Take heed that you not be deceived

Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, "These things which you see -- the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down."

So they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?" And He said, "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them.

But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately." Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences, and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls."

- Luke 21:5-19

In yesterday's reading, Jesus posed a question to those who were quizzing Him (especially the scribes): "How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David?" He quoted from a psalm of David: "The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies your footstool,'" and asked, "Therefore David calls Him 'Lord'; how he He then his Son?" Then Jesus spoke scathingly of the scribes' desire for the greatest places and public adoration, while they "devour widows' houses." He then pointed to those giving donations in the temple, the wealthy and a poor widow. She gave all she had out of the abundance of her love for God - and therefore gave the greatest contribution. See "The LORD said to my Lord" & the poor widow.

Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, "These things which you see -- the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down." My study bible notes: "In Luke, the discourse of Christ on the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age (vv. 5-38) occurs in the temple area and is addressed to the public. ... The Lord's warnings about the future are intended to alert people to live righteously in the present." I think it's also important that we note the context: Jesus has just finished pointing out to those listening to Him to beware of those who seek public acclaim, who love the best places and make a great show of their faith. He contrasted an impoverished widow with wealthy donors, claiming that her contribution was greatest, because it was all she had -- as my study bible put it, a gift given out of the abundance of her love for God. The great, beautiful, and extraordinarily impressive temple - that is temporal, after all, and soon will not be - is not a lasting monument to God but will fall to the forces of material power. (The siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, in which the temple will be destroyed.) To build a congregation of "living stones" (the faithful, who love God) is a lasting, indestructable monument of faith.

So they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?" And He said, "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them." My study bible says, "Not to be deceived is the first caution Christians ought to heed when people talk about the signs of the end." Clearly, there has been speculation about the end times since the beginning of the Church. But, as my study bible points out, Jesus' first word of caution about such things is for the disciples not to be deceived. It is a kind of temptation, an open door, for those who would mislead - wolves in sheeps' clothing. He warns His flock, and we begin to grow to understand that our duty in the period following His death and Resurrection is to be alert, watchful, not to be deceived, and to live in faith.

"But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately." Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences, and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven." These words seem to be a combination of warnings about what will come in Jerusalem and in the times to come as we await His return. He tells us, we must remember, "Do not be terrified." These are things to expect, times to live through. But there is something more important.

"But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony." My study bible notes, "Persecutions against Christians will provide them with opportunities to give testimony to their faith." Direct persecution of Christian believers is seen as an opportunity to witness, to give testimony. In all things, in the worst of the adversarial conditions, Christ sees an opportunity, the faithful are given the power of witnessing and testimony. But there is another important caution He adds.

"Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake." We are not to seek to prepare even for this moment of persecution. In all things, Jesus seems to say, we are not to take time for worry, anxiety, pondering what may come. Rather, the Spirit will give us what is necessary, the words and speech and wisdom for testimony. Note that Jesus does not say persecution, and betrayals by those closest to us, and even death will not come. He promises the right Spirit for testimony that will not be shaken by any adversary. He even adds a warning, "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake." Far from military triumph, Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem initiates the period to come for the faithful, of persecutions, of precarious times in the world, of betrayals -- but also of lasting testimony and witnessing and spiritual truth that will not be shaken, and that will withstand all the power of its enemies.

"But not a hair of your head shall be lost." My study bible teaches that this is an ancient expression meaning that not even death (v. 16) can harm a soul that is in God's hands. Elsewhere in Luke's Gospel, Jesus teaches that "the very hairs of your head are all numbered," signifying God's care and knowledge of each one. None of what we truly are will be lost, nothing.

"By your patience possess your souls." My study bible teaches, "Endurance assures a place for us in the kingdom of God (see 1 Cor. 9:24; Heb. 12:1)." How powerful these words are, if only to understand the mission with which Jesus is now entrusting His flock, His church. He is not promising them the expected victory of a political Messiah, far from it.

One can only wonder at the powerful faith of those who were His followers, that Jesus would trust that His words of warning are not going to scare them off - and that His death and crucifixion is not going to scatter them forever. Indeed, we know that the Apostles will be scattered, but that these warnings we read here today will be understood and followed. For two millenia the Church has suffered through persecutions and upheavals, in all parts of the world, too numerous to count. There are martyrs (which means "witnesses") to the faith we will never know anything about. In the past century alone, they number in the millions, and persecution continues. Throughout the centuries there have been "wars and commotions" and "earthquakes and famines and pestilences" and "fearful sights" and even "great signs from heaven" reported to us in Christian history - and we continue to watch and wait and endure. We need our "patience." And, it stands to reason, we must be prepared for opportunity to testify. In all things, Jesus counsels that we possess our souls, we are not to spend time in anxiety and worry, nor to ponder how we will testify, what we will say. There will be persecutions and the deepest betrayals. I know that I have readers in places where this reality is a daily threat, a present danger to their community, and I pray for them and I am grateful for them. I can only hope my words strengthen them and help to build that unbreakable bond of faith. Jesus prepares us here not for an easy time, but a time of courage and endurance and meaning and the power of witnessing, which gives us, in effect, a transcendent gift. Let us not forget the trust and powerful place He gives us as the faithful, as those with whom He shares His place as Redeemer, and His life as Jesus. Even the hairs on our heads are numbered with love, as He empties to us and asks us to be His brothers and sisters in this struggle of faith. The gift of life in abundance is not just about the eternal, but the here and now, in its elevation of our lives to those which are essential to this world and its Creator, and through whom the testimony of faith prevails against all adversaries, as a Church of "living stones."