But when people refer to Jesus as a prophet, this is a
radical understatement. Prophets
typically have a very constricted view of events coming in a future they do not
fully understand. Jesus has the full
view of everything, in every time, across every locality. He does not just see the destruction of the
Temple at Jerusalem by the Romans coming in just a few decades. He also sees the destruction of the Vatican
in Rome, by the upheaval of His second coming leaving all that art, and all
those treasures left with not one stone upon another. Christians, particularly Catholics, do not
enjoy thinking this way. We treat the
Vatican, with all that beauty and art, as if it were meant to stand forever. But it is not. It is only a very ornate building destined to be
just as destroyed as the very city of Rome itself at the end of all
things. No difference between the
Vatican and the local power plant in Rome except perhaps the perceived value of
the pieces left in the pile. The second
coming of Jesus will inevitably result in all that destruction, even of
Christian sites we cannot imagine that happening to. But alas destruction is surely coming. Your heart on the other hand, the heart of a
true worshipper of our God, is never meant to be destroyed, only shattered and
then rebuilt and made new by Jesus.
When Luke then describes the foretelling of the destruction
of the Temple at Jerusalem, perhaps it would be good for us modern Christians
to imagine Jesus was talking about the destruction of our Temples, of all of
them, at the end of all things if not before.
Perhaps only then we can equate the feelings of the people back then for
their venerable institutions as we might have for our own. Perhaps only then it would be as hard for us
to understand how hard those words were to hear, then and now. Luke picks up in chapter 21 of his gospel
letter to his friend about what we believe and why starting in verse 5 saying …
“And as
some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he
said,” It begins for those folks
the same way it begins in your heart, in my heart, with a pride in what we have
built to honor God. Precious stones,
precious art, not entirely different. We
think the Vatican so important in terms of art, it could never be
destroyed. All those marble carvings by
artists whose like has never been seen since.
That magnificent painting in the Sistine Chapel. It must surely be meant to endure
forever. But it is not. It is meant for the junk heap. It is meant for the trash pile of history,
all that work destroyed in an instant, by the one event every Christian should
cherish even more.
The people of Jesus’ day were equally proud of their
Temple. It was not as glorious as the
one David planned, and Solomon built.
None was ever so glorious. No
statues, but as ornate as ornate could be.
Yet due to the sin in the hearts of the Jewish people of earlier days,
who looked away from God and towards the orgies of other false deities, that
first Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.
Now in the days of Jesus, a rejection of the Messiah was to lead to once
again the destruction of the symbol of the worship of the very coming Messiah
that they refused to accept. The people
were proud of the precious gems. Jesus
saw those stones as hard as the current leadership’s hearts. What the people took pride in, that is the
great structure of the Temple, was to be destroyed and cast down. It was their own hearts the leaders refused
to yield. Do we yield our own hearts any
more today?
Luke continues in verse 6 saying … “As
for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall
not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” What we take pride in must needs be destroyed. Perhaps it is the only way our pride might
ever diminish. For pride is not
something we are supposed to cling to, or treasure. Modern man craves the legacy of notoriety, or
at least remembrance. We hope that what
we do will last, even though we will not.
That painting in the Sistine chapel has been preserved through the
centuries, its artist remembered well for it.
More recently the sermons of Billy Graham have been remembered as well,
those words leading many to the foot of the cross. Neither men perfect, but both
remembered. But I dare say there was
less pride in reciting the grace of God from a pulpit, than there is in
creating one of the greatest painted works of all time, even though the subject
matter was identical. But it is neither
the elegant words that convict the hearts of men, nor the magnificent
visualizations that inspire his heart to the feet of his maker. It is only the power of the Holy Spirit upon
the hearts of man that can do that.
Billy Graham was merely a tool.
Michael Angelo was merely a tool.
The tools pass. The power of
conviction does not. We should take less
pride in what we believe we accomplish, and recognize more the real power comes
only from God, not anything we have been inspired to do, or believe we
accomplish, or build.
Luke continues in verse 7 saying … “And they asked him, saying, Master,
but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things
shall come to pass?” Now
understand that those hearing this pronunciation of Jesus regarding the
destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem were not asking when the second coming
was bound to happen. They did not even
have a concept of a second coming as yet, because to a man, they all believed
that Jesus was the Messiah and the Messiah was meant to last forever. So for them, this prophecy represented only a
small defeat in a Kingdom meant to last forever. Those from the other ten tribes may even have
thought this just retribution upon Jerusalem for its arrogance in thinking
worship could only be legitimately celebrated at this one location. The other ten tribes worshipped on a
different mountain in general. But
whether the audience knew it or not, the question they posed to Jesus, asked
Jesus to look ahead, and Jesus could see it all. Not just the answer to what they were asking
but the answers all of us need, and the same dangers all of us face, both then
and now.
The mind of Christ loosens the tether of the human
imposition of time, and He looks ahead as He responds to them picking up in
verse 8 saying … “And he said, Take heed that ye be not
deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time
draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.” The first sign, is also the first warning, of
men who claim to be our savior and Messiah.
We should not go after them. I
wonder is Jesus talking about you or me?
Oh of course, neither of us claim to be Jesus or God or any kind of
Messiah. That would be crazy talk. But then, how many of us decide we are able
to break the bondage of sin by our own self will power. How many of us dare to believe we are strong
enough to defeat the devil and make it to heaven by performing good acts, and
avoiding the bad ones. To never again
sin, as if sin is nothing more than a choice on our part. By any of this logic, we make ourselves a
partner in our own salvation, in effect we make ourselves our own Messiah. And we start following the guy in the mirror
cause he seems to know what is needed to move on and move up. While neither of us might follow a David
Koresh, or some other wacko (pardon the pun) who claims to be Jesus. How many of us so easily follow ourselves,
placing pride in all we have done spiritually, all we have accomplished, all we
have built.
Jesus continues in verse 9 saying … “But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these
things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. [verse 10] Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom:” The
destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem was actually caused by the rebellion of
the people against Rome. It was not some
external war that just strafed the land of Judea and took out the Temple in its
wake. It was instigated by the people
who felt cheated that the real Messiah did not throw off the yoke of Roman
oppression, and so decided to take matters into their own hands. Sound familiar? How often does God not do what you ask Him to
do, so you try to help Him out by doing it yourself? That is not some external war, or actions
caused by others that comes and destroys you, it is what you do, what you
decide, what you think is best, that is really only pain and death wrapped up
in some shiny appealing wrapper. The end
of all things, will not be caused by wars we start with each other. It will be hurried or delayed by whether we
learn to submit ourselves to Jesus and allow Jesus to do all the fighting.
Luke continues in verse 11 saying … “And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences;
and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” Nature’s own upheaval will mark what is
coming. It is said not a single
Christian died in the siege of Jerusalem, the end of which marked the full
destruction of the Temple. For a great
sign appeared in the heavens of a chariot riding towards the city and every
Christian knew what it meant, and fled before it was too late. In our day we have seen these earthquakes on
a global scale. We know where famine
still lives today. And the pestilence of
Covid is not the first to strike the world, nor will it be the last. These are milestones, signs of a coming
Savior we need so desperately. But they
should not cause us fear, they should motivate us to surrender and find
peace. Our lives, and our deaths here in
this world are truly incidental. But our
salvation in the next is the only thing important, and should provide us
motivation to help others while we still have time to help. To love others when they need it the most. Who cares about earthquakes, if my heart is
so sedentary it cannot be moved by the plight of my own neighbor, by my own
spouse, by my own children or parents?
If it is my heart that is so set in stone, perhaps it is my heart that so
desperately needs the earthquake to shake it loose from its apathy.
Jesus continues in verse 12 saying … “But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and
persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being
brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. [verse 13] And it shall turn to you for a testimony.” Before Jerusalem would be sacked, early
Christians would face persecution from those who refused to accept Jesus as the
Messiah. Believers would be dragged into
courts and synagogues and prisons.
Brought even before kings and rulers, in order to see them crushed by
those refusing to believe. But God would
turn this persecution against the persecutors in the form of delivering His
testimony of love to those who might have never otherwise heard it. Instead of squelching the gospel, they
amplified it. Members of the court heard
a new message of love. Secretaries, and
wardens, gaurds, and ministers of the rulers heard a gospel of love that
literally broke their hearts and put them at the feet of a cross. By trying to kill the gospel message,
persecution only widened its reach and its passion.
Jesus continues in verse 14 saying … “Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before
what ye shall answer: [verse 15] For I will give
you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay
nor resist. [verse 16] And ye shall be betrayed
both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you
shall they cause to be put to death. [verse 17] And
ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. [verse 18] But there shall not an hair of your head perish. [verse
19] In your patience possess ye your souls.” So some of this sounds like superficial
contradiction in what is said. First
Jesus says don’t even worry about what you are going to say when you are
brought into courts and such. Jesus
Himself, through the power of the Holy Spirit, will take over your words and
your delivery, making sure it is effective.
But also don’t figure everything will always turn out OK. Your own families will betray you all the way
to death. You will be hated for the love
of Jesus you reflect. But not one hair
of your head will perish. How could that
be if you are dead from a family betrayal?
Perhaps the same way that in patience you can possess your own
souls. Trusting to Jesus your
lives. Whether you are spared death for
a while, or taste it much earlier than you imagined, what is important is your
salvation, the salvation of your souls.
Being patient to let Jesus save you, in this you follow not lead, you
are humble no kind of partner or replacement for the Messiah, and ultimately
your faith in Jesus to save you bears fruit.
Life and death are not important, salvation and eternal life are all
that is important.
The mind of Christ is untethered by time, and He reveals to
His followers what is to come, some of it right away, some of it not. But Jesus is far from finished yet …
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