2BeLikeChrist Bible Commentary - Luke Chapter 21
Commentary - Luke Chapter 21
Luke 21:1-4
Luk 21:1 Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box,
Luk 21:2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.
Luk 21:3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.
Luk 21:4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
Jesus sat down with His disciples across from the treasury (Mark 12:41).
The treasury was probably the area of the Temple where people gave their Temple tax and free-will offerings.
The money would have been used for the administration of the Temple.
The money was probably also used to line the pockets of the High priests and Sadducees.
First, Jesus observed many rich people casting in large sums of money.
Second, He observed a poor window casting in “two small copper coins.”
The coins were the last of her money.
The amount was so small many would have considered it insignificant.
Imagine throwing two pennies into the church collection basket.
*Check out the Coins of the Bible PowerPoint at the end of these notes for more info*
But even though the monetary value was next-to-nothing, Jesus told His disciples she had given more than all the rich people.
Jesus was focused on the heart of the giver.
He cared more about the condition of the heart than the monetary value.
The widow couldn’t give gold, but her heart was made of gold.
The entire scene described here stood in contrast to God’s instructions in the Law of Moses.
There are several texts in the Old Testament (see Deuteronomy 24 and 26) that remind the Jewish people to remember the fatherless and the widows when gathering tithes and keeping feasts.
Here we see a scene where people were gathering tithes and keeping feasts (many had gathered in Jerusalem for Passover), yet a widow was walking amongst them ignored.
Jesus could have used this as another opportunity to condemn the Jews for their neglect, but instead, He chose to highlight the widow’s faith.
APPLICATION:
If you want to focus on all the negative things you see in the Church, all the people not doing their jobs, all the people abusing their positions, you can!
But you can also find people who are doing their best to serve and trust God in big and small ways.
Jesus balanced both by shifting His attention from the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes to the obedience of this woman.
No doubt, there were other failings of the Jewish elite Jesus could have touched on.
He could have railed against the filthy rich Sadducees, who were probably going to misuse this woman’s last two mites given in good faith.
He could have expressed His disgust about the rich people who didn’t care about the poor.
But He didn’t!
He pulled a single act of obedience out of a sin saturated environment and held it up for His disciples to observe.
God help us to be able to do the same!
APPLICATION:
Why does God ask us to give financially to care for physical and spiritual needs?
God doesn’t need money.
He can accomplish just as much with $0 in the collection basket as He can with $1,000.
God feeds the sparrows without handing them cash to use at the grocery store.
He elaborately decorates the flowers without swiping a credit card.
So, what is the point? Why give?
Over and over again in the Bible we see God’s desire to work alongside men.
Things that God could accomplish on His own, He accomplishes in partnership with humans.
He gives us an opportunity to be part of His work.
I don’t think I know all the reasons God chose to design His world this way, but I do think we should recognize the incredible privilege.
God has given us the high honor of being able to participate in the accomplishing of His desires.
Not because He has to, but because He wants to.
It should be a privilege, not a burden, to turn our resources over to God and allow Him to work through us.
APPLICATION:
Small things do not go unnoticed by God.
Jesus was only on earth a short period of time.
The gospels record only a few days of His ministry.
The Holy Spirit considered this moment important enough to be recorded in several gospel accounts.
This widow almost certainly had no idea she was being observed.
Her act was commonplace in the eyes of most.
But God observed her common act of faith, and used it to teach billions of people across multiple generations.
APPLICATION:
How often do you imagine Jesus sitting across from you, observing your actions?
How much more conscious would you be, of even your smallest actions, if you knew Jesus was sitting across from you and observing you?
Would you do things you wouldn’t otherwise do?
Would you not do things you otherwise would?
Col 3:17 - And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Luke 21:5-7
Luk 21:5 And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said,
Luk 21:6 “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.”
Luk 21:7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”
Modern readers may not consider models of the Temple in Jerusalem to be that impressive, but we have to remember the Temple was the most impressive man-made structure many of the ancient Jews every saw.
They didn’t have the internet to look up the 7 wonders of the world.
They couldn’t hop on a plane to see the pyramids.
Many of them had spent their entire lives in Judea.
To the Jews, the Temple was spectacular, not only for its architectural splendor, but for its religious significance.
In these verses, Jesus’ disciples were admiring the construction and pointing it out to Him (Mat 24:1). 212
Herod had dedicated a lot of manpower, time, and money to making the Temple great again.
The disciples probably thought the Temple had a bright future.
But Jesus was about to inform them otherwise.
Jesus told them a day was coming when all the stones that made up the Temple would be thrown to the ground.
Luke doesn’t tell us the emotional response of the disciples, but they were probably shocked.
They asked the obvious question, “when?”
“…when will these things be…?”
“…and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”
Luke 21:8
Luk 21:8 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.
Jesus began His answer in verse 8.
Before the destruction of the Temple, the disciples would encounter false Messiah’s.
When Jesus ascended back to heaven, He left a lot of Jews with unfulfilled expectations.
They wanted the Messiah to establish a Jewish kingdom on earth.
But Jesus wasn’t going to give them an earthly kingdom.
This left an open door to anyone who wanted a little fame.
Many of the unsatisfied Jews were willing to follow anyone who promised to fulfill the expectations of their imaginations.
Jesus warned His listeners not to heed the words of anyone who claimed to be the Messiah after His ascension.
Some of these false Messiah’s are recorded in Biblical and secular history.
Here are a few references found in the book of Acts and the writings of Josephus, a 1st Century historian.
[A.D. 46.] Now it came to pass, while Fadus was procurator of Judea, that a certain magician, whose name was Theudas, (10) persuaded a great part of the people to take their effects with them, and follow him to the river Jordan. For he told them he was a prophet: and that he would, by his own command, divide the river, and afford them an easy passage over it. And many were deluded by his 213 words. However, Fadus did not permit them to make any advantage of his wild attempt: but sent a troop of horsemen out against them. Who falling upon them unexpectedly, slew many of them, and took many of them alive. They also took Theudas alive, and cut off his head, and carried it to Jerusalem. This was what befel the Jews in the time of Cuspius Fadus’s government. (Antiquities 20.5.1; see also Acts 5:36).
[A.D. 55.] These works that were done by the robbers, filled the city with all sorts of impiety. And now these impostors and deceivers persuaded the multitude to follow them into the wilderness: and pretended that they would exhibit manifest wonders and signs, that should be performed by the providence of God. (21) And many that were prevailed on by them suffered the punishments of their folly. For Felix brought them back; and then punished them. Moreover there came out of Egypt, about this time, to Jerusalem, one that said he was a prophet; (22) and advised the multitude of the common people to go along with him to the mount of olives, as it was called; which lay over against the city, and at the distance of five furlongs. He said farther, that he would shew them from hence how, at his command, the walls of Jerusalem would fall down: and he promised them that he would procure them an entrance into the city through those walls, when they were fallen down. Now when Felix was informed of these things, he ordered his soldiers to take their weapons, and came against them with a great number of horsemen and footmen, from Jerusalem; and attacked the Egyptian, and the people that were with him. He also slew four hundred of them, and took two hundred alive. But the Egyptian himself escaped out of the fight; but did not appear any more (Antiquities 20.8.6; see also Acts 21:37-39).
Luke 21:9-11
Luk 21:9 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.”
Luk 21:10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
Luk 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
Something about war and natural disasters tempts people to believe “the end is near.”
But Jesus informed the Apostles that wars and natural disasters were not a sign of an immediate destruction.
A great famine inflicted the land during the reign of Claudius Caesar (Acts 11:28); (Antiquities 20.2.5).
Numerous wars, skirmishes, and rebellions occurred within the borders of the Roman Empire.
A magnitude 5-6.5 earthquake hit the cities of Pompei and Herculaneum on the Italian peninsula in 62 A.D.
These kinds of events marked the beginning of the end for the Temple, like labor pains before the actual birth (Matthew 24:8).
However, as mentioned, they did not indicate the Temple would be immediately destroyed.
Later in the chapter Jesus will discuss other signs that indicate imminent destruction.
Luke 21:12-13
Luk 21:12 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.
Luk 21:13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness.
One of the very first signs leading up to the destruction of the Temple would be the persecution of the Apostles.
Following Jesus’ ascension, Jesus’ enemies and those who opposed the gospel turned their sights on the 12 Apostles.
Very early in the book of Acts, we see the Apostles being beaten, killed, and thrown in prison.
The Apostle Paul, whose letters we will read later in the New Testament, was one of the persecutors of the early disciples.
Secular history tells us the majority of the 12 were murdered on account of their faith.
There are many traditions about the later lives and deaths of the 12 Apostles. Not all of the traditions can be verified, but I thought I would include some of them below for those interested:
Peter – Martyred by being crucified upside down.
Andrew – Went to Russia to preach the gospel, eventually crucified.
Thomas – Preached as far as India, killed with a spear.
Philip – Taught the gospel in Carthage (North Africa), killed by a Roman official.
Matthew – Went to Persia and Ethiopia, some say he was not martyred, others say he was stabbed to death.
Bartholomew – Travelled extensively to India, Armenia, and Arabia, no clear tradition on how he died.
James (son of Alpheus) – Preached in Syria, stoned or clubbed to death.
Simon the Zealot – Ministered in Persia, killed after refusing to offer sacrifices to a false god.
Mattais (replaced Judas) – Preached in Syria, burned to death.
John – Traveled to Ephesus, died of old age.
James (son of Zebedee) – Killed by Herod (verified by the Bible).
Judas Iscariot – Killed himself after betraying Jesus (verified by the Bible).
In their lives, the Apostles stood before many local religious leaders, civil leaders, kings (Herod and Agrippa), and even Caesar.
They met those occasion, not with fear, but with the anticipation they would offer an opportunity to bear witness of their experience with Jesus and the salvation He offered.
The Apostles bore witness when they were arrested and thrown in prison in Acts 5.
Stephen bore witness before his martyrdom in Acts 7.
Paul bore witness when accounting his own conversion to Agrippa in Acts 26.
Luke 21:14-15
Luk 21:14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer,
Luk 21:15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.
The 12 Apostles weren’t men of high rank, they were men of Galilee.
It’s unlikely they had ever spoken with anyone more significant that a local magistrate.
Additionally, the Apostles knew they didn’t fully grasp Jesus’ work.
They didn’t understand all of His intentions or teachings.
The idea that they would have to stand before a King and give testimony about the Kingdom of God would have been terrifying.
Jesus reassured them, when the time came, they would be capable of representing Him well.
The Holy Spirit was going to enable them.
This concept shouldn’t have been completely foreign to the Apostles because the same thing had happened when Jesus sent them out to preach and perform miracles in Luke 9 (see the parallel passage in Mat 10:19-20).
Luke 21:16-19
Luk 21:16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death.
Luk 21:17 You will be hated by all for my name's sake.
Luk 21:18 But not a hair of your head will perish.
Luk 21:19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.
Christians were going to be ratted out and persecuted by their own family members.
There were probably many devout Jewish families that were divided over the identity of Jesus.
Some parents may have considered their children heretics for following Jesus of Nazareth.
Perhaps they thought it was their obligation to report them as violators of God’s Old Testament Law.
It isn’t uncommon to hear about family members punishing their relatives (sometimes with violence) for abandoning the Muslim faith in Islamic countries.
Similar actions may have been taken in Jewish families.
“You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.”
We need to be careful about people who preach the gospel as some kind of “your best life now” strategy.
Faithful discipleship for the Apostles, and many 1st Century disciples, meant persecution.
Jesus was very upfront about the difficulties associated with being His disciple.
This is why He emphasized the necessity of counting the cost (Luke 14).
Becoming a Christian should never be considered a strategy for obtaining an easy, care-free, trouble-free life.
But although the Apostles would face hardships, Jesus promised not a hair of their heads would perish.
This wasn’t a promise of physical preservation.
This was a promise of eternal preservation.
Eternal preservation was/is what matters.
No matter what the enemies of Jesus did to His Apostles, they were safe!
Their resurrection and eternal security were guaranteed by Jesus’ own resurrection.
Jesus wanted the Apostles to know that persecution was coming. He wanted them to know He was going to enable them to bear witness effectively. He wanted them to know He was going to be in control through it all.
Luke 21:20
Luk 21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.
This was a more specific sign of the destruction of the Temple.
The Apostles would know desolation was near when they saw the city of Jerusalem surrounded by armies.
In order to understand the rest of this passage we need some historical context.
Jesus was referring to the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by the Roman empire in 70 A.D.
Jesus spoke the words of Luke 21 sometime around 33 A.D., 35-40 years before the destruction took place.
This destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. is an important event to understand for anyone interested in biblical interpretation, Jewish history, or Roman history.
I want to include a bit of information from scriptures and secular sources to help us understand this historical event.
This information will help us interpret the remainder of Luke 21.
I will try to make this as concise as possible.
THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM:
The siege of Jerusalem was not a spur of the moment siege on a singular city of the Jews.
The Jews had staged a rebellion against the Romans in Judaea (Jerusalem and beyond).
By the time the Roman army, under the command of Vespasian, arrived at Jerusalem, they had already put down several Jewish rebellions located throughout the countryside.
The army surrounded the city, limiting the movement of those inside, and prepared to subjugate it.
Josephus, Jewish Wars 4.9.2-3:
And now the war having gone through all the mountainous country, and all the plain country also, those that were at Jerusalem were deprived of the liberty of going out of the city. For as to such as had a mind to desert, they were watched by the zealots. And as to such as were not yet on the side of the Romans, their army kept them in, by encompassing the city round about on all sides… 2. Now as Vespasian was returned to Cesarea, and was getting ready with all his army to march directly to Jerusalem, he was informed that Nero was dead… Wherefore Vespasian put off at first his expedition against Jerusalem, and stood waiting whither the empire would be transferred, after the death of Nero. Moreover, when he heard that Galba was made Emperor, he attempted nothing, till he also should send him some directions about the war. However, he sent his son Titus to him, to salute him; and to receive his commands about the Jews. Upon the very same errand did King Agrippa sail along with Titus, to Galba. But as they were sailing in their long ships by the coasts of Achaia, for it was winter time, they heard that Galba was slain, before they could get to him; after he had reigned seven months, and as many days. After whom Otho took the government, and undertook the management of publick affairs. So Agrippa resolved to go on to Rome, without any terror, on account of the change in the government. But Titus, by a divine impulse, sailed back from Greece to Syria, and came in great haste to Cesarea, to his father. And now they were both in suspence about the publick affairs: the Roman empire being then in a fluctuating condition: and did not go on with their expedition against the Jews: but thought that to make any attack upon foreigners was now unseasonable; on account of the solicitude they were in for their own country. And now there arose another war at Jerusalem.
Vespasian withdrew his men at Jerusalem to await the outcome of the power struggle in Rome.
Several men were positioning themselves to claim Nero’s throne, Vespasian among them.
Civil war in Rome:
In Rome, three emperors rose and fell from power in a matter of months (Galba, Otho, and Vitellius).
In 69 A.D. Vespasian claimed the kingdom and became Caesar.
Civil war in Judea:
When Vespasian’s men withdrew from Jerusalem, a power vacuum was created, and many Jewish sects battled each other for wealth and supremacy.
Although the Romans had withdrawn, there was still significant Jewish bloodshed.
Even after Vespasian’s withdraw, many Jews still couldn’t escape Jerusalem, and were held captive inside the city by the leaders of the warring sects.
Eventually, these factions gained access to the Temple and turned it into a fortress.
Josephus recorded the abominable actions of some faction leaders:
For he [John] permitted them to do all things that any of them desired to do. While their inclination to plunder was insatiable: as was their zeal in searching the houses of the rich. And for the murdering of the men, and abusing of the women, it was sport to them. They also devoured what spoils they had taken, together with their blood; and indulged themselves in feminine wantonness, without any disturbance, till they were satiated therewith. While they decked their hair, and put on women’s garments, and were besmeared over with ointments: and that they might appear very comely, they had paints under their eyes; and imitated not only the ornaments, but also the lusts of women: and were guilty of such intolerable uncleanness, that they invented unlawful pleasures of that sort (Jewish Wars 4.9.10).
The civil war within the city walls resulted in much of the food supply being burned.
Josephus wrote:
Those men made the temple of God a strong hold for them, and a place whither they might resort, in order to avoid the troubles they feared from the people: the sanctuary was now become a refuge, and a shop of tyranny.
the temple was defiled every where with murders. (Jewish Wars 5.1.2)
And the same advantage that Eleazar and his party had over him, since he was beneath them; the same advantage had he, by his higher situation, over Simon. On which account he easily repelled the attacks that were made from beneath, by the weapons thrown from their hands only: but was obliged to repel those that threw 220 their darts from the temple above him, by his engines of war. For he had such engines as threw darts, and javelins, and stones; and that in no small number. By which he did not only defend himself from such as fought against him, but slew moreover many of the priests, as they were about their sacred ministrations. For notwithstanding these men were mad with all sorts of impiety, yet did they still admit those that desired to offer their sacrifices: although they took care to search the people of their own country beforehand; and both suspected, and watched them. While they were not so much afraid of strangers: who although they had gotten leave of them, how cruel soever they were, to come into that court, were yet often destroyed by this sedition. For those darts that were thrown by the engines came with that force, that they went over all the buildings, and reached as far as the altar, and the temple itself; and fell upon the priests, and those (2) that were about the sacred offices. Insomuch that many persons who came thither with great zeal from the ends of the earth, to offer sacrifices, at this celebrated place; which was esteemed holy by all mankind; fell down before their own sacrifices themselves, and sprinkled that altar which was venerable among all men, both Greeks and Barbarians, with their own blood; till the dead bodies of strangers were mingled together with those of their own country; and those of profane persons with those of the priests: and the blood of all sorts of dead carcasses stood in lakes in the holy courts themselves. And now, “O must wretched city, what misery so great as this didst thou suffer from the Romans, when they came to purify thee from thy intestine hatred? For thou couldest be no longer a place fit for God; nor couldest thou long continue in being, after thou hadst been a sepulchre for the bodies of thy own people; and hadst made the holy house itself a burying place in this civil war of thine. (Jewish Wars 5.1.3)
Josephus tells us, John, the leader of the faction held up in the Temple, abused the holy items dedicated to the worship of God.
The Jewish factions were destroying their own Temple.
And now, as the city was engaged in a war on all sides, from these treacherous crowds of wicked men; the people of the city between them were, like a great body, torn in pieces. The aged men, and the women were in such distress by their internal calamities, that they wished for the Romans; and earnestly hoped for an external war, in 221 order to their delivery from their domestical miseries… They [3 factions] agreed in nothing but this, to kill those that were innocent. (Jewish Wars 5.1.5)
After the Roman Empire stabilized, Vespasian was proclaimed emperor.
His first priority was to ensure control of Alexandria and Egypt. After doing so, he turned his attention back to the unsubdued rebellious Jews.
Vespasian needed to return to Rome to further steady the empire. He determined to send his son, Titus, to tie up loose ends in the Holy Land.
When Titus surrounded the walls of Jerusalem a second time, the 3 warring factions finally stopped fighting each other (at least for a while).
While Titus’ legions surrounded the city, and were preparing their camps, the Jews decided the time for action was upon them.
They poured out of the city and took the Roman legion by surprise.
After an initial victory, the Jews were driven back to the city, but it wasn’t long before they charged out again with “such mighty violence, that one might compare it to the running of the most terrible wild beasts” (Jewish Wars 5.2.5).
They drove the Romans back and almost captured Titus himself.
Titus made the decision to draw the legion back and make camp in the mountains.
But the Jews persisted.
They followed the Romans and challenged them again.
Titus turned to fight them and engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
The rest of the legion followed their general and drove the Jews back into the city once more.
The Romans needed more time before they were prepared to begin a proper siege, and as the Jews waited, the 3 factions started fighting again.
It was the time of unleavened bread and the Temple was opened for worship and sacrifice.
However, one of the faction leaders disguised his men as worshippers and attacked the faction within the Temple.
They murdered the true worshippers and the innocents and made pacts with the opposing faction.
One day, while Titus was riding around the city, one of his companions was injured by a dart from the wall of the city.
This so infuriated Titus he decided to press the assault on the city.
After a time, Josephus was sent to negotiate terms of peace, but the discussions were not successful.
Josephus also described a window of time in which many of Jerusalem’s oppressed citizens escaped the city.
Titus let many of them go free into the countryside.
But when the Jewish faction leaders discovered the deserters, they watched the gates of the city and slit the throats of anyone they suspected of deserting.
In some ways, the citizens of Jerusalem feared the Romans less than their own corrupt countrymen.
Josephus recorded the horrors the Jewish leaders inflicted on the citizens.
They were starving due to a food shortage.
They created tortures to force people to tell them where their food was hidden.
They took to robbing, murdering and cannibalism.
It is therefore impossible to go distinctly over every instance of these men’s iniquity. I shall therefore speak my mind here at once briefly; that neither did any other city ever suffer such miseries; nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness than this was from the beginning of the world. Finally, they brought the Hebrew nation into contempt (Jewish Wars 5.10.5).
The Romans started crucifying people they caught outside of the walls in hopes the Jews would surrender.
Titus was willing to spare the city from absolute destruction, but the faction leaders would not surrender.
The Jews put up a good fight and Titus had to adjust his tactics.
He determined to build a wall around the city and starve them out.
So many people died in the city the Jews started throwing their bodies over the wall into the valley.
When Titus saw this, Josephus recorded:
…when Titus, in going his rounds along those valleys, saw them full of dead bodies, and the thick putrefaction running about them, he gave a groan; and spreading out his hands to heaven, called God to witness, that this was not his doing (Jewish Wars 5.12.4).
To make a very long story short, the obstinacy of the Jews continued to the very end.
The Jews gained a few small victories which prolonged their stay in the foodless city.
Ultimately, the walls were breached, and the city was levelled.
Josephus recorded that Titus told his men not to destroy the temple, but his command was forgotten in the heat of battle and the entire temple structure was brought to the ground.
Thousands were killed.
Blood ran through the streets.
Everything the Jews valued was reduced to rubble.
In another of Josephus’ books, Antiquities, he told his readers the prophet Daniel predicted the desolation of the Jews by the Romans.
and that from among them there should arise a certain King that should overcome our nation, and their laws, and should take away their political government, and should spoil the temple, and forbid the sacrifices to be offered, for three years time.” And indeed it so came to pass, that our nation suffered these things under Antiochus Epiphanes, according to Daniel’s vision; and what he wrote many years before they came to pass. In the very same manner Daniel also wrote concerning the Roman government; and that our country should be made desolate by them (Antiquities 10.11.7).
Now that we know a little bit about the destruction of Jerusalem, let’s return to the text.
Luke 21:20-21
Luk 21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.
Luk 21:21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it,
The Jews were supposed to take action when they saw “Jerusalem surrounded by armies”
This was true when Vespasian’s army first surrounded the city.
It was also true when Titus’ army surrounded the city.
The city being surrounded was a sign of imminent desolation.
Jesus disciples were to stay away from Judea and Jerusalem entirely.
They were told to go to the mountains and not return to the city.
You can imagine, many Jews probably returned to Jerusalem when they saw Vespasian’s initial force withdraw.
Luke 21:22
Luk 21:22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.
Whose vengeance?
God’s vengeance!
God was going to use the Romans to punish the Jews for their rejection of His salvation.
These events fulfilled prophecies found in the Old Testament, specifically those in the prophet Daniel.
Luke 21:23-24
Luk 21:23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.
Luk 21:24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Escaping the city would be especially difficult for pregnant woman or a new mother.
Matthew’s gospel records Jesus’ instruction to pray their day of escape wouldn’t fall on a Sabbath day or in the winter.
Mat 24:20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.
Why the Sabbath day?
It would have looked really suspicious to walk out of the city of Jerusalem on Sabbath, because the Jews had rules about how far they were allowed to walk.
It would have looked especially suspicious if a whole family walked out together.
It also would have looked suspicious if the family was carrying anything for their journey, because the Jews weren’t supposed to carry burdens on Sabbath.
They would have stuck out like a sore thumb to anyone trying to catch deserters.
There were only small windows of time for the Jews to escape the city between the departure of Vespasian and the rise of the 3 warring factions.
And even when those windows appeared, the slightest hindrance could be a factor of life or death.
Luke 21:24
Luk 21:24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
By the time the siege of Jerusalem concluded, hundreds of thousands of Jews would be dead, and close to 100,000 would be taken captive and sent throughout the Roman Empire.
Jesus appropriately described the city’s destruction as a trampling.
The trampling was going to continue “until the times of the Gentiles” were fulfilled.
There has been a lot of debate about the meaning of this phrase.
I will present a basic interpretation, but I admit, this verse could be much deeper than what I’ve presented.
My interpretation:
God would permit the Gentile Romans to do as they wished with the city until His purposes were fulfilled.
The once Holy city, the center of worship for God’s people under the Old Covenant, was going to be given over into the hands of Gentiles until God’s will was accomplished through them.
It isn’t surprising that Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem.
God wanted the Jewish people to be a people dedicated to Him.
They were supposed to be in a special relationship with Him.
But for centuries the Jews had refused to acknowledge Jehovah as their God.
Now, God was prepared to use a Gentile nation to destroy the people, and the places that were once special to Him.
Luke 21:25-27
Luk 21:25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,
Luk 21:26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Luk 21:27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Matthew records a similar statement, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken (Mat 24:29).
There is no question these verses are tough to interpret.
The language here sounds like Jesus was talking about His second coming and the end of the world, but in Luke and Matthew’s account of this conversation, Jesus told the Apostles all of these things would happen in their lifetime.
Mat 24:34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
Luk 21:32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.
A few things to keep in mind when interpreting these verses:
(1) As was just stated, these verses fall under Jesus’ statement in Mat 24:34 and Luke 21:32.
The signs in the sun, moon, stars, the roaring of the sea, and the Son of man coming in a cloud, were going to be observable to the generation to whom Jesus was speaking.
These weren’t signs for a far-off generation.
If you are still alive today (which I assume you are) you can look outside and see the stars in the sky and the sun still shining.
If these signs appeared in the lifespan of the Apostles, Jesus clearly intended for His words to be understood in a figurative way.
The stars didn’t literally fall from heaven.
The moon is still reflecting the light of the sun.
(2) The Old Testament used similar language to describe non-world ending events.
Although this language may conjure up apocalyptic images in our minds, the minds of a Jewish audience familiar with the prophets, would have been drawn back to the Old Testament scriptures.
Isa 13:9-10 - Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.
This verse isn’t about the end of the world, it is about God’s punishment on the nation of Babylon.
Eze 32:7-8 - When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord GOD.
These verses weren’t about the end of the world, they are found in a section of scripture where God was pronouncing judgement on the nation of Egypt.
With this knowledge, how do we interpret verses 25-26 in context?
Jesus was announcing a judgement on the city of Jerusalem, within the lifetime of the living generation.
He was employing the language of the prophets to announce a similar judgement to the ones they announced on Gentile nations (Egypt and Babylon).
Imagine being a Jew who had heard this kind of language read from the scriptures in synagogue.
God used it to prophecy against Babylon, and now Babylon was a ruin.
God used it to prophecy against Egypt, and now the ancient Egyptian Empire was a ruin.
It would be frightening to hear Jesus utilize the same phrases to describe the fate of your homeland.
APPLICATION:
Putting ourselves into the shoes of a 1st Century Jewish person can help us understand the New Testament.
Additionally, familiarizing ourselves with the Old Testament Jewish scriptures will aid us in understanding much of the New Testament.
What about the Son of Man (Jesus) coming in a cloud with power and great glory?
Was this meant to describe a literal coming of Jesus?
Did anyone see Jesus descending in a cloud around 70 A.D.?
To my knowledge, there is no record of anyone claiming to witness anything similar.
I would suggest this passage should be interpreted figuratively.
The Son of Man would come to Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
He would accomplish God’s will in the city.
He would arrive with a display of His power and glory.
Not in a personal arrival, but representatively, through the Romans.
It is God who ordains when nations rise and fall.
He builds nations in order to use them in His sovereign will.
He humbles and passes judgement on nations that disobey Him.
In the big picture, it was Jesus who orchestrated the destruction of Jerusalem.
He determined when and how it would happen.
That’s how He could prophecy about it 35 years prior.
In a physical sense, the Romans arrived in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. to destroy the city.
But in a spiritual sense, and in a bigger sense, Jesus arrived in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. to bring judgement on the Jews.
The Jewish religious leaders wanted to crucify Jesus.
They thought killing Him would be the end of Him.
But they were wrong!
They couldn’t stop Jesus from becoming a king.
And the judgement of 70 A.D. would be proof that Jesus was on the throne.
In that sense, the Jews who crucified Him would see Him again.
They would see Him in the power that came against their city and leveled it to the ground.
They were to recognize Rome as the hand of Jesus.
Their destruction came at the design of the Son of Man.
He was the power and mastermind behind it.
Luke 21:28
Luk 21:28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
The Apostles had asked about the signs leading up to the destruction of the Temple.
In the last few verses, Jesus described several of them.
When the Apostles began to recognize the signs, they were to “straighten up” and raise their heads.
They needed to be alert, because their redemption, their salvation from the upcoming horrors in Jerusalem, depended on their recognition and response to the signs.
This “redemption” may also refer to the disciple’s deliverance from their Jewish persecutors.
The Jews persecuted the early church relentlessly.
The destruction of Jerusalem was, in part, Jesus saving His disciples from the hardships the Jews inflicted on them.
Luke 21:29-31
Luk 21:29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.
Luk 21:30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.
Luk 21:31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
A simple but effective illustration.
If you missed the lengthy study of fig tree botany in Matthew 21 go check that out for a fuller understanding of fig trees in Palestine.
The new leaves of a fig tree become visible in late March or early April.
The appearance of the fig leaves indicated summer was right around the corner.
In the same way, the appearance of the signs Jesus described would indicate the judgement of the city was right around the corner.
When they saw the signs, they would know the Kingdom of God was near.
It was advancing on Jerusalem to destroy those who opposed the reign of the Messiah.
Luke 21:32-33
Luk 21:32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.
Luk 21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
The events described would take place while the Apostle’s generation was still alive.
Some of the original 12 were still alive in 70 A.D.
In verse 33, Jesus affirmed the security of His prophecy.
Jesus’ words were more sure than the earth the Apostles stood on and the heavens that hung above them.
The earth and sky would sooner dissolve than Jesus’ words not come true.
One day the earth and sky will be gone, but all of Jesus’ words will remain.
Luke 21:34-36
Luk 21:34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
Luk 21:35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Again, Jesus told the Apostles to be watchful.
They were not to get caught up in drunkenness and dissipation.
Dissipation - the squandering of money, energy, or resources.
The disciples were to be watching for the signs, they were not to be distracted.
Distracted people walk into traps.
Spiritually distracted people walk into Satan’s traps.
They couldn’t afford to miss the signs and get caught off guard because it would cost them their lives.
“For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth (Luk 21:35).
The invasion of Judea and Jerusalem by the Romans was a somewhat local event, so why did Jesus say it would affect the “whole earth.”
He must have been using this phrase in a similar way to the way Luke used it in Luke 2:1.
Luk 2:1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
Caesar Augustus didn’t have authority over the entire world.
The phrase was used to denote the totality of Augustus’ empire (the Roman Empire).
It seems Jesus used similar language to denote the totality of the citizenship of Judea and Galilee.
The disciples needed to be watching for the signs, and they needed to be praying for strength to escape the coming calamities.
If they did, they would be able to “stand” (survive) the day when the Son of Man came to their land to judge it.
APPLICATION:
There are a lot of parallels between the judgement of Jerusalem and the judgement of the world at the end of time.
As we mentioned, some of the language in chapter 21 sounds like it could be referring to the end of time and I don’t think that is by mistake.
The judgement of Jerusalem was a lesson, not just to the Jews, but to everyone!
Consider some of the parallels:
Jesus promised to judge the Jewish nation in the future.
Jesus promised to judge the world in the future (end of time).
The judgement of Jerusalem was a result of their sins.
The judgement at the end of time is a result of sin.
The wicked Jews were to be punished when the Son of Man came representatively through the Romans in 70 A.D.
All wicked people will be punished when the Son of Man makes His personal return to judge the world.
Jesus offered His Jewish listeners a way to escape the judgement of Jerusalem.
Jesus offers everyone a way to escape the judgement of sin.
The judgement of Jerusalem was punishment for the wicked Jews, but redemption for the disciples.
The final Judgement day will be punishment for sinners, but a day of redemption for the faithful.
Jesus told His Apostles to be watchful in order to escape the upcoming judgement of their nation.
Jesus instructed Christians to be watchful so they are not caught off guard when He returns.
There are probably other parallels, but these are sufficient to show the similarities.
The Jews probably never thought they would be judged like the nations their prophets spoke against in the Old Testament.
Many probably scoffed at the idea that God would ever destroy His holy city, Jerusalem.
But they were wrong!
The Kingdom of God will put down any nation and any individual that opposes its reign.
The Jews were not exempt.
And we will not be exempt!
Don’t get caught off guard thinking you’ll never face judgement.
The Son of Man is coming in the clouds with power and great glory.
Will He find you opposing the Kingdom of God and destroy you in judgement?
Or will you find redemption on that day, having heeded Jesus’ instructions before His arrival?
Luke 21:37-38
Luk 21:37 And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet.
Luk 21:38 And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.
Jesus spent the last week of His life teaching in the Temple.
Teaching about the gospel, the Kingdom of God, and the work He was about to accomplish to save men from their sins.
