Take heed that no one deceives you

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" And Jesus answered and said to them, "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

- Matthew 24:1-14

Jesus has been in the temple in Jerusalem over the past few readings, disputing with those who put questions to Him, to test and trap Him. In yesterday's reading, He continued with His critique of the Pharisees and scribes. His most scathing criticism is of their hypocrisy in the ways in which they practice their faith, and contrasts the type of leadership and authority He wants to see among His own disciples. In yesterday's reading, He said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." Jesus said that while they tell one another they would not have been among those who stoned and killed the prophets of the past, they are witnesses to themselves as to whose children they are -- because Jesus will send them "prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city." The measure of this rejection -- from times past to times future -- will have its full effect in this generation. He said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." One really must consider the majesty and beauty of the temple to get an idea of the extraordinary thing that Jesus is predicting here. It was an immense project, rebuilt by Herod the Great to include colonnades, porticoes, and marvels of architectural beauty. Its stones were immense. But in its destruction in A.D. 70, only a fragment of one retaining wall remained, known today as the Wailing Wall. It was rumored that there was gold between the stones, and so Jesus' prediction that "not one stone shall be left here upon another" is a vivid picture of the actual search for plunder that took place in its destruction. The disciples marvel at the temple's extraordinary grandeur. I think that what was to come would have been barely imaginable to them.

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" Sitting on the Mount of Olives, Jesus and His disciples would have a vantage point overlooking the city of Jerusalem. In the context of Matthew's gospel, there is a dramatic shift here. Jesus has been focusing on issues of leadership and authority up until this point, but now the question shifts to the end of the age. Implicit here are questions about the coming Kingdom.

And Jesus answered and said to them, "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." My study bible points out that "the disciples dream of the hoped-for earthly kingdom, which they expect to appear almost immediately." But Jesus is preparing them for what is to come in Jerusalem, the great destruction and calamity that will be experienced. Through His warning, the early church at Jerusalem did indeed watch for the signs, and escaped this destruction. While discussion of the end of the age is tied in with the destruction of the temple, here Jesus' immediate reference is about what is to come in Jerusalem, a warning for them. But note that His very first -- His primary -- note of warning is not of the destruction, but of the false prophets who will come in His name to mislead them. There is also a preparation here that they must endure, and not be dismayed or lose heart by what they are to experience and witness in the events to come.

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." The difficulties for the Church will abound. There will be terrible persecutions, leading to betrayals and falling away from the Church. Because of false prophets, leading some astray, there will be those who lose faith. But above all, Jesus preaches endurance and discernment. That which survives all these tragedies and tribulation will spread -- the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations. The times of the end of the age will come after that. In the readings that follow, we will see the attitude with which Jesus says we are to remain prepared for this future and His Second Coming. His warning about what is to come in Jerusalem will also be emphasized for them.

What a dark and difficult prediction this is! What a time in which He is making it. They have just come to Jerusalem, with great crowds welcoming Jesus with shouts fit to welcome a Messiah. In His disputes in the temple with those who seek to trap Him, Jesus emerges victorious -- silencing His critics and delighting the crowds. But here, the warning comes loud and fast and strong about what they must expect, the times they will endure. Not only will there come the terrible destruction of the extraordinary temple and this beloved holy city, but even among themselves there will be persecution, betrayal, false prophets, lawlessness. I doubt that any could comprehend these words and teachings, when they have expectations of the manifestation of the Kingdom. But these words are secret to the disciples, to those who will follow and be sent out as apostles, who will be martyred. And in this secret and private warning there is a deeper secret of discipleship hinted at: endurance. Matthew's gospel has focused on leadership and authority for quite a few chapters. Jesus has repeatedly taught about servanthood and humility before God, extending to one another. Here He gives them more virtues of those who will be truly faithful and exhibit leadership: endurance and discernment. They are not to be afraid of what is to come. Nothing must dismay them. And they are secretly and privately warned beforehand of what is to come, what they must expect. The courage, strength and endurance they will exhibit, the heeding of these warnings about false prophets, and about Jerusalem's destruction, all will serve the survival of the Church and its spread to the world. This handful of people can't possibly understand what all this implies in this moment. But Jesus' warning and His example still serves us today, and teaches us what our attitudes should be in difficulty we encounter for the gospel of the Kingdom. We endure. We have His words of warning, His love. We keep watch and keep aware that there may be false prophets in His name who lead people astray, and we know the destructive consequences to the Church. But let us take heart in the strength and courage, patience and endurance He counsels. Let us continue to trust in His words, as did they. "Take heed that no one deceives you" can include for us a warning not to be deceived by our own fears amidst calamity, and difficulty and tribulation. Through all things, we await His promise.