‘And he looked up, and saw the rich men who were casting their gifts into the treasury.' As we see from the chiasmus of the passage Luke connects the behaviour of the Scribes towards widows' possessions with the behaviour of a godly widow towards God. Here we see one whose livelihood is swallowed u... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he saw a certain poor widow casting in there two mites.' But then Jesus noted a woman who cast in ‘a very few lepta', the very smallest Jewish coin. The number ‘two' was often used to indicate ‘a very few' (compare 1 Kings 17:12). Numbers in those days tended not to be used strictly mathematic... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said, “Of a truth I say to you, This poor widow cast in more than they all, for all these did of their superfluity cast in to the gifts, but she of her want did cast in all the living that she had.” ' And this time it was Jesus turn to comment on the munificence of the gift, and He does it w... [ Continue Reading ]
INTRODUCTORY WORDS. ‘And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and offerings, he said,' Luke is deliberately vague about where and to whom these words were spoken. He does not want to move attention away from the Temple area, nor specifically restrict the words to the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE COMING DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE (21:5-24). The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD is now for us a simple fact of history of which today many are unaware, and most see it as almost an irrelevance, but its implications were in fact huge for us all. To the disciples, and the Jews of... [ Continue Reading ]
PROPHECY CONCERNING THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE, THE SCATTERING OF THE JEWS, AND THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN (21:5-36). This passage connects with the last in that the disciples begin to discuss the offerings that had resulted in the building of the glorious Temple which they could see before th... [ Continue Reading ]
“As for these things which you behold, the days will come, in which there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down.” And so He informed them that days were coming when the temple would be torn down, with not one stone to be left on another, just as it had been in th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they asked him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are about to occur?” ' Revealing their typical Jewishness his hearers then asked when these things would be and what would be the signs that introduced their occurrence. In contex... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said, “Take heed that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he', and, ‘The time is at hand', do not go after them.” ' The first thing that His people will have to beware of is those who will arise saying, ‘I am the one' in the name of the Messiah, or who will s... [ Continue Reading ]
VIOLENT POLITICAL EVENTS AND NATURAL CATASTROPHES WILL NOT BE SIGNS OF THE COMING DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE, NOR OF THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN (21:8-11). Despite the warning of these verses each succeeding generation has among it some who have a huge interest in pointing to ‘the signs of the times... [ Continue Reading ]
“And when you shall hear of wars and tumults, be not terrified, for these things must necessarily come about first, but the end is not immediately.” He then emphasises that as well as messiahs and deliverers there would also occur wars and ‘tumults' (or ‘civil wars', compare James 3:16. See Isaiah 1... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,” ‘Then he said to them.' This may indicate that there had been a lull in the conversation (it does not appear in Mark, but Luke's careful enquiry may have elicited the need for it from his witness). Or it may be w... [ Continue Reading ]
“And there will be great earthquakes, and in many and various places famines and pestilences, and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.” And along with wars will come natural events, great earthquakes, famines, pestilences, terrors and portentous signs in the heavens. These will all be... [ Continue Reading ]
“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you, and will persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name's sake.” “But before all these things.” Mark omits this, probably because Peter did not include it in his summ... [ Continue Reading ]
THE COMING MINISTRY OF THE APOSTLES AND ITS CONSEQUENCES (21:12-19). Meanwhile, while all these things are going on, the Apostles and those who follow them must be involved in testimony to the world, and must recognise that they will face hatred and persecution because they are His (see John 15:18;... [ Continue Reading ]
“It will turn out to you for a testimony.” But none of these things should disturb them, for it will result in their being able to testify before men concerning Him. It will be a part of their overall testimony. It will also result in the end in their being testified to by Him before the Father (Luk... [ Continue Reading ]
“Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to prepare in detail beforehand on how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries will not be able to withstand or to gainsay.” When such things occur they will not need to prepare clever defences beforehand. (It was usual t... [ Continue Reading ]
“But you will be delivered up even by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends, and some of you they will cause to be put to death.” The evidence of Jesus' fire being cast on earth is now forthcoming (compare Luke 12:53 with 49). Even their own families and friends will betray them as Chris... [ Continue Reading ]
“And you will be hated of all men for my name's sake.” And all this will happen to them because for His sake they will be hated by all men. By ‘all men', of course, He means the generality of mankind. In contrast with the love of Christians for one another, and the general tolerance of society, they... [ Continue Reading ]
“And not a hair of your head will perish.” But Jesus' final guarantee to His own was that not a hair of their heads would perish (compare Luke 12:7; Acts 27:34). This was not intended to be taken literally, indeed could not be, for the number of our hairs is not fixed, and when we lose them they pe... [ Continue Reading ]
“In your patience endurance you will win your souls.” Note how in the chiasmus this statement parallels the earlier “It will turn out to you for a testimony” (Luke 21:13). By their patient endurance as they gave testimony to Him and endured persecution they would gain in its fullest realisation the... [ Continue Reading ]
“But when you see Jerusalem being surrounded with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand.” The surrounding of Jerusalem by armies in the future was something constantly referred to in the Old Testament. We can consider, for example, Isaiah 4:4 where it can be assumed and is to happen ‘in t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE AND THE SCATTERING OF THE JERUSALEMITES (IN THE GREAT TRIBULATION MENTIONED BY MATTHEW) (21:20-24). The only sign that will be given of the events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple will be the approaching foreign armies (‘standing... [ Continue Reading ]
“Then let those who are in Judaea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of her depart out, and let not those who are in the countryside enter into it.” The warning here is vivid and pointed. At the first indication of approaching troops they are to find refuge not in the city (th... [ Continue Reading ]
“For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” And the reason that they are to flee is because these are the days of vengeance, the days when God visits the people who have rejected Him with judgment. For the days of vengeance compare especially Deuteronomy 32... [ Continue Reading ]
“Woe to those who are with child and to those who are breast-feeding in those days! For there will be great distress on the land, and wrath to this people.” The awfulness of the days that are coming on the land and on Jerusalem are emphasised in terms of the weakest and most vulnerable, those who a... [ Continue Reading ]
“And they will fall by the edge (literally ‘mouth') of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” And the result of the investment of Jerusalem will be many slain by the edge of the swor... [ Continue Reading ]
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows, men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” And what will hap... [ Continue Reading ]
“And then will they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” For one day that is what will happen. It will be the event to end all events. All will come to its conclusion. God will sum up history. And the Son of Man, spoken of by Daniel the prophet as having been given all d... [ Continue Reading ]
“But when these things begin to come about, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” So the final consequence of the sufferings and tragedies of the ages will be the coming of Christ to receive His own, and to bring His final judgment on the world. And the result is tha... [ Continue Reading ]
“And he spoke to them a parable, “Behold the fig tree, and all the trees, when they now shoot forth, you see it and know of your own selves that the summer is now near.” The parable is a simple one, and its basis is that men know when summer is coming because they observe the growth on the trees. Lu... [ Continue Reading ]
CONCLUDING WORDS (21:29-38). Jesus now sums up the conclusions which result from what He has been saying. In His summing up He stresses the signs that will indicate the ‘nearness' of the Kingly Rule of God, that is, the point at which there will be nothing between the sign and its fulfilment. First... [ Continue Reading ]
“Even so you also, when you see these things coming about, know you that the Kingly Rule of God is near.” So in the same way when they see all ‘these things' coming about they are to know that the Kingly Rule of God is near. Here it is clear that the future eternal Kingdom is in mind. In context ‘th... [ Continue Reading ]
Truly I say to you, This generation will not pass away, until all things be accomplished.” And indeed, He declares, all ‘these things' that He has described as necessary before His coming will be accomplished within the lifetime of the current generation. It must necessarily be so. The blood of all... [ Continue Reading ]
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Indeed so certain are the things that He has promised that even the passing away of Heaven and earth will not affect them. Their occurrence is certain and sure. They are more stable and certain than Heaven and earth (compare a simi... [ Continue Reading ]
“But take heed to yourselves, lest it happen that your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare, for so will it come on all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.” In view of this certainty of the fulfilment... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But you, watch at every season, making supplication, that you may prevail to escape all these things that will come about, and to stand before the Son of man.” Rather than partying, and becoming drunk, and being too involved with worldly affairs they are to be ever on the watch at all times, prayi... [ Continue Reading ]
THE JUDAS' PLOT (21:37-22:6). As far as Luke is concerned the first stage in Jesus' final hours is the entry of Satan into Judas Iscariot, the Apostle. ‘Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.' These words bring a chill to the heart. How has Satan managed... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And every day he was teaching in the temple, and every night he went out, and lodged in the mount that is called Olivet, and all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, to hear him.' Some see these as the closing words of the preceding section, but the chiasmus seems to suggest... [ Continue Reading ]