Community Bible Study -- LUKE

Text of Luke 21:5-38 Presentation, Lesson 20

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Jesus' Apocryphal Prophesy

This week's lesson covers Jesus' apocryphal prophesy of the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem . . . and of his 2nd coming. We have discussed these topics before - though not in so much depth - but there's a particular reason why discourse occurs at this time and place.

In the last 21/2 lessons, Jesus crossed the Jordan and for the first time publicly accepted the title of Messiah - in fact, a title equivalent to "King Messiah." He marched on Jerusalem like a conqueror. There's an obvious parallel with Joshua - who conquered the land of Canaan for the Jews over 1000 years before - and in fact, "Jesus" and "Joshua" are the same Hebrew name, Y'shua. But whereas Joshua conquered earthly kingdoms, Jesus comes to conquer the spiritual kingdom of evil. The physical Kingdom of God on earth will not be established until the Messiah is crucified, dead, resurrected, . . . and returns a 2nd time. Jesus made this point in the parable of the "man of noble birth (who) went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return" (19:12).

On Palm Sunday Jesus identified himself as Messiah as he entered Jerusalem: riding on a donkey's colt in fulfillment of prophesy (Zech 9:9); he was greeted as a Jewish king and as Messiah by the people. Immediately he chased away merchants and moneychangers profaning God's holy temple . . . symbolically claiming authority over the Jewish religion, including the authority to change things not compatible with God's Old Testament law and prophesy. And as a secondary point - since the merchants and moneychangers were sponsored by the Jewish high priestly families - Jesus also symbolically makes the point that control of the Jewish religion is in unfaithful hands!

The Jewish leaders challenged Jesus' authority . . . but backed off. Then he challenged their authority. In debates in the temple, Jesus soundly defeated the "best and brightest" of the Jewish religious leaders . . . and in the process quoted Jewish prophesy to bring out out two points about the Messiah overlooked in Jewish tradition: the Messiah will be rejected and killed by the people he came to save; and the Messiah is not just the son of David, he is also the son of God.

Lastly, Jesus roundly condemned the Jewish religious leaders for misleading the people and for hypocrisy; "Such men will be punished most severely," he said (20:47). And Jesus observed that a poor widow who brought an offering of two small copper coins of insignificant value gave more to God than the rich with their lavish gifts . . . because by trusting God and giving "all she had to live on" (21:4), she gave God the gift of herself.

And as for the Jewish religious authorities: they are so mad at Jesus that they want to kill him . . . sometime when they can get him away from the people - who believe him!

These events and discourses form the background for today's discussion.

We learn in today's lesson that "each day Jesus was teaching at the temple" "and all the people came early in the morning to hear him" but that "each evening he went out to spend the night on . . . the Mount of Olives" (21:37-38). Most scholars believe Jesus spent evenings at the estate of Lazarus and Mary and Martha in Bethany.

As Jesus and his party leave the temple for the last time, "some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God" (21:5). Sounds like innocent conversation . . . but there is a lot more to their comment if we understand its context. In the 21st century we typically think church money should be spent on what I'll call "programs" to advance God's kingdom; we think it wrong to spend money on lavish buildings adorned with gold and precious stones. But such thinking is of recent origin. In ancient times - up through the Middle Ages and into the 19th century and beyond - people believed they showed their love for their god by building the nicest, most lavish church or temple or mosque they could afford. That's the way Moslems feel today. A friend tells me he once visited a village in Egypt, and was shown a lavish mosque next door to a Christian church marked with bullet holes. He was told local Moslems shot up the church with AK-47's and the Christians were unable to obtain a building permit to repair it . . . because the Moslems wanted to use it to contrast their love for Allah with the Christians' love for God. "How can Christians love God," they would say, "if they leave their church in such bad condition." That's the attitude behind the disciples' remark; they're relating the Jewish people's love for God to the lavish temple and the wonderful gifts dedicated to God it contains.

Now we see why the story of the poor widow and her offering of two small copper coins is so important. God has repeatedly said in the Old Testament that He wants us - our devotion - rather than our lavish gifts. We have discussed Micah 6:8 and Isa 66:2; moreover, we read in Ps 51:16-17 and Hosea 6:6:

You do not . . . take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit . . . and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise (Ps 51:16-17).

I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6).

Furthermore, God rejects lavish contributions given with impure motives. Listen to Proverbs 21:27 and Isaiah 1:13-17:

The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable - how much more so when brought with evil intent! (Prov 21:27).

Stop bringing meaningless offerings! . . . When you spread out your hands in prayer, . . . I will not listen. . . . Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! (Isa 1:13-17).

Let's read the first two verses of the lesson with this in mind, remembering that Jesus has just accused the Jewish religious leaders of impure motives!

Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, "As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down" (21:5-6).

Jesus rejects the disciples' comment that the lavish temple shows how much the Jews love God; Jesus says God rejects lavish gifts offered without the right heart attitude; God would rather have the widow's two small copper coins given with love and trust.

So what's going to happen? Two of Jesus' recent parables pull this together: the man of noble birth (19:12-27) and the tenant farmers and the vineyard (20:9-19). The opponents of the man of noble birth were killed when he returned as king (19:27); and "the owner of the vineyard . . . came and killed those tenants" who killed his son (20:15-16). In both parables, the villains were the Jewish religious leaders (cf 20:9-19)!

These two parables are acted out when Jesus the Messiah is crucified; and the final act is punishment of the villains who crucified him. Modern Christians rightfully emphasize God's grace and love, but we mustn't overlook God's judgment. Jesus weeps over the coming judgment of unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem, but this must occur (13:34-35, 19:41-44) . . . what's the incentive for sinners to repent if there's no punishment for sin? And that's the point of Jesus' apocryphal prophesy: God will punish the villains responsible for the Messiah's death. The beautiful Jewish temple will be destroyed because the Jewish religious leaders have corrupted worship of God, and because the Jews collectively will reject the Messiah (cf 19:44).

What a shock thus must be to the disciples! They ask: "when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?" (21:7). Jesus' answer is circumspect; he jumps from topic to topic. But his first word of advice is timeless: "Watch out that you are not deceived," because many false prophets will come (21:8). Read the bible . . . understand it for yourself . . . and be suspicious of those who claim to have a hotline to God about prophesy of the end times. Moreover, Jesus says "the end will not come right away" (21:9); the signs will happen long before the events they foreshadow. (Remember most 1st century Christians expected Jesus to return during their lifetimes!)

At first Jesus skirts the disciples' question about signs of the destruction of the temple; he tells them instead about signs of the 2nd coming of the Messiah in judgment. Jesus says to look for "wars and revolutions; . . . great earthquakes, famines and pestilences, . . . and fearful events and great signs from heaven" (21:9,11).

But long before this happens, Jesus says, there will be persecution of Christians: "They will lay hands on you and persecute you . . . deliver you to synagogues and prisons . . . (to) kings and governors, and all on account of my name" (21:12). The animosity against Jesus' followers will be so intense that they "will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me" (21:16-17). This must be really scary, because in the Middle Eastern culture, the family is all-important, and hospitality is so important that most Iraqis would have protected Saddam Hussein; hence, betrayal by a family member or a friend is a sign of intense hatred. But all this will work out for good in the end, because as a result, Jesus' followers will "(become) witnesses to (kings and governors)" about Jesus (21:13). Nevertheless, the thought of being witnesses to kings and governors must have been intimidating to peasants fearful of speaking out in their home synagogues! How can they pull it off? Jesus tells them to "make up your mind not to worry . . . how you will defend yourselves" (21:14), because the Holy Spirit (cf 12:12), "will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict" (21:15). Furthermore, Jesus says: ""Not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life" (21:18-19). He is, of course, speaking figuratively. He said earlier (cf 9:24) that those who die when persecuted for his name will gain eternal life . . . and those who deny him to save their lives will suffer spiritual death; he surely means the same thing here.

Now Jesus is ready to answer the disciples' question: when will the temple be destroyed? It will come after serious persecution of Christians begins. It will occur "when you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies" (21:20). That might seem a "no brainer," but Jerusalem is a strong fortress with sources of water inside the gates . . . and when the Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem 700 years before, God struck down 185,000 Assyrians, and they withdrew (cf 2 Kn 19). However, God sent the Babylonians to conquer Jerusalem to punish the Jews (2 Chr 36:15-17) . . . and that's what's going to happen again because "this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written" (21:22) . . . punishment of those who killed God's prophets, and finally killed God's son the Messiah (cf Matt 23:30-38). And this punishment will be so severe that Jesus urges "those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, (and) those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city" (21:21), because "there will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations" (21:23-24). And prophetically: "Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (21:24).

Then - in an example of Middle Eastern circular reasoning - Jesus once again refers to "great signs from heaven" (21:11) . . . showing he is resuming his discussion of his 2nd coming in judgment. Jesus says: "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken" (21:25-26). But only then will they "see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (21:27). This is a time for Christians to rejoice! Jesus says, "stand up and lift up your heads (when these things begin to take place), because your redemption is drawing near" (21:27).

"You know the signs of the seasons," Jesus says. "When (trees) sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near" (21:31). In the same way, people should be aware of these signs "that the kingdom of God is near" (21:31). It's the same comment Jesus made earlier that people should be as acutely tuned to spiritual signs as they are to signs of the weather (12:56).

When Jesus resumes his prophesy, he talks of of the destruction of Jerusalem: "This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened" (21:32) . . . then he resumes his prophesy of the end times: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" (21:33).

We try our best to understand all this . . . but it's still confusing. Jesus knows his prophesy is crypic, but that's what he intends. His objective is not to spell out either the time of the destruction of the temple or his 2nd coming; he is only giving general guidelines about what to look for - along with the admonition to be constantly ready for him to come again in judgment: "Be always on the watch," Jesus says, "and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man" (21:36). Watchfulness is critical, because Jesus will return "unexpectedly like a trap" (21:34); that day "will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth" (21:35). Therefore, it's a good idea to be prepared for this . . . not to be "weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life" (21:34).

Very important advice, that: get in sync with Jesus now, because later may be too late.

In many ways the 21st century looks like Jesus' end times prophesy; books have been written to "connect the dots" and predict Jesus' 2nd coming. That may be true. But Jesus warns us: "Watch out that you are not deceived" (21:8); and it is certainly true that over the last 1900-plus years, scholars have drawn parallels between their times and Jesus' prophesy . . . and they were wrong! Perhaps that's Jesus' point; to make his prophesy general enough that everyone sees elements of it in their time . . . which gives an incentive to do what Jesus really wants his followers to do: "Be always on the watch" (21:36) and "be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" (12:40).

But how about the fulfillment of Jesus' prophesy. Strong persecution of Christians began with the stoning of Stephen - only about five years after Jesus' crucifixion. And as far as the destruction of the temple and Jesus prophesy that "this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened" (21:32) . . . in 66AD a Jewish revolt broke out against Rome. As was their practice, Rome sent an overwhelming force, led by Vespasian and his son Titus, to brutally suppress the revolt as an example to other captive peoples. The Roman Army first subdued the countryside, and while they did this, the Jews in Jerusalem broke into waring factions and fought among themselves. Then Emperor Nero committed suicide, and the army withdrew to await orders from a new emperor. According to tradition, Christians fled the city at this time because of Jesus' advice for "those in the city (to) get out, and those in the country not (to) enter the city" (21:21). Vespasian became the new emperor, and he sent Titus to finish off Jerusalem. Titus set up for a siege of Jerusalem just before Passover, 70 AD. Jews from all over the world ignored Jesus' advice, and thousands came to Jerusalem and the temple. Seems foolhardy . . . but Passover is a mandatory Jewish feast, and perhaps the people think God will protect them - especially since the city is in such a strong defensive position, and always well stocked with food and water. However, in factional fighting among the Jews, most stored food was burned. Then, when military action began in earnest, the Romans prohibited anyone to enter or exit the city, and severe famine to broke out. Gradually the Roman army overcame Jewish defenses. Titus wanted to save the temple, but the Jews made it their last defensive position, and it was burned to the ground in the fighting. It was just as Jesus prophesied: "Not one stone (of the temple) will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down" (21:6). Josephus says 1,100,000 Jews perished during the siege - most of whom came to Jerusalem for Passover. Survivors were sent to the arena as gladiators and the mines of Egypt . . . or sold as slaves. The Sadducees were all killed; only the Pharisees lived on. This terrible destruction happened just as Jesus had prophesied; and this may make us put more stock in the rest of Jesus' prophesy.

At risk of appearing to be one of those "deceivers" (21:8) Jesus warns about, I would like to comment on Jesus' prophesy that "Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (21:24). After a second Jewish revolt against Rome in 135 AD - the Bar Kochba revolt - all Jews were expelled from Jerusalem. Jerusalem was "trampled on by Gentiles" until 1967, when the new nation Israel annexed the entire city of Jerusalem, and made it their capital. I won't comment any further; Jesus' 2nd coming may take another 2000 years - but another piece of Jesus' prophesy seems fulfilled!

Next week we'll discuss Jesus' Upper Room discourse . . . which modern Christians call the "Last Supper." As part of our effort to have our discussions in context, it's important to note that the "Last Supper" is a Passover meal . . . similar to - but not identical to - a modern Jewish Passover seder; much of the symbolism is best understood in that context. During this the "Last Supper." Jesus predicts his betrayal . . . he gives a "new commandment" . . . and he offers the first holy communion (or Eucharist).