Wherever there is a carcass
This phrase suggests a scene of death and decay, symbolizing judgment and the aftermath of destruction. In biblical context, a carcass often represents spiritual death or the consequences of sin. The imagery of a carcass can be linked to the judgment upon nations or individuals who have turned away from God. In the Old Testament, carcasses were considered unclean (Leviticus 11:39-40), emphasizing the separation from holiness. This phrase may also allude to the desolation that follows divine judgment, as seen in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, which is a historical backdrop for this discourse.

there the vultures will gather
Vultures, or eagles in some translations, are birds of prey that are drawn to dead bodies. This imagery is used to depict the inevitability and swiftness of judgment. In the cultural context of the time, vultures were seen as scavengers, and their gathering was a natural consequence of death. This can be connected to the prophetic nature of Jesus' teachings, where He warns of the coming judgment and the signs that will accompany it. The gathering of vultures can also symbolize the gathering of nations or forces that come to execute judgment, as seen in prophetic literature like Ezekiel 39:17-20 and Revelation 19:17-18. This phrase underscores the certainty of divine retribution and the visible signs that accompany it, serving as a warning to remain vigilant and faithful.

1. Jesus Christ
The speaker of this verse, delivering the Olivet Discourse, a prophetic teaching about the end times.

2. Disciples
The immediate audience of Jesus' teaching, seeking understanding of the signs of the end times.

3. Mount of Olives
The location where Jesus delivers this discourse, a significant place in biblical prophecy.

4. Vultures
Symbolic creatures representing judgment and the inevitability of divine intervention.

5. Carcass
Represents spiritual decay or the presence of judgment, indicating a situation ripe for divine action.Inevitability of Judgment
Just as vultures naturally gather where there is a carcass, God's judgment is certain and unavoidable. Believers should live in readiness for Christ's return.

Discernment of the Times
Understanding the signs of the times is crucial. Believers are called to be vigilant and discerning, recognizing spiritual decay and the need for repentance.

Spiritual Vigilance
The imagery of vultures serves as a warning to remain spiritually alert and not be complacent in our faith.

Hope in Christ's Return
While the imagery is stark, it also points to the hope of Christ's return and the establishment of His kingdom. Believers should find encouragement in the promise of His coming.

Call to Repentance
The presence of a "carcass" suggests spiritual death. This serves as a call for self-examination and repentance, turning away from sin and towards God.(28) Wheresoever the carcase is.--Two interpretations of this verse may, without much risk of error, be at once rejected:--(1) That which sees in the "eagles" the well-known symbols of the strength of the Roman legions, and in the "carcass" the decayed and corrupted Judaism which those legions came to destroy. This, true as far as it goes, is too narrow and localised in its range for so wide and far-reaching a comparison. (2) The strange fantastic imagination of many of the Fathers that the "carcass" is Christ Himself, as crucified and slain, and that the eagles are His true saints and servants who hasten to meet Him in His coming. Those who picture to themselves with what purpose and with what results the vultures of the East swoop down on the carrion which they scent far off upon the breeze, will surely find such an explanation at once revolting and irrational. What the enigmatic proverb (if indeed it be enigmatic) means, is that wherever life is gone, wherever a church or nation is decaying and putrescent, there to the end of time will God's ministers of vengeance, the vultures that do their work of destruction, and so leave room for new forms of life by sweeping off that which was "ready to vanish away" (comp. Hebrews 8:13 for the phrase and thought), assuredly be found. What the disciples should witness in the fall of Jerusalem would repeat itself scores of times in the world's history, and be fulfilled on the largest scale at the end of all things. The words of Isaiah (Isaiah 46:11) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 39:4), in which the "ravenous bird" is a symbol of the nations who do the work of destruction to which God sends them, illustrate the meaning of the generalised law which is here asserted.

Verse 28. - For. The particle seems to be spurious, and is omitted by late editors. Christ applies a proverbial saying in confirmation of the certainty and universality of is appearance. He had used the same under other circumstances (Luke 17:87); and analogous expressions are found in Job 39:30; Hosea 8:1; Habakkuk 1:8, etc. Wheresoever the carcase (ptw = ma) is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Eagles (ἀετοὶ) do not live on carrion, so that here probably vultures are meant. The Hebrew word nesher, translated "eagle" in our version, often signifies "the vulture," as in Micah 1:16. This bird's keenness of sight is almost incredible; it will discern a prey at an enormous distance, and its movements being watched by others, all eager to secure food, a carcase is very quickly surrounded by a multitude of these rapacious birds, flocking from all quarters. What our Lord meant by this proverb has occasioned great disputation. If Christ were referring primarily and chiefly to Jerusalem, it would be easy to explain "the carcase" to be the corrupt city, "the eagles" the ministers of God's vengeance, especially the Roman armies, whose standards bore the image of this bird of prey. Or if it were a mere general truth, and to be taken entirely in a spiritual sense, the gnome would imply that moral corruption calls for heavenly chastisement. But neither of these interpretations would satisfy the context, which speaks of Christ's second advent. Hence many regard the sentence as altogether parallel to the preceding verse, expressing in metaphor that which was there set forth in more direct terms, viz. that all men shall assemble to the place where Christ shall summon them to be judged, as vultures congregate round a carcase. In this case the carcase is Christ, the eagles or vultures are the men to be judged. This exposition has satisfied commentators of reputation, but it has its weak points. One fails to see the propriety of describing men coming to the great assize as vultures gathering to devour a dead body, or how in this case the body can be Christ or the place of his appearance. More probable is the interpretation which regards the carcase as antichrist or the world power, and the eagles as the saints and angels who shall attend Christ when he comes in judgment (Revelation 19:17, 18). Others expound the clause entirely in a mystical sense. The carcase is Christ, or the body of Christ; the eagles are the saints, or true Christians; these, whatever happens, will, with keen spiritual sight, always be able to discern Christ and his body, and to flock thereto. He calls himself πτῶμα, because he saves us by his death, and feeds us by his body, in his Church, Word, and sacraments (see Wordsworth, in loc.). Such is the interpretation of many of the Fathers, and it has many analogies in other places of Scripture. Far be it from us to restrict the sphere of Divine prediction, or to assert that any legitimate reference which we may discover was not in the Lord's mind when he spake the words. But it is more simple to regard the proverbial saying in itself, without looking for abstruse or mystical meanings. As a carcase, fall where it may, is immediately observed by the vultures and attracts them, so Christ's coming shall at once be discerned by all men and draw them into it.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Wherever
ὅπου (hopou)
Adverb
Strong's 3699: Where, whither, in what place. From hos and pou; what(-ever) where, i.e. At whichever spot.

there is
ᾖ (ē)
Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

a carcass,
πτῶμα (ptōma)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4430: A fall; a carcass, corpse, dead body. From the alternate of pipto; a ruin, i.e., lifeless body.

there
ἐκεῖ (ekei)
Adverb
Strong's 1563: (a) there, yonder, in that place, (b) thither, there. Of uncertain affinity; there; by extension, thither.

the
οἱ (hoi)
Article - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

vultures
ἀετοί (aetoi)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 105: An eagle, bird of prey. From the same as aer; an eagle.

will gather.
συναχθήσονται (synachthēsontai)
Verb - Future Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 4863: From sun and ago; to lead together, i.e. Collect or convene; specially, to entertain.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 24:28 For wherever the carcass is there (Matt. Mat Mt)