Luke 21:5–19 (ESV)
5 And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8 And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. 17 You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.
Have you ever tried to describe something new to someone and didn’t have a picture or a video to help in your explanation (that’s what we used to do before the advent of cell phones)? So where do you begin? Generally, we start to tell the person what it’s “like”; it’s just like surfing but on a lake (wakesurfing), it’s like a bird flying but it’s loud (a plane), it’s like volleyball and foursquare but there is a round net on the ground (Spikeball). It’s like this…, but it’s totally different.
That’s what’s happening here as Jesus begins to describe to the disciples what the future holds for the Temple.
Jesus has been in conflict with the religious leaders in several ways throughout Luke’s Gospel, not the least of which has been His implication that He, not the Temple, was the center of God’s healing and reconciliation. That was a huge claim. Remember that for centuries, the Temple has been the center of Jewish worship. At the Temple, you made sacrifices to atone for your sin. At the Temple, people gathered to worship and pray for God’s deliverance for the nation. The Temple was where you encountered the Lord Almighty because that is where God dwelled.
But Jesus has said something different, He, not the Temple, is the center of God’s restorative work and that the Temple is now under judgment. Jesus warned His disciples that the Temple, as big and beautiful as it is, the Temple will come crashing down (and it does in 70 A.D.).
So naturally, the disciples are curious and want to know when this will all happen and they ask Jesus to speak about this more. Jesus goes on to describe some of the things that the disciples can expect.
As Jesus describes what it will be like, don’t miss the point that Christians are not exempt from terrible times. Christians will go through them with everyone else. There will be wars and rumors of wars, natural disasters, lawlessness, false prophets claiming to be the Christ will lead many people astray, Christians will face persecution, and in some cases, will be handed over by family and friends, some will be put to death and all will be hated because they claim the name of Jesus.
But Jesus says, be calm, hold on, be faithful, and be my witnesses.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus chose to describe all this as the beginning of birth pains. I’m thinking about the moment that my kids were born, and the delight that I had as this new life entered the world and my life. It was a great and wonderous moment. So I’m thinking if Jesus describes all that is about to unfold as the beginning of birth pains, something good is coming; new and wonderous life is entering into the world through Him. And we know it does in the future if we take in the whole counsel of scripture and consider the wedding feast of the Lamb in Revelation 19.
But we also know a taste of the feast now on this side of the cross, that something good did come; Jesus took all the weight of our sin and judgment upon Himself and we have new life through Him. But more than just new life. When we entrust our lives to Christ, we have a new status as sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty and we share in Jesus’ victory over death itself.
The times that we live in now are troubling with the pandemic and disunity that our country has been experiencing (2020-21), it can feel like a raging storm on the sea and every day the news we hear paints a picture for most of a pot boiling over. But don’t be troubled. The calling Jesus gave to the disciples is our calling today; hold on to Jesus, trust Him with everything, for you have that hope, that new life, and the great privilege and honor of sharing the joy, love, mercy, and forgiveness that are found in Christ alone.
God bless you and know that you are constantly in my prayers!
Scott 