Tuesday, 16 April Luke 21:5-38
Written by Dr Graham Leo. ©2019.
This chapter, and the similar ones in Mark and Matthew, have been ripe ground for futurists and Last Days Prophets in all ages, going back centuries. I do not intend to join in on their imaginative guesses. But nor can we ignore what Jesus is telling us in this chapter, because he clearly saw this information as important for his disciples.
We commence with the disciples admiring the beauty and majesty of the temple. I reflected extensively on the destruction of the temple in my Lent reflections on Mark, so we won't go over that ground again.
It is not a bad thing for human beings to admire and be influenced by the sense of grandeur inspired by beautiful ancient structures, especially religious ones. I have sat, as you may have, in many of the great cathedrals of Europe, including England of course, and sat in awe of their sublime soaring architecture.
Not surprisingly, the disciples reacted similarly as tourists in the capital of their own nation, at their own temple. Jesus’ response must have been completely shocking for them. ‘Not one of these stones will be left upon another.’
It’s good to remember as we admire, renovate and construct our own religious buildings, that they are only bricks and mortar. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't bother. The quest for beauty in church architecture is a God-inspired principle.
As always, the question is one of balance; not too much focus on the physical elements, and not too little regard for our surroundings. I've taken Communion standing in a jungle clearing with local natives, but I generally find worship to be aided by a beautiful setting, where every shape and item of furniture are chosen for their worshipful significance.
There are two themes in this reading, and it is easy to get them confused. The main theme is the coming destruction of Jerusalem (including the temple, which starts all this discussion); the other is Jesus’ return to earth at the end of the age.
By this, he means the church age, that period in which we now live. This is only briefly touched upon and is overlaid on the more specific topic of the destruction of Jerusalem. Simply by reading carefully and following the logic of the words, their normal usage and meanings, I think we can arrive at some reasonable assumptions.
Broadly speaking, I think it is reasonable to assume that, from v8 to v24, Jesus has in mind the coming destruction of Jerusalem. That happened in 70AD. Since then, as Jesus foretold, Jerusalem has been ‘trampled on by the Gentiles’ (v24), and still is to this day, even though a Jewish state commenced in 1948. It is a divided city. The Dome of the Rock was built under Muslim rule over the most holy site – the temple destroyed in 70AD.
Incidentally, one of the reasons that many scholars believe that all four Gospels were written before 70AD, is that none of them talk about that event, except in prophetic terms, i.e. looking forward to it in a fairly veiled manner. It was such a cataclysmic event for Israel that it could hardly not have been mentioned if it had already occurred. It would be like sitting down in the 1950s to write a biography of Churchill and not mentioning the Second World War.
Jesus seems to use his prediction of Jerusalem being overtaken by the Romans to leapfrog for a few sentences to the topic of his future return: vv25-8. The Kingdom of God is always ‘overlaid’ on this temporal life, as we have seen throughout Luke.
Then Luke comes back to the Jerusalem topic, by telling us Jesus’ parable of the fig tree. This generation, said Jesus, will not pass away till you see these things happen. Again, we must follow the logic. Jesus’ main topic is the fall of Jerusalem. A Jewish generation was regarded as 40 years. If Jesus was saying these things sometime around 30AD, then his prediction was accurate, as we would expect.
So what are we take for all of this as our encouragement in this Lenten season?
I think we can take this: Jesus says that he will return at some time in the future. We don't know when, and it is pointless to speculate on the date. But as surely as his prophecy about the fall of Jerusalem came to be fulfilled, so will his promise to return.
We are some 2000 years away now from that promise, and it is easy to pooh-pooh the idea. This is what Peter was getting at in his prophecy: In the last days, scoffers will come, following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised?’ Ever since our fathers died, everything has been going on the same as it always has. 2 Pet. 3:3-4
Jesus has come once. In this Gospel, Luke has outlined the circumstances of his birth, the promises surrounding it, and has stressed to us the faithfulness of God’s promises that were made in the long-distant past about a coming Messiah. Remember the first six reflections in this series, where we saw Luke emphasise God’s faithfulness to his word.
Now the story of Jesus’ first coming is nearly at an end. Luke is preparing the ground for us to be aware of the next major coming – Jesus’ return to earth in power and glory. ‘Believe it,’ he is saying. ‘The first coming happened, and this next one will too. And look, just for good measure, Jesus is also promising that the temple will be destroyed. It hasn't happened yet, but it will. Just watch this space! That will be the proof that he can be trusted about the second coming, too.’
So how then should you and I live? We should live in constant expectation of his coming. We should remain prepared to welcome him. We should remember those parables about the Master returning and the servants who were ready to welcome him. Don't think this is the end, says Luke. It’s not even the beginning of the end, yet. The crucifixion will just be the end of the beginning. There will be lots more to come yet. Live faithfully!
We recall that in his first chapter, Luke quoted from the last page of the Old Testament that the Messiah would come. (See Reflection #3.) Remember the very last words of the New Testament: ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20) Even as the first word was reliable, so will this last word be. This has been Luke’s consistent message throughout his Gospel.
Prayer: Help me Lord Jesus Christ, to live in constant expectation of your coming again. Whether it will be in my lifetime or not, I will live expecting you, and being ready. Help me to live with the kind of ready expectation that will serve you best. Amen.
