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"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
- Luke 21:20-28
In our current readings in Luke, Jesus is in Jerusalem. Yesterday, we read that 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."
"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." Jesus speaks of the immediate threats in the near future (within a generation) directly to Jerusalem. Because of His warnings, the early church escaped the destruction of Jerusalem. This prophesy was manifest in 70 AD, during the Roman Siege of Jerusalem. We remember that this conversation began with the great admiration and wonder at the astonishing building of the temple, built by Herod the Great, also known as Herod the Builder -- known for his harshness as ruler and also for his ambitious building projects. The temple was one of the wonders of the world, but Jesus' prediction that "not one stone would be left upon another" would come true, as soldiers believed there was gold between the stones. Only one retaining wall would remain standing, today known as the "Wailing Wall" or "Western Wall." Jesus' warning is extremely vivid, giving them a clear picture of when to flee the city and how urgent the time will be.
"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." Here, the narrative shifts to the time of His Return, the end of the age which has begun with His mission into the world to save it, to turn us to the things of God. These are the signs He gives for that time, just as He gave His disciples the signs of the time to leave Jerusalem.
What we can observe in today's reading is the tribulation or difficulties Christ predicts for His flock. He's not leaving them in a world that is all fixed and perfect, far from it. He's leaving them in a world that has all kinds of problems in it, with the Spirit to guide them into all truth, to teach testimony, to teach prayer. We're not to expect a perfect world and a perfect life, but rather we enter into His work in a troubled world. As we look at the world today, we can see loads of "trouble" everywhere: persecutions, shootings in a Church, and none of it looks like it's waning. We find ourselves in the midst of tribulations, wars, violence. But what that means, according to His word, is that He's calling to us in all the midst of it to be His disciples. Our faith needs to be stronger when we realize how badly the world needs the gospel message, our testimony, and the things that make for His peace. In such times and when we see things that make us fear, we need to be even more firmly rooted and centered in His place of the heart, where the gospel speaks to us, the Spirit directs us, His life lives in us and teaches us what we are to be about. We take root in God's love for us, and strengthen ourselves and one another in that place. Let us understand that He did not leave us promising that our lives as His followers were going to be perfect, but rather that we, His friends, are entered into His battle for salvation, by remaining rooted in His great love and mission to save.
