Luke 21:20-24 - Tough Times Don't Last

In Luke 21:20-24, Christ anticipated a time of great distress in Jerusalem. This literally took place some 40 years later when the Roman Emperor Titus, besieged Jerusalem. Two known historians, Eusebius and Josephus, both make allusions to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in their writings. In that event, there was intense suffering and people literally fled from Jerusalem. The Romans came upon them like a mighty flood. As predicted by the Lord, the temple was destroyed. This was when Jerusalem was trampled under the feet of the Gentiles.

The time of the Gentiles virtually began with Christ's death, the rendering asunder of the veil in the temple from top to bottom, and Christ's subsequent resurrection and ascension. This period, Luke hinted, would end only when Christ comes again! This would be when the time of the Gentiles would be fulfilled. With that, Christ then turned to complete His Olivet Discourse by discussing His second coming.

In the earlier verses, Christ promised His disciples His protective care. With the promise and the notion that they were enduring all things for Him, they were inspired to persist through their hard-times. Besides, they also had His indwelling Spirit with them to guide them through all their adversities until their ultimate triumph. Like them, we also know that our earthly life with Him will be attended by hard times. We can always draw strength for the journey from the promise that He will be with us even to the end of the age. All tough times have an ending. But what do we do in the meantime? 

Connect with Jesus and know Him intimately. Learn to live a Spirit guided life daily.  It's not what we know, it's who we know. When we know Him we shall do great exploits with Him! 

Luke 21:10-19 - Enduring Tough Time

Jesus' conversation with His disciples about the temple and its destruction started when they left the temple. As they walked toward the slope of Mount Olive, the disciples must have struggled to understand what He had said. Luke did not give us exactly when or where the following conversation take place. From the other synoptic accounts, we can deduce that it probably took place on Mount Olive.

Continuing in Luke 21:10-11, we find Jesus talking about world and natural disasters before His second coming. He provided some insights on what would happen to world situations before He returns. There would be worldwide hostilities and war between nations and kingdoms. There would also be occurrences of natural catastrophes such as earthquakes, plagues, and famines. Then there would also be fearful and unusual cosmic signs. Down through the corridor of time we have seen these events escalating in frequency. These things are the result of man's sin and abuse of God’s resources and would continue till the end of time. We mustn't interpret these signs and think that life is over. Christ said we should not be deceived by them.

Then He turned to focus on the disciples. The Lord gave them some insight on what they personally would encounter. They would have to face hostility, be opposed and betrayed by people who could be close friends and relatives, even parents and brothers. He foretold that some of them might even be put to death. And because of their association with Christ, they would be hated. But as they endured they would not be harmed but would receive life ultimately. In what Jesus told His disciples are lessons for us as well. Christ knew human tendency so well. There's always the tendency to fear and fret when we think of being questioned. As He instructed them, He is also instructing us what to do in the face of persecution and hostile reactions toward our faith.

Like the disciples, we should see them as evangelistic opportunities. We may be brought before authorities, be it religious, secular or domestic, to give an answer for our faith. We are not to fret nor fear and try to figure out how to defend any of their accusations. He promises to grant us indisputable and irresistible wisdom, and also the ability to articulate them. Like the disciples who were taught, we should seize every opportunity to share our personal testimony. We should be assured of His protection in all situations. He promises that not a single hair on our head will be harmed.

In verse 19, Jesus' encouragement is to stand firm, to persevere and endure.  Remember that we are in a spiritual marathon. We are not in a 100 metres sprint. The key to achieving in a marathon is endurance. He will give us the grace and strength. He tells us that His grace is sufficient for us and His strength will be made perfect in our weakness. So let’s refuse to give up and attain true life ultimately! 

Luke 21:5-9 - Keep on keeping on faithfully

Luke 21:5-9 formed the best platform for the Lord to launch into His Olivet Discourse, His final prophetic address. This was a perfect link to His final days. Since coming into Jerusalem in His triumphant entry, Jesus had cleansed the temple, and had several successful debates with the religious outfits of Israel. We last saw Him commending the poor widow for her selfless giving before He passed judgement on the religious leaders of Israel. He was now leaving the temple.

On their way out of this astoundingly magnificent temple building, someone mentioned about its beauty. Mark's account of this same incident specifically said that it was one of His disciples who exclaimed, “Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” (Mark 13:1). What's puzzling was the way Jesus replied. He told them that a day would come when it would be totally destroyed. So total would be the destruction, that there would not be found one stone upon another. And this literally happened.

When the temple was destroyed in AD 70 by the Romans, the fire that was set on the building melted all the gold in the building. The liquid gold then flowed into every crack of the destroyed stones. Soldiers who tried to retrieve the gold from the stones chiselled them till not a stone was found upon another. How true the Lord's prediction was!

Continuing, the disciples then asked when this would take place and what would be the signs. They were asking about the timing of the destruction of the temple. The Lord's answer to them went beyond the timing of the destruction of the temple. He went on to talk about the event that would happen in the last days to encourage faithful service till His return.

He warned them of the widespread deceptions that would happen. He said many would be using His name.  Many would even claim that they are the Christ and would predict that the time is near. He told them (including us) not to be taken in. The Lord went on to say that there would be reports of war. And as His followers we should not be terrified. All these must take place. Even then, the Lord said, His return would not follow immediately.

Believers have always been interested in the events of the last days. There have been many predictions of the timing of His coming. Knowing the signs of His return is good, but what's more important is to keep on in faithful service. The Lord's clarion call is: keep occupied till I come! What are we doing in the meantime? How are we building our spiritual life? Let's not consume our energy in speculations! Let's trim the lamp of our witness by living right and cultivating our walk!

Luke 21:1-4 - Money Speaks

It is said that money speaks. Yes, it speaks volumes. How we use money reveals the condition of our hearts. That's why how we give to God reveals the degree of our affection for Him. For where our treasure is, there will our heart be as well. Jesus knew this well. Hence, He stationed Himself near the treasury in Luke 21:1-4. From there Jesus could observe not only how much people gave but also how they gave. Whether one was rich or poor, none escaped His notice.

As an aside, we need to know that Jesus is still watching our giving. But He is not so concerned about the amount we give, as much as the attitude we display when we give. Today, He is still assessing the attitude of our hearts as we put in our offering each week. And nothing escapes His notice too.

That day, what captured Jesus' attention and admiration was a poor widow and her giving. The amount she gave could not be compared with the amount the rich were giving. She probably walked toward the treasury gingerly but unpretentiously. Unlike the rich, she did not want to be noticed. So quietly, she just placed her two small insignificant copper coins into the treasury. Or so she thought. But while no one cared about the amount she gave, God did and Jesus did.

Apart from the announcement the rich would make before putting their money into the treasury, the amount would also make lots of sound when it hit the bottom of the treasury. But the poor widow's two small copper coins probably did not even create a sound. Yet what she gave spoke louder than all the money the rich gave. Why? She had given all that she had, while the rich had only given out of their left-overs. It's not the amount, it's the heart.

An analysis of the amount God has at His disposal would tell us that God does not need our money. While He does not need our money, He wants us. And the amount and the attitude in giving, express eloquently how much of ourselves we have given to Him. What does our giving speak about our affection for God? So be mindful, Jesus is still watching!

Luke 20:45-47 - Be Genuine

Although some scribes, in Luke 20:39, praised Jesus, He was not impressed by them. What He saw from the behaviours of the scribes disturbed Him. So He highlighted them and warned His disciples about them. What He was saying was so needful that He wanted the wider audience to hear it as well.

The flaws of the scribes highlighted were:

·    They dressed in long robes outwardly to look impressive. It's not their dressing that Christ was concerned, it's the motive in the dressing. They did so to foster a sense of greatness.

·   They were position conscious. Always seeking to be acknowledged. Whether in public places, in religious or social gatherings, they must be seen in positions of importance.

·      They were exploitative. They eyed the houses of the poor, defenceless widows.

·     They were pretentious. They made long prayers without really meaning it. They were just merely religious words that were mindlessly rumbled off their lips.

Essentially, all these only boil down to three basic flaws: pride, greed and hypocrisy.  And Christ saw though them and warned His disciples about emulating those flaws. He warned of the ultimate end of those who practice such flaws.

Why was there a necessity to warn the disciples, and in a sense all of us, about these flaws? Man's basic tendency is to be prideful; to create showy impression; to eye positions of honor; to exploit the poor; and to be pretentious. These practices become more critical when people are in positions where they could influence others. Hence it's necessary for Christ to highlight them so that we, His followers, could avoid them.

Christ is saying one very important thing to us. Our character is more important than the impression we make. It is pointless to look religious and gain the applauds of men, when everything is but an empty, hollow shell. As believers, it behoves us to give our best to know Christ and to emulate Him in life and conduct. As people whom others are looking at, let us imitate Christ, so that others may emulate us. Let us be transparent and real through and through. Remember, heaven is our destination, Christlikeness is our goal!  

Luke 20:41-44 - Focus on Jesus, the Messiah

When the scribes who believed in the resurrection saw that Jesus had discredited the Sadducees in this doctrine, they applauded Him. They must have felt one up over the Sadducees. They however, were blind to the evidence that pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. So before they were too carried away by their elation, Jesus turned to them and asked a question. “How is it that they say the Christ is David’s son?

All Jews believed that their Messiah would come from the line of King David. For under David's reign, Israel enjoyed her golden years. And God had also promised that one of David's heirs would be the coming Messiah. Hence the Jews expected the Messiah to come from King David's linage.

Luke had been portraying Jesus as the Messiah. In his nativity account, he showed Jesus as coming from the line of David. And in the account of the healing of the blind beggar, Jesus was being addressed as the Son of David. It's clear that Luke had painted Jesus as the promised Messiah from David's linage. In these accounts we see the human side of the Messiah.

In quoting from Psalm 110:1. Jesus argued that He was their long awaited Messiah from the divinity point of view. For David himself not only addressed Him as Lord but also said that He would sit at God's right hand, reigning. His enemies would also be made His footstool. Here Jesus was hinting to them of His impending death, resurrection and ascension. The Messiah's divinity would be proven by His upcoming death, resurrection and ascension. And His resurrection and ascension would affirm His divinity and fulfill David's prophesy "...that His enemies would be made His footstool." 

The scribes' feeling of discomfort with Jesus' question revealed that they had failed to understand the nature of their Messiah. He must be both Man and God. As David's earthly son, Jesus is 100 % man and by His resurrection He is 100% God. The Jews myopic view only saw the human side of Christ but failed to see the divine part of Him.

Their failure to recognize Jesus as God made them blind to His greatness, majesty and glory. But for us, we must learn the lesson from their failure. We need to recognize that our Lord had a human nature but also a divine nature. And in our baptism, we have identified with Him in both His death and resurrection. We have the overcoming life of the Messiah living through us. We have the resources to overcome our greatest struggle in this life. In our struggles, let's continue to worship Him. Let's make Him our first option and not the last resort. Focus on Jesus!  

Luke 20:27-40 – Life after resurrection

The group of people that commonly opposed Jesus were the Pharisees. But in Luke 20:27 we see Jesus being questioned by some Sadducees. These were people that belonged to another sect in Judaism, made up of mainly wealthy, priestly aristocrats. And they did not believe in the doctrine of the resurrection.

They came to Jesus painting a hypothetical scenario. Their reference was the levirate marriage recorded in Deuteronomy 25:5-6. The law states the awkward responsibility of a man who had to marry his dead brother's wife, to produce an heir for him. They described to Jesus a scene of seven dead brothers who were married to the same woman, who left none of them an heir. And finally that woman also died. They mockingly asked the Lord whose wife she would be at the resurrection.

The scenario painted was a total absurdity. If it had really happened, the woman would have been the prime suspect of seven murders. The fact that they didn't believe in the doctrine of the resurrection makes it clear that they had an ulterior motive. They were skeptics and their real intention was to discredit the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. Jesus' answers to them revealed a few things to us that there is a world after this earthly life is over. Unlike earthly life, the resurrected has no marriage, neither will people be given in marriage, as there would be no necessity for procreation. Significant changes would take place in the resurrected life. Like angels, those who attain it would live endlessly. In that resurrected life, we belong to the larger family of God. The resurrected life is for those found worthy by God.

Pointing to the Exodus account where God confronted Moses with the burning bush, Jesus said, God revealed Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was basically asserting that the Patriarchs are alive with God, they are in another dimension. They are alive with God even now. Here the Scribes applauded Him but the Sadducees' position was debunked and they kept silent.

The Sadducees showed that they did not know the Scriptures. Hence they were ignorant of His power. What about us? Do we know the Scriptures? If we do, then the whole resource of heaven is at our disposal. Truly Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He is the God of the living. Because we are in Christ, He has written the resurrected life indelibly in our soul.