By your patience possess your souls

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 in Luke, Jesus taught about the identity of the Messiah as a son of David. He pointed out that David called Him Lord -- what does this mean? He also taught His disciples, in the hearing of the people, that they must beware of the scribes -- and more specifically, of their hypocrisy. What is it to be truly a righteous person? No greater condemnation was leveled than that against hypocrisy; they are experts in the Law, yet it is a show, for appearance, while they "devour widows' houses." Finally, among the rich putting money into the temple treasury, He points out a widow, saying, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had."

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." We know that, in Luke's Gospel, Jesus wept over Jerusalem before He made His Triumphal Entry. Here, He begins His discourse on the prediction of the future destruction of the temple. This will occur in A.D. 70. In Luke, this warning begins here in the temple area as He continues to speak to the public.

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." The warning about the destruction of Jerusalem is combined with a discussion of the end of the age. 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." How do we learn discernment, and how do we prepare for such a time? My study bible has another significant note on this entire passage: "The Lord's warnings about the future are intended to alert people to live righteously in the present." This is an important point: how are we to live today? How do we deal righteously with what is right before us? How do we focus on the Lord in the immediate present time? This is the way we practice and learn discernment.

"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. " We see a combined warning, of the end of the age and also of the destruction of Jerusalem and what is to come shortly in the time period of history. In a sense, we can't separate the two events. The destruction of the temple is an extraordinary and enormous upheaval segmenting the history of Israel. In the consciousness of the "people of God" this act was synonymous with an end of an age and, in a sense, inseparable from the apocalyptic predictions of the coming of the Messiah. So we see a double event, and indeed, I think it is important that we understand that Jesus inaugurates an eschatological period. It is, in fact, a time of testing for judgment. His advent into the world in the Incarnation leads us into a period of testing by the Spirit, preparation for the Judgment and the end of the age. So, spiritually, these two events are connected in a very real cosmic sense.

"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." Surely we know of the persecutions that were to come in the lifetimes of those who make up His audience: the Apostles, disciples and the public who listens to Him out of which will come the Church. But there is also a message here for all of us who come in the faith: adversity becomes an occasion for testimony. As a preparation for judgment, we live in a period in which testimony, witnessing, is an essential part of the mission of the Church. Note the legal language involved here -- we are witnesses, we testify. And persecution, perhaps in any form, becomes an occasion for such. In this sense, Christ offers us an important way to view life: an occasion of worldly suffering becomes suffused with potential for spiritual meaning and growth, for transcendence, for spiritual use, for salvation.

"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." And here is an important element on the meanings and uses for time, and how we must view time in our lives. Even as He predicts future events, Jesus teaches us to focus on the here and the now -- and particularly so in times of trial. When we focus in on prayer, on our relationship to God, we focus in the immediacy that God's eternal presence offers to us. So we focus on the now, on what is immediately before us: Jesus encourages mindfulness, particularly in preparation for trial and witnessing. In that moment, we will be given "a mouth and wisdom." Surely we read into this the gift of grace and of the Spirit, working in our midst. But we are to focus on the now, not to prepare! This is the immediacy of the presence of God with us and among us.

"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." Betrayal may come from any corner. Jesus is teaching them to be prepared even for the worst of shocks in those who will reject and turn from His word. In a sense, we hark back to the promise of the future age of the resurrection, in which the sons of God will be "equal to the angels." Betrayed by worldly relationships in this scenario, we understand the emphasis on family and relationship in a different order and structure, one created by faith, as the angels relate through love, faith, worship and loyalty to something beyond even blood ties and worldly relatedness. "By your patience possess your souls" teaches us that there is something greater to possess, and a greater family in the Name of the Lord in whom we have our true image, our true identity, our souls. And it is to this that we cling through persecutions of all kinds, even betrayal by those who may bear our closest worldly relationships. Surely there were those in the crowd standing before Him who would conceivably face such tests -- but it is indeed a warning, and a gift, for each one of us.

What sustains you in times of trial and betrayal? Is there a relationship deep within you that is greater than all trials and betrayals, and that will stand the test of time even when other relationships let you down? I know there is, and this is my testimony. I know what betrayal means, and where my faith comes in to give me purpose and meaning and hope and love, because love is really the root of all true relatedness. Let us remember, then, to focus in on that love that we can feel and the wisdom sent along with it in the gift of grace granted to us. Let us focus on the moment, the here and now, what is before us, and the word which God gives us in that moment. It is filled with love, and with wisdom, and teaches us how to bear our suffering: indeed, adversity then becomes the occasion for witnessing and testimony -- and the greater gift of our soul itself.