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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 or 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
Yesterday, we read that after an encounter with Sadducees and scribes in the Jerusalem temple, Jesus said to them, "How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool." ' Therefore David calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?" Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation." And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, "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." I can't help but be struck by the fact that Jesus has just told His disciples to beware of the scribes, because they "go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers." This temple was an absolutely stunning, grand building; built by Herod the Great who was also known as Herod the Builder. It was one of the wonders of the world of its time. But He's telling them not to be fooled by appearances. There's a deeper reality at work here beyond what they see. This prophesy was fulfilled in AD 70, during the Roman Siege of Jerusalem. We remember also Jesus' lament over Jerusalem as He entered the holy city.
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." Christ's emphasis is on awareness (and here, a warning against deception by false Christs), another way of teaching us not to rely on appearances. There is also a sort of chronology given, warning His disciples about the destruction to come in Jerusalem. He emphasizes virtue as well as awareness, telling them not to be terrified. My study bible suggests that "wars and commotions" first and foremost applies to Jerusalem, but also certainly include subsequent wars. It notes that wars are not a sign of the imminent end, but of the opposite -- that "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 or rulers for My name's sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony." Calamities and opposition can't stop the spread of the gospel, my study bible notes. Rather persecutions against the Church often increase the number of souls being converted. My study bible refers to St. John Chrysostom, who "marvels that while the Romans subdued countless Jews in a political uprising, they could not prevail over twelve Jews unarmed with anything except the gospel of Jesus Christ." I consider Jesus' words, "It will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony," to be the great focus and teaching for us here.
"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." Here is the revelation of the gift of the Holy Spirit, at work in them in the midst of the persecution. We are to be reliant on God, on the Spirit -- even while betrayal may go to the deepest and most personal and important places in our lives. For the love of Him, we may be objects of social hatred, "hated by all." We are asked to stand firm and by our patience "possess our souls."
Jesus speaks of the need for a tremendous resilience and faith on the part of those who follow Him. This isn't just a "go to church on Sunday" kind of faith He's talking about here. This is about persecutions and life on the line, in which we're hated for our faith. It's a sort of question of identity: how do we really identify ourselves? With whom do we truly affiliate? If life in Christ is the basis for identity, then that puts us into a kind of perspective that sets us apart into a place where our internal strength and integrity must come into play. Christ calls on us to be discerning, patient, and faithful. We see tribulation of many kinds around us in the world today. Violence claims lives in increasingly shocking and troubling ways. Violence in a church has shaken us here in the United States. But if we really do take our identity from Him, we've got to ask ourselves what it is He asks of us. Our faith has to remain the root of how we conduct ourselves, in the truth of His love for us, and our faith in His gospel message. If we focus on these virtues of awareness ("take heed that you not be deceived") and of not letting fear or panic run our lives ("do not be terrified"), if we center in on the fact that in persecutions or tribulation the Kingdom reminds us that there is an occasion for testimony, then we stand in the right place. We can act in the patience by which we possess our souls. And we can most of all rely on the Spirit to help us, to teach us, to pray in us, to teach us how we ought to pray, and to give us proper testimony, witnessing. That's the central line we tread, the way we focus in and know who we are and what it is we must be about, no matter what is going on around us. Let us pray for the martyrs of violence, wherever they may be, and remember what our calling must be while in the world He came not to condemn, but to save. By our patience we possess our souls, our most precious commodity.
