pleasant days of friendly converse in the old Galilean life, or that they could be carried forward to the day of the final victory. Analogous emotions of both kinds have, of course, been felt by the successors of the disciples in all ages of the Church. They ask, Why the former days were better than the latter? (Ecclesiastes 7:10); they ask also, in half-murmuring impatience, "Why tarry the wheels of His chariots?" (Judges 5:28); sometimes, even in the accents of unbelief, "Where is the promise of His coming?" (2Peter 3:4). . . . Verse 22. - And he said unto the disciples. The Master now turns to the disciples, and, basing his words still upon the question of the Pharisees, he proceeds to deliver a weighty discourse upon the coming of the kingdom which will be manifest indeed, and externally, as well as internally, exceeding glorious, and for which this kingdom, now at its first beginning, will be for long ages merely a concealed preparation. Some of the imagery and figures used in this discourse reappear in the great prophecy in Matthew 24. (a shorter report of which St. Luke gives, Luke 21:8-36). Here, however, the teaching has no reference to the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Jewish polity, but only to "the times of the end." The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. In the first place, our Lord addressed these words to the disciples, who, in the long weary years of toil and bitter opposition which lay before them, would often long to be back again among the days of the old Galilaean life, when they could fake their doubts and fears to their Master, when they could listen without stint to his teaching, to the words which belonged to the higher wisdom. Oh, could they have him only for one day in their midst again l But they have a broader and more far-reaching reference; they speak also to all his servants in the long Christian ages, who will be often weary and dispirited at the seemingly hopeless nature of the conflict they are waging. Then will these indeed long with an intense longing for their Lord, who for so many centuries keeps silence. These will often sigh for just one day of that presence so little valued and thought of when on earth.