Understanding the Times (Luke 21:5-35)

The temple in Jerusalem seemed to be the one security on earth that the Jewish people had. Having been rebuilt after the return from the exile in Babylon and enlarged in recent years as one of the building projects of Herod the Great it seemed to hold out against all the invasions and troubles that the Jews had known in the past and were now experiencing. Wherever they were in the world they could look towards Jerusalem and remind themselves that their God was present there in a special way in the temple.

No doubt, at every Passover season the vast throng of Jewish pilgrims would admire the great stones with which the temple was built. And among the admirers were the disciples of Jesus, as we can see on this occasion. They would have been puzzled and intrigued by Jesus’ assertion that the day was coming when the temple would be flattened. After all, some of its stones were over forty feet in length and are reckoned to have weighed more than one hundred tons each. How could they collapse? But they had learned to ask him to explain his teachings, so they asked him what this prediction about the temple meant.

It is important to note what the contents of the explanation are about. Jesus does not indicate that he is looking ahead, jumping over centuries, and only describing life in the twenty-first century, which is how we may be tempted to read this passage, in order to interpret prophecy. Rather he is explaining what will happen before, during and after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. We know when the temple was destroyed – it happened around AD 70 and it was destroyed by the Romans in response to a Jewish rebellion that began in AD 66. In verses 7-19, there is a description of life before the destruction of the temple; in verses 20-24a, there is a description of life at the time of the destruction of the temple; and in verses 24b-28, there is a description of life after the destruction of the temple.

Another detail that is important to note is the pronouns that Jesus uses in each of these sections. He uses the second person plural ‘you’ in all of them. In other words, some of his current hearers among his disciples are going to experience each of those periods, although he does say about those in the third period that they will only experience the beginning of it. So we can say that in verses 7-19, there is a description of life for his disciples before the destruction of the temple; in verses 20-24a, there is a description of life for his disciples and others at the time of the destruction of the temple; and in verses 24b-28, there is a description of life for his disciples and everyone else after the destruction of the temple. The focus on the apostles does not mean that other believers would not experience what Jesus describes. But it does mean that he was answering their question initially in a very personal manner regarding how the destruction of the temple would affect them.

Luke does not include all the details found in the other accounts of the Olivet discourse in Matthew and Mark. But each of the accounts have the threefold division of the period followed by applications as well as the use of the second person plural. So if we wish, we can compare the accounts and supplement Luke’s details with those mentioned by Matthew and Mark.

From the ascension of Jesus to the destruction of the temple (vv. 7-18)

Jesus informs his disciples of some of the features of life in the next three to four decades leading up to AD70. What will be the features of those years? There will false teachers claiming to be the Messiah – they are to be ignored by the disciples. There will be wars and uprisings, they are not evidence in themselves that the time is near. A war in the AD 50s had no particular significance as far as the destruction of the temple in AD 70 was concerned. In additions to wars, there will be natural disasters such as earthquakes, famines and pestilences before that day of destruction comes. All Jesus indicated by mentioning those events was that they would happen before the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. He also was saying that God would be revealing his anger, which is an unpopular message, to say the least.

Jesus also goes into detail about what will happen to the apostles during this period (vv. 12-19). They will be persecuted, arrested and put on trial before earthly rulers. Normally such a prospect would bring fear and trepidation, but he tells them not to prepare beforehand what to say, because he will give them what to say when they are on trial, and what he will provide for them would negate all the accusations that they faced from their opponents, but which would not necessarily provide deliverance for them from their opposers. They will be betrayed by family members, and some of the apostles would be executed before the temple was destroyed (James and Peter, for example). To put it mildly, they would be unpopular, but all they had to do was persevere because Jesus from heaven would take care of them, even with regard to the number of their hairs on their heads.

Many of the things that Jesus refers to in this section are mentioned in the Book of Acts. The churches faced several bouts of persecution and it closes with the trials that the apostle Paul went through; a global famine is described that led to relief being sent to Jerusalem (Acts 11:27), as are political events such as the trouble that the emperor Claudius faced (Acts 18:2). Gamaliel refers to Theudus, a Jew who had four hundred followers, but whose revolt against Rome came to nothing (Acts 5:36). The earthquake that destroyed the city of Pompeii occurred during this period, and there were other massive earthquakes during that time. In this past year, we have seen three Prime Ministers in the United Kingdom, but in one year during the period described by Jesus there were four Roman emperors (Galba, Otho, Vitellus, and Vespasian).

I wonder what we would have made of the predictions of Jesus if we had been there when he said it. Would we be encouraged to know that dangerous times could lead to our arrest and death? Would we be encouraged by the information that when we would be on trial for the faith answers would be given to us by Jesus through the immediate work of the Holy Spirit? At least, it would tell us that his eye was on us. The disciples were being told to face the future with their eyes open, trusting in Jesus to take care of them.

The time of the destruction of the temple (vv. 20-24a)

Jesus then tells the disciples that some of them will be alive when the Roman armies under Titus will surround the city of Jerusalem. The arrival of the armies will indicate that it is time for people to leave the city. In verses 21-24, he is not speaking about the apostles but about residents of the city and the surrounding area. Jesus says they should leave. Why? He says that the Roman authorities will take vengeance on the residents including pregnant woman and those with young children.

Moreover, he says that this destruction has been predicted in the Old Testament. It will be an awful time and will result in forced exile throughout the world for the survivors. All this came true and has been recorded in detail, for example, by the Jewish historian Josephus. It seems that the Christians heeded the warning and left the city, and it has been claimed that no Christians perished during the siege and destruction of the city. It is not surprising that Jesus wept about the city when he entered it on Palm Sunday – he foresaw the terrible onslaught that was ahead for the inhabitants.

Life after the destruction of the temple (vv. 24b-27)

Jesus then describes life from AD 70 onwards and he mentions three things about it. First, the city of Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot until the time comes for Gentiles to no longer rule over it. That period lasted a long time, from the first century to the twentieth century, but it is now no longer trampled by them because Jerusalem is now a Jewish city.

Second, there will be constant chaos and perplexity. Referring to heavenly signs is a common Old Testament method for describing unstable political powers (after all, the dominant Roman empire of that period later dismantled itself by its folly, as have all succeeding empires). The one thing that can be said about each century is that people are always fearing the worst. And that is still the case today.

Third, Jesus will return with great authority to judge the world, and everyone will see him. For a long time, people did not see Jerusalem released from Gentile dominance. Then, one day it happened. We look back to it. In addition to looking back, we can look around and what do we see? Fear because of danger and uncertainty. Therefore, we should look ahead to the return of Jesus. What a great sight that will be, to see him as he is. Previous generations realised this and rejoiced at the prospect of being with Jesus on that great day.

Heavenly advice for apostles and us

Having provided information in response to the request of his disciples, Jesus then provided application when he tells his followers what they should do in light of that information. In verse 28, he tells them not to cower. Instead, they are to anticipate the future after the present time of crises when the full significance of redemption will be realised. In a strange way, all these negative features are signs that a better world is coming. Indeed, Jesus says elsewhere in the gospels that all these negative experiences are the birth pangs indicating that the creation is anticipating deliverance. So anticipation is a good response because the coming of the new, eternal world is guaranteed.

Second, Jesus tells his disciples to note what happens with trees (vv. 29-32). When leaves start to appear, it is an indication that summer is near. Perhaps they were standing near a fig tree when Jesus was speaking. The leaves that indicate the kingdom is coming are the various events he described in the three periods mentioned in his explanation. Indeed, all of them appeared within a generation of him predicting them, which means that the leaves have been here for almost two thousand years. Signs of the times have been seen by every generation since the destruction of Jerusalem, the same signs of the times, with the additional one that the most recent couple of generations have seen with the city of Jerusalem no longer under Gentile rule. We don’t need any more signs, and we don’t need to wonder if current events point to anything unusual.

Third, we are to believe what Jesus said (v. 33). His words are guaranteed to be true. They are the guides of our journey through life, through all the turmoil and pressures that will constantly be around. What he said would happen will happen. We can rely on everything that he stated about the future.

Fourth, Jesus tells his disciples not to be overwhelmed by the pressures of this earthly life that will affect everyone. Other people cope with them by debauchery and drunken parties because they offer an escape from the cares of this life. But they are not an escape – they only add to the burdens. In any case, pretending they are not there is not wise when they are. We should note that Jesus says that this kind of response will be global, will be found everywhere, or even as Jesus said elsewhere  about life being like the days of Noah and Sodom. He tells his disciples to keep in mind that the next important event as far as he is concerned is his second coming. As they wait for that to happen, they should bear in mind what Paul said to the Thessalonians, ‘But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation’ (1 Thess. 5:8).

Instead of being overwhelmed by what is going on, Christians have to do three things. They have to remain alert at all times, they have to pray for strength to endure, and they have to anticipate standing before Jesus. When a person sleeps, they don’t notice what is happening. If the disciples had fallen into a spiritual snooze, they would not have observed the fulfilment of the signs. Since we know that several of the matters that Jesus referred to have already occurred, we should be alert for and preparing for his arrival.

How do we prepare for it? The disciples were told that their response should be to pray about the events that would happen in their lifetime, to pray for strength to keep going when those things occurred. It is the same for us. As we face the great event ahead of us, the way to prepare is prayer. How do we keep ourselves from imitating the world around us? Prayer. How do we keep from getting despondent? Prayer. Jesus reminds the disciples not only of the importance of prayer, but of the essentiality of prayer. Without it, we will not keep going.

We should also focus on the great event itself, of standing in the presence of the Son of Man. It will be a great occasion, it will be a joyful occasion, it will be a solemn occasion. Imagine being in his presence forever.

Spurgeon once reminded his congregation about the society they lived in. He said of it, ‘You are walking among shadows – regard them as such. Hug them not to your bosom.’ His description is still true today. Nothing about this world is going to last. We have been told by Jesus of what will occur before he returns and how it will all vanish away. What matters if we are Christians is that we will be in the presence of the Son of Man forever. And if we are not Christians, what matters is that we will not be there.