The Destruction of the Temple, Part 3

Hey everybody.

We will wrap up Luke 21 today, looking at a parable Jesus told his disciples as a way of clarifying the things he has just told them.  Here is my translation of verses 29-38:

29 Then he told them a parable.  “You see the fig tree and all of the trees. 30 When they produce leaves, you see the leaves and know that summer is near. 31 Likewise, with you, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all of this has happened. 33 The heavens and the Earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 

34 Guard yourselves carefully, so that your hearts do not get burdened by self-indulgence, drunkenness and the concerns of everyday life, so that the day will not take you by surprise, 35 like a trap, since it will come upon everyone on the face of the Earth.  36 Stay alert all the time. Pray that you will have strength to escape these things that are about to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.” 

37 Jesus would be in the temple teaching during the daytime, and at night, he would go spend the night on the Mount of Olives. 38 All of the people would come to the temple early in the morning to listen to him. 

Remember, Jesus has just spent most of chapter 21 explaining to his disciples what would happen to the temple, and how they should response to the times.  Now, Jesus uses the fig tree as an example to explain and clarify what he has been saying.  

They all know that when the fig tree produces leaves that summer is near. He is telling his disciples that the destruction of Jerusalem will have signs of its approach, as well. The disciples easily recognize the signs of summer’s approach, so the comparison here is obvious.  Jesus would want them to recognize the coming of the destruction of Jerusalem.  Jesus has warned them, and he wants to make doubly sure that they don’t miss what he is talking about, including the part about escaping Jerusalem when they saw these signs. 

In verse 32, Jesus tells them that all of this would happen during that generation.  Many of them would witness what he is talking about here.  This has implications.  Much of what Jesus is saying sounds like he is talking about the end of time.  However, if he is, then this statement makes no sense here.  Time did not end during that generation. So if that is what Jesus means, then he was wrong.  It makes sense that this could be referring to the solely destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, except that Jesus states in verse 27, “Then they will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory.”  These seemingly contradictory statements make what Jesus is saying here seem confusing and controversial.  What does he mean by all of this?  Darrell Bock presents six different possible meanings of this passage in his commentary on Luke.  I am not going to dive into all of them here, other than to say that among them, the ones that make the most sense do seem to link the destruction of Jerusalem with end times in some fashion.  I think the broader point is to heed Jesus’ warnings, because whether he is talking about one, the other or both, it is good advice. Here is the advice Jesus offers: 

• Verse 33 - Stick to God’s word, as it is eternal and will never pass away.
• Verse 34 - Guard yourself always.
• Verse 34 - Don’t allow yourself to be self-indulgent, (including getting drunk.) Self-indulgence burdens the heart. 
• Verse 34 - Don’t allow yourself to be overly focused on everyday concerns.  This, too, burdens the heart. 
• Verse 36 - Live a life of alertness and awareness, as we do not know when this would take place.
• Verse 36 - Pray for strength. 

All of these things are good advice whether we are facing the end of time, the destruction of our city, or just the every day pressures of life.  

This chapter ends with a description of what Jesus was doing each day during those last few days before going to the Cross.  Each morning he would go to the temple and teach large crowds of people.  At night, he would go to the Mount of Olives.