Matthew 24:28

This appears to have been a well-known proverbial saying (cf. Luke 17:37; Job 39:30). One view of its meaning is that Jesus meant that the false Messiahs and the false prophets were similar to vultures (Matthew 24:24; Matthew 24:26). They would be trying to pick the corpse of a dead Israel clean for their own advantage when Jesus returned. [Note: Lenski, p. 946; Toussaint, Behold the . . ., p. 276; Pentecost, Thy Kingdom . . ., p. 254.] This is a possibility in view of the context. Another view is that the corpse refers to Christ and the vultures are God’s children gathered to feed on Him. [Note: Calvin 3:143-44.] However the idea of feeding on Christ is foreign to the context, and the comparison of Him to carrion is unappealing. Other interpreters take Jesus’ illustration to mean "signs as visible and indicative [as vultures gathering to a carcass] will herald the reality of the Parousia." [Note: Hill, p. 322.] Another writer paraphrased the verse as follows to give another interpretation.

". . . just as when life has abandoned a body, and it becomes a corpse, the vultures immediately swoop down upon it; so when the world has become rotten with evil, the Son of Man and His angels will come to execute the divine judgment." [Note: Paul J. Levertoff, St. Matthew (Revised Version), p. 79. Cf. Walvoord, Matthew: . . ., p. 190.]

The Greek word translated "vultures," aetoi, also means "eagles," but eagles rarely search out carrion. Still another view is that the figure emphasizes the swiftness of Messiah’s coming. [Note: T. W. Manson, The Sayings of Jesus, p. 147.] However the repulsive character of vultures and carrion suggest more than just a swift coming. Furthermore vultures do not always arrive and devour carrion swiftly. The view that appeals most to me is that Israel is the corpse and the vultures represent Israel’s hostile enemies. Where moral corruption exists, divine judgment falls (cf. Job 39:27-30). [Note: The New Scofield . . ., p. 1034.]